The 'pink soup' is serious business in Lithuania

Lithuania takes its ‘saltibasrscial’ or pink soup very seriously. Photos: Go Vilnius/dpa

Much of Eastern Europe has some version or another of beet soup – often a type of borscht that can be either vegetarian or not and is often accompanied by a dollop of sour cream.

But Lithuanians have saltibasrscial or “pink soup”, a dish they claim is taken more seriously in the Baltic Republic than anywhere else in the region. To prove it, they celebrate the delicious concoction with the Vilnius Pink Soup Festival.

This year will be the fourth time the capital city puts on a show for its love of a national tradition – a mixture of beets, eggs, spring onions, cucumbers and dill – with kefir or buttermilk thrown in to make it pink. The soup is then usually served cold with warm potatoes – either boiled or fried.

The festival takes place from May 29 to 31 and features events for young and old – including the Pink Soup Waiter’s Run, open to waiters in hotels, restaurants and bars competing to see how fast they can run with a bowl of Pink Soup, without spilling a drop.

There will also be a Pink Soup Parade in which participants are encouraged to turn the city into a pink soup capital.

For those looking for a longer stroll, there’s the Pink Soup Walking Competition: A 10.5km-long – or 15,000 steps – route along the city’s streets, riverbanks and green spaces. Pink costumes are encouraged.

At the finish line, participants gain access to the Steps Market where they can exchange their “steps” for items like pink soup ingredients. Awards for the youngest, oldest, most active and largest families, teams and communities will be presented.

The soup is served cold, and often comes with a side of boiled or fried potatoes.

Last year’s festival drew some 93,000 visitors, but not everyone is as enthused as the city’s many Pink Soup lovers and some on social media have questioned how authentic the event is.

One Reddit user called the festival “a modern corporate tourism advertisement by the government”, but said organisers were also not trying to portray the festival as “traditional”.

“They’re trying to market the soup to the world, so that people know it and immediately associate it with Lithuania like pizza with Italy.” Another sees it now as a commercial tourist attraction, but thinks it “might become a nice tradition eventually”. – dpa