New Delhi, May 28 -- On a bright and sunny July morning in Vilnius, I walk into a no-frills valgykla, a Soviet-style canteen for my first taste of Lithuanian cuisine. Called Sultiniai, it is run by local women serving simple, home-style food at modest prices. One of them slides a tray across the counter, loading it with meat-stuffed potato dumplings, a baked cabbage-filled bun and a bowl of warm chicken broth. It's simple and deeply satisfying.

Over the next five days, Lithuanian food begins to unravel to me as nothing fancy, but as a living, everyday tradition best experienced in canteens. "Lithuanian home cooking is simple and seasonal," says Vilma Daubarienė, head of tourism at Go Vilnius, a city-based tourism agency. "Many of th...