- Title: Bacon, beetroot or coal? Lithuania aims to boost tourism with unusual ice cream
- Date: 17th July 2020
- Summary: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (JULY 15, 2020) (REUTERS) HAND HOLDING CONE WITH SCOOP OF COAL-FLAVOURED ICE CREAM BOWL WITH BACON-FLAVOURED ICE CREAM POURED OVER CAKE BEETROOT FLAVOURED ICE CREAM ON DISH WORKERS IN KITCHEN OF DZIAUGSMAS RESTAURANT WORKER SEPARATING BACON PIECES, PUTTING ON TRAY WORKER TAKING BACON INTO OVEN, PUTTING INSIDE TO COOK CHEF, MARTYNAS PRASKEVICIUS, MIXING ICE CREAM IN POT PRASKEVICIUS PLACING COOKED BACON INTO ICE CREAM MIXTURE (SOUNDBITE) (Lithuanian) DZIAUGSMAS RESTAURANT CHEF, MARTYNAS PRASKEVICIUS, SAYING: "The map definitely brings guests to us. Of course in our restaurant we change ice cream flavours faster than what is in the map, we are very seasonal restaurant. But the bacon ice cream, I can promise, it will stay on our menu for some time, because they are not really seasonal. We will keep on surprising our guests all summer." HANDS PUTTING ICE CREAM OVER CAKE AND DRIED PLUMS IN PIG-SHAPED MOULD HANDS PLATING DISH PRASKEVICIUS SERVING ICE CREAM TO CUSTOMER BACON ICE-CREAM IN PIG-SHAPED FORM IN BOWL CUSTOMER SMELLING AND TASTING ICE CREAM INTERIOR OF RESTAURANT WITH CUSTOMERS SITTING AT TABLES (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOOD EXPERT, IEVA PIKZIRNYTE, SAYING: "Yes, I mean I can smell first, which I did. And then but I mean I really like the whole composition of the dark lager or dark beer cake and then the dried plums. I mean, overall, nice, well done." SPOKESMAN FOR TRAVEL IN LITHUANIA, OLEG VOLKOV, SHOWING ICE CREAM MAP AND SAYING TO PASSERBY (Lithuanian): "Do you like ice cream? What is the weirdest you have tried?" ICE CREAM MAP OF LITHUANIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR TRAVEL IN LITHUANIA, OLEG VOLKOV, SAYING: "With the help of this map, you can gather both new experiences, new Instagrammable moments, basically stuff to write home about. Like, I ate bacon-flavoured ice cream right here in this tiny village in Lithuania." EMPLOYEE TAKING WAFFLE CONE FROM STACK EMPLOYEE OPENING WINDOW TO ICE CREAM CASE, TAKING METAL SCOOPER VARIOUS OF EMPLOYEE SCOOPING COAL-FLAVOURED ICE CREAM EMPLOYEE PLACING SCOOP ON WAFFLE CONE EMPLOYEE SPEAKING WITH ICE CREAM SHOP OWNER (SOUNDBITE) (Lithuanian) OWNER OF AJ SOKOLADAS ICE CREAM SHOP, ALGIMANTAS JABLONSKAS, SAYING: "The most popular is pistachio, but of course the black is also popular, mostly for the novelty, because everyone is interested to taste the ice cream, what is it. When you say, it's with activated coal, and it tastes like coconut, really many want to try the black ones. And what's interesting - to take pics with black lips (LAUGHS)" SERVER GIVING BEETROOT ICE CREAM TO CUSTOMERS AT MYKOLO 4 RESTAURANT CUSTOMER TASTING BEETROOT ICE CREAM (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISITOR FROM HELSINKI, ELINA CARLSON SAYING: "This is really tasty. Like real strawberry. It's delicious." CUSTOMERS EATING ICE CREAM OUTSIDE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR AT MYKOLO 4 RESTAURANT, ZITA RIMKIENE, SAYING: "This dessert is very popular among our guests, and even when we are suggesting they are saying 'beetroot ice cream, no...' but after they taste it they are saying that was a great choice." VARIOUS OF BUILDINGS AND STREETS IN VILNIUS
- Embargoed: 31st July 2020 15:49
- Keywords: Lithuania Vilnius bacon ice cream beetroot flavor coal ice cream ice cream ice cream map tourism weird flavours
- Location: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
- City: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
- Country: Lithuania
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA001CN767UH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Bacon, beetroot and coal are just a few of the head-scratching ice cream flavours listed on a map of 20 locations across Lithuania, designed to help boost the number of visitors to the country.
Lithuania reopened from its lockdown in June and is welcoming increasing numbers of tourists from nearby countries where the virus has also been largely contained.
Martynas Praskevicius, a chef at Dziaugsmas restaurant in Vilnius, created bacon-flavoured ice cream, which he serves to guests using a pig-shaped cake mould.
The still-sizzling bacon is mixed with the ice cream mass and stored overnight to infuse. Praskevicius said he has previously made other unusual flavours such as buckwheat or mustard.
Some of the flavours taste unlike the odd ingredients used to make the sweet treats.
Finnish tourist Elina Carlson said the beetroot ice cream on offer at Mykolo 4 restaurant, also in Vilnius, tasted like strawberries.
Meanwhile, the 'coal'-flavoured ice cream (made with activated charcoal) at the Aj Sokoladas ice cream parlour tastes like coconut, owner Algimantas Jablonskas said.
A spokesman for Travel in Lithuania, who produced the map, said it helped visitors have "Instagrammable" experiences.
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