Agriculture as the source of food and clothing was the most important of Lithuanian trades.
At first people cultivated grain: rye and wheat. Bread was the main type of food People also grew flax and cannabis, which were used for fabrics and various household items. Cannabis and linseeds were used for oil, which was also a very important food item.
Read more
Vegetables constituted an important part of Lithuanians’ diet too. The Baltic tribes used to grow carrots, onions and beets. In the 13th c. they already knew cabbages, but this vegetable was more widely adopted only in the 15th c. 16th c. Lithuanian manors grew carrots, turnips, cabbages, beets, cucumbers, onions, parsnips, leeks, horseradishes, celery, radishes, marjorams, parsley and swedes. Before Lithuanians knew potatoes, turnips were very popular. Also, there were peas used both for food and livestock feeds. People grew beans and garlic too. Tomatoes gained their popularity only after the World War I. However, peasants mostly grew only the vegetables they could keep for winter in salted or pickled form.
Later they began selling vegetables and grain in markets for people living in the city.
