Despite the fact that Estonia is located not far from Russia and is considered understandable and close to many, crowds of tourists still come here. There are so many attractions in this small country, and there is such an excellent service that all vacationers are delighted with it. What national peculiarities of Estonia do you need to know in order to have a good time?
National characteristics
Everyone knows that Estonians are very calm and reserved people. And this is actually true. They are very friendly with tourists. Local residents never behave insolently or indecently, and, of course, they know Russian and English very well.
In general, there is a rather large difference in temperament between Russians and Estonians. This is felt, for example, in the fact that Estonians are very sensitive to their personal space and prefer to live on farms. They also do not particularly like cities and apartments, living in them solely because of work. They also sing a lot in Estonia. This is a national entertainment here and therefore many different concerts and festivals are held.
Kitchen
Many dishes of Estonian cuisine are reminiscent of Russian, Polish and German, but this country also has its own delicious traditions. These dishes include:
- syyr (a dish made from cottage cheese);
- suitsukala (smoked trout);
- piparcook (turnip porridge);
- verevest (blood sausage).
All local cuisine is very hearty and high in calories. In preparation, cereals, fish, milk, pork and bread are mainly used. Estonians love soups, especially milk-based soups, and fish. It is boiled, salted and smoked. Various combinations of products are also surprising, for example, herring with sour cream or cottage cheese with sprat. In addition, there is very little fried food in Estonian cuisine; almost everything is cooked in water or steamed. Seasonings and spices are not particularly fond of here, they eat only onions, caraway seeds, parsley and dill, but there are a lot of various gravies. The most famous Estonian dish is kama. This is the name of a mixture of flour, milk and seeds of barley and oats.
Chocolate is especially popular in Estonia. It is made with nuts, as well as with mint, liqueur, coffee filling. Generally speaking, Estonian desserts are a separate conversation. That there is only jam from onions and honey or pepper biscuits, to which black pepper and ginger are added. Or the famous Estonian marzipans. As for drinks, locals prefer beer, various liqueurs and heegwine, that is, mulled wine.
