Estonian cuisine is a cuisine influenced by German and Swedish gastronomic traditions, but nevertheless it contains quite a few simple and hearty “peasant” dishes.
Estonian national cuisine
Soups are of great importance in Estonian cuisine: soups with peas, potatoes, dumplings, barley or pearl barley are prepared here. In addition, in Estonia, unusual dishes are prepared in the form of beer, bread, blueberry and herring soup. Local dishes are supplemented with a small amount of spices, but, as a rule, meat is seasoned with parsley and celery, cottage cheese with caraway seeds, fish with dill, and blood sausage with marjoram. Another popular addition to dishes is “castmed”, which is a milk, milk-cream or milk-sour cream sauce.
Popular Estonian dishes:
- "Mulgikapsas" (stewed pork dish with sauerkraut and barley);
- "Kaalikapuder" (rutabaga porridge);
- “Hernetatrapuder” (porridge made from buckwheat and peas);
- "Suitsukala" (smoked trout);
- “Cartuliporse” (baked meat dish in mashed potatoes).
Where to try national cuisine?
In Estonian catering establishments, any order is served with a basket of bread or freshly baked hot rolls, and sometimes even small snacks, all of which, as a rule, are not included in the bill. If you are planning to visit Estonian restaurants with children, then you will be pleasantly surprised - many of them have children's play areas and a special menu.
Since it is forbidden to smoke cigarettes in local establishments, smokers should look for places with open terraces.
In Tallinn, visit “Eesti Soogituba” (from traditional Estonian dishes, guests are treated to blood sausage, various cereals, local kvass, Baltic herring) or “Leib Resto Ja Aed” (the hit menu of this Estonian establishment is homemade bread, the recipe of which has been passed down from generation to generation), and in Tartu - “Kohvipaus” (here it is recommended to try the traditional Estonian dish kama, which is prepared from a mixture of fried rye, peas, beans, barley, mixed with milk or yogurt - it is supplemented with either honey or salt, which is why it turns into both a sweet dish and an appetizer).
Cooking courses in Estonia
Those who wish to cook Estonian dishes are offered culinary courses at the restaurant “Olde Hansa” in Tallinn. In addition, they will demonstrate the process of cooking a dish called "Illusion" (it is prepared from pike perch stuffed with minced shrimp and chicken fillet).
It makes sense to visit Estonia in conjunction with the Warm Bread Rye Festival (Sangaste Rural Municipality, August) or the Good Food Festival (Pärnu, June), during which you can buy products that are not sold in supermarkets, as well as take part in a cooking competition. different dishes.
