Estonian cuisine. National cuisine of Estonia. Dishes and recipes of Estonian cuisine. Features of Estonian cuisine

Estonian cuisine is famous for its simplicity and naturalness. Historically, Estonians prepared their main dishes from pork or fish, cabbage, peas and dairy products; practically no spices were used.

Estonian cuisine does not differ in great variety and sophistication, which is due to the limited range of products historically available to residents of Estonia. Estonian cuisine is based on a variety of soups and porridges made from pork and fish (herring) with the addition of barley and pearl barley and vegetables (cabbage, peas, and later potatoes).

A typical breakfast consisted of porridge (barley, barley or oatmeal), sometimes milk, honey or jam were added to the porridge, and more often pork cracklings and butter were added. Each meal was accompanied by rye bread; salted herring was also a frequent guest on the table. For lunch and dinner, cabbage, pea or bean soup was prepared in pork broth.

The festive table was decorated with blood sausage with the addition of cereals, jellied meat and pancakes made from barley flour. The obligatory dishes on the table were dishes made from milk - cottage cheese, cheese and butter. With the advent of potatoes, the list of Estonian dishes has expanded significantly.

Modern national cuisine of Estonia

The modern national cuisine of Estonia is diverse, many dishes are borrowed from other national cuisines - German (sausages), Hungarian (goulash) and Polish (bigos). Estonians still serve:

• Aspic.
• Blood sausage.
• Roast pork and sauerkraut.

For Maslenitsa, Estonians fry pancakes from different types of flour (wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal) with a variety of fillings (lingonberries, caviar, fish, caviar, cottage cheese). Estonian cuisine has expanded with desserts and salads, for example, scones with whipped cream and potato salad are extremely popular.

Various pickles are widespread in Estonian cuisine:

• Pickled tomatoes and pumpkin.
• Salted cucumbers.
• Lecho and tomato paste.

Typical products for Estonian cuisine are milk, cheese, butter and cottage cheese. Recently, yogurt has been added to this list. Dairy products are consumed by Estonians in large quantities.

What to try in Estonia

Most of the dishes worth trying in Estonia contain pork. The first place deservedly goes to the stew of pork, pearl barley and sauerkraut (mulgikapsas) - a fatty, very filling dish that must be eaten with rye bread. The next dish could be pork baked in mashed potatoes (kartulipors) - in many restaurants it is served in portions in the form of small pigs. For fish lovers, Estonian cuisine offers tender smoked trout (suitsukala).

A popular dish among tourists is kama - a mixture of boiled cereals with jam, honey and milk. An excellent dessert would be a bun with marzipan or a marzipan figurine, which can be bought in shops in the center of Tallinn.

Before a gastronomic tour to Estonia, you must take care of obtaining a visa in advance. Read how to do it yourself.

National Estonian desserts and drinks

There are two main desserts in Estonia – onion jam and pepper cookies (piparkook).

Jam was traditionally made from onions with the addition of honey, but now honey is replaced with sugar. Pepper cookies are prepared with the addition of black pepper, cinnamon and ginger, and covered with glaze patterns. These cookies are still popular among Estonians at Christmas.

National drinks include red beer and oatmeal jelly. Red beer is served in almost all traditional Estonian taverns, and the red color is achieved by adding berries. Oatmeal jelly is traditionally prepared from oats by long boiling. Added to oatmeal jelly:

• Berries.
• Milk.

Where to try

Tallinn is famous for its restaurants serving national cuisine. Among the large selection, we can highlight the most interesting and popular ones.

Restaurant MEKK

Restaurant MEKK offers traditional Estonian dishes in an original presentation. In accordance with the history of the country, the menu depends on the time of year - summer and autumn provide a variety of vegetables and fruits, autumn - berries and pickles, winter - meat and preserves.

The menu includes specialties - pork in lingonberry sauce, cake with sea buckthorn and cheese. Home-baked bread and only natural dairy products give the restaurant the status of a cozy and almost homely place.

Address: Suur-Karja 17/19, 10140 Tallinn.

Peppersack Restaurant

Peppersack Restaurant provides the opportunity to try classic Estonian cuisine at its best:

• Pork stewed with sauerkraut.
• Kamu (a mixture of cereals with jam or milk).
• Blood sausage.
• Potato salad.

Dishes are prepared from natural Estonian products without special spices - only salt and herbs are added to the dishes. The deliberately simple interior allows you to focus entirely on the food.

Address: Viru 2 / Vana turg 6, Tallinn.

Restaurant Olematu Rüütel

The Olematu Rüütel restaurant is designed in a medieval style. In the restaurant's basement, game meat is roasted over an open fire. The menu delights with romantic names, for example, “Mistress Margaretha’s Weakness,” which hides chicken fillet with cheese, fruit salad and rice. The combination of products in restaurant dishes is unexpected and unusual.

The restaurant also serves traditional dishes - salted herring, pumpkin cream soup and ice cream.

Address: Kiriku Poik 4a, Tallinn.

Cafe Maiasmokk

Cafe Maiasmokk is the oldest not only in Tallinn, but throughout Estonia. The cafe offers a wide selection of desserts and sweets:

• Tender buns with cream.
• Handmade sweets made from natural chocolate.
• A variety of pies and pastries.
• Desserts with marzipan.

In the cafe you can also visit the marzipan room, where the whole history of marzipan is shown. The cafe has preserved its historical interior.

Address: Pikk tänav 16, Kesklinna linnaosa, Tallinn.

National Estonian cuisine may not be distinguished by its sophistication and variety of products, but everyone will find a dish to their liking.

Natural products and familiar cooking methods make Estonian cuisine attractive to Russian tourists.

Estonia belongs to the minority of European countries where the good old traditions are still alive. Grandmother's recipes, hearty home-cooked meals and natural products – Estonian cuisine consists of “peasant” treats. The dishes are not very refined and varied, but tasty and nutritious. The specific features of Estonian cuisine finally took shape by the middle of the 19th century, not without the influence of Scandinavian countries and Germany.
A distinctive feature of Estonian cuisine is a small amount of spices and seasonings - this is due to the territorial and climatic characteristics of the country, as well as high prices for spices. Salt, pepper, cumin, occasionally cinnamon and cardamom – Estonians prefer the natural taste of their products. The basis of the daily diet of local residents is black rye bread, cereals, potatoes, pork, liver and mushrooms with berries. Fermented milk products are widely used - they are used to make desserts, sauces and soups. Sometimes you can find unusual combinations like peas or fish in milk.

There are many establishments where you can try national cuisine. Most are located in the Old Town in close proximity to the Town Hall Square. In them you will taste echoes of the Middle Ages: sliced ​​venison or elk meat, bear or boar meat stew, stewed hare, quail with berry sauce or wild goose baked in clay. A simple lunch in a street cafe will cost 7–10 euros, and the average bill for dinner for two in a good restaurant is 30 euros.
For forest products and homemade cheeses, head to Setomaa, where festivals are held in honor of favorite products from the village menu. Lakeside villages are famous for their aromatic hot-smoked fish, and seaside resorts offer shrimp, trout and herring soups. There is an onion and fish restaurant at the Kolkya Museum of Russian Old Believers, where you can taste original dishes made from freshwater fish caught in Lake Peipsi.

First meal

Estonians are passionate about soups. Meat, dairy, cereal and vegetable stews occupy an important place in the diet. Barley with potatoes, bread, pearl barley with peas, even beer and blueberry - the choice is huge. You can find up to 20 recipes for milk soups in cookbooks! Tourists love the creamy soup with beans and smoked pork ribs in a toasted bread pot, and the locals themselves cannot live without herring broth. Restaurants serve pea soup with knuckle or cabbage soup with brisket - fatty and rich.

Second courses

Estonian cuisine is considered more “fishy” than its Baltic neighbors. Residents of the eastern regions eat river fish, and in coastal areas they prefer flounder, herring and eel. Estonia has preserved a huge number of unique recipes for cooking fish. It is rarely fried, but is used mainly in baked, dried, pickled, boiled or dried form. And only in this country can you try milk and fish soups, fish puddings and casseroles, as well as herring cooked with sour cream. Tallinn has its own edible symbol - sprat in a spicy marinade.
The most common meat on the table is pork. Liver, jellied pork legs and whole heads, and the traditional dish is mulgikapsad, braised suckling pig with pearl barley and sauerkraut. Or cartlipors - meat baked in puree, which is often designed in the form of funny pigs with olive eyes and a snout of carrots. Many restaurants serve tail sult - jellied meat, which for a long time was exclusively a “wedding” treat. Occasionally you can find veal or lamb on the menu, and, notably, different types of meat are not mixed. A favorite Estonian meat delicacy is rare dishes. It is tempting to try vere pakeogid - pancakes with blood and sinicha, as well as liver, dumplings and sausages, especially vereverst with barley and chopped bacon.
Cheese lovers will be delighted with the fatty homemade “cheese”, as the Estonians themselves call it. In the southern regions you can find hard cheeses with honey, poppy seeds and jam.
As for baked goods, Estonians themselves recommend trying pyrukada - small pies with rice, stewed vegetables or minced meat.

Dessert

Estonian housewives have long been ahead of the rest in the art of baking - desserts in the country are distinguished by their amazing taste and outstanding craftsmanship. All kinds of cookies, muffins and buns will please any sweet tooth. It is worth paying attention to sweet soups. Bread, for example, is made from stale bread soaked in water with the addition of raisins and whipped cream. Berry stews come from neighboring Scandinavia and are mixed with lots of honey and nuts.
A favorite Christmas dessert is piparkook cookies with aromatic cinnamon and black pepper. In any cafe you can order a delicious rhubarb pie and traditional jelly with cream and milk.
Since Soviet times, chocolates from the Kalev factory have been in demand - a couple of elegant packages of such sweets will be a wonderful gift from Estonia. There are a variety of fillings: mint, coffee, liqueur and nuts.
Balbiino is considered the best ice cream producer - there is even an interactive museum dedicated to the summer dessert in Tallinn. Estonian berry jams are also good, especially homemade ones. But the main thing that a true sweet tooth should try in Estonia is marzipan. According to legend, it was invented in Tallinn in the famous pharmacy on Town Hall Square. A mixture of nuts and sugar makes amazing candies and figurines of funny characters, which you then hate to eat.
Outside the country, it is almost impossible to find “kama” - oatmeal made from flour, to which milk, curdled milk, as well as seeds of barley, oats and rye are added. It is eaten with jam and cream.

Beverages

Estonians readily drink a variety of berry jelly, as well as drinks based on milk and curdled milk, compotes, and kvass. Among stronger drinks, it is worth noting the national beer, which is also known outside the country. The most popular varieties are “Saku” (light) and “Saare” (dark). There is also the original “Viru” with juniper extract, and red with berry juice. In Tartu you can visit the A le Coq beer museum – followed by a tasting, of course. Some farms brew original honey beer according to medieval recipes. Pubs serve signature ale with a signature snack - smoked pig ears in garlic sauce.
The best noble wines produced in Estonia are stored in the wine cellars of Põltsamaa Castle. In the chilly autumn and winter, it’s good to warm up with höegwein, the local mulled wine. Each bar offers its own recipe for a fragrant warming drink - you can’t try them all!
Well, Soviet citizens probably fell in love with the Baltics from the first sip of the rum liqueur “Old Tallinn” (Vana Tallinn) or the strong tincture Kännu Kukk with caraway seeds and juniper berries.

Estonian dishes They are distinguished by an unusual combination of products. Experts note that the main part of the dishes has a slightly sour taste and the aftertaste of milk, to which a variety of, sometimes unexpected, ingredients are added, for example, peas or fish, most often herring or sprat. Among the usual dairy products on the table of local residents, you can see cottage cheese, whipped cream, yogurt, home-made cheese, which Estonians have a special name for - cheese.

Cereals are very widely used for cooking - pearl barley, barley, but Estonians practically do not use buckwheat. Like mushrooms, you almost never see them on the Estonian table. But they eat a lot of potatoes, and they use them not only on their own, but also in the form of porridges with various cereals.

As for meat, Estonians most often use pork, and they also like to cook from offal, in particular blood and liver. For frying, they mainly use pork lard or fat, but vegetable oil is almost never used anywhere. Estonians eat our favorite butter only with bread, mostly rye. Wheat rolls and loaves have found it difficult to take root in Estonia.

The assortment of national dishes includes many fish dishes. They say that Estonia is a more “maritime” country than its Baltic neighbors, so fish is used as an appetizer, first and second. Particularly popular is herring, which is pickled or added to soups.

Another feature characteristic of local cuisine is a small amount of herbs and spices. The most common spices are salt, cumin, dill, pepper and marjoram, and onions are very rarely added to dishes.

The most important dish during lunch is soup. Estonia can be classified as one of those countries whose residents love soups and actively introduce them into their diet. That's why there are a great many of them here. Soups made from meat, vegetables, and cereals can be found on the table of every Estonian. In cookbooks alone you can count more than 20 recipes for milk soups: with fish, mushrooms, even beer.

In Estonia you can try completely unusual soups, such as beer soup or bread soup. From Swedish cuisine comes blueberry dessert soup. Herring soup with potatoes, peas with pearl barley or barley with potatoes are very popular.

Many recipes are used only in Estonia and are especially pleasing to tourists who want to get to know the country and its identity. Therefore, they especially like pea soups with knuckle or cabbage soup with brisket.

Estonians are great masters in “fish” cuisine. The fish is prepared according to unique recipes. In the eastern regions, they eat more river fish, while coastal areas prefer marine species - flounder, herring, eel. Fish here is prepared in every way: it is rarely fried, but is mainly used baked, dried, salted, boiled or dried. Only in Estonia can you try milk and fish soups, fish puddings and casseroles, as well as herring cooked with sour cream.

Estonian national cuisine is very unique. It is unlikely that anywhere outside of Estonia you can try such a popular dish as “kama”, made from flour to which peas, rye, barley or oats are added, and eaten with milk or curdled milk. The Estonians will also treat their guests to their favorite “signature” mulgikapsad - Mulgi-style cabbage cooked with pearl barley and pork. And blood dumplings or blood sausage can only be tasted in Estonia .

To get a complete picture of the local cuisine, guests should definitely try cartlipors - the name given to meat baked in mashed potatoes. It is very tempting to try blood pancakes, which in Estonia are called “vere pakeogid”. Cheese gourmets will undoubtedly appreciate the taste of homemade fatty cheeses.

Traditional main courses are somewhat reminiscent of German cuisine - pea porridge, stewed rutabaga or turnips with potatoes, but Estonians cannot do without meat. Meat dishes are mainly prepared from pork, although veal and lamb are also used. Moreover, which is very interesting, meat of different varieties is not mixed.

A favorite Estonian meat delicacy is bloody dishes. The local blood and liver sausages are extremely popular among both locals and guests. Estonians also love jellied meat made from pork legs and heads; you should definitely order sulti - the Estonian version of jelly, which is made from pig, veal and lamb tails. You can often find traditional pork knuckle with sauerkraut on the table.

Among national drinks, Estonians give the palm to jelly, the most popular of which is sour oatmeal jelly. They also love milk jelly with cottage cheese and fresh cream. But no less common is bread or cranberry mousse, which is mandatory even on the school menu.

Very unusual desserts, which is why they are so popular, include interesting dishes based on bread and semolina, prepared from apples and rhubarb grounds, or sweet porridges with the addition of whipped cream.

The confectioners here also enjoy well-deserved fame. Chocolate and nut cakes, pies, and muffins created in Estonia are distinguished by an unusually delicate taste. Among the famous holiday baked goods, it is worth noting the piparkook cookies, which literally means “pepper pie.” The recipe for these delicious, spicy Christmas cookies is kept a big secret by master pastry chefs to this day. Marzipan is another culinary masterpiece of the country. According to ancient legends, one day before the holiday, a servant mixed up all the ingredients intended for baking sweet bread. This is how the famous marzipan turned out, the recipe of which no cook will share.

The main feature of Estonian cuisine is the simplicity and naturalness of dishes. When you come to this country, you can’t expect a sophisticated meal, but rather a homely atmosphere. Estonia is famous for its meat and fish dishes, as well as a variety of baked goods and vegetable dishes.

Culinary traditions of Estonia

Estonians do not use a large amount of additives in the form of seasonings and spices; ordinary salt, caraway seeds and marjoram are enough for them. It is very rare to find fried foods in the kitchen; all ingredients are mostly boiled. The most common food in Estonia is fish (usually herring), pork, a variety of vegetables and black bread.

As a rule, Estonian dishes are created from an unusual combination of products and have a special sour taste. It’s hard to imagine a native Estonian’s table without fermented milk products. Milk, curdled milk, yoghurts, cheeses are favorite delicacies in this country.

Basic typical dishes of Estonian cuisine

I would immediately like to mention Estonian soups. This is one of the delicious, satisfying and healthy national dishes. Many tourists are delighted with the original layout of the products. So, for example, in Estonia it is quite natural to find herring soup, sweet blueberry soup or beer soup, and ordinary soups with cereals, potatoes or peas are also served.

Can you imagine Estonia without fish? You should definitely try the smoked trout or grilled flounder. You will simply be delighted with the taste sensations you will experience!

Estonia is also rich in forest products. Many varieties of berries and mushrooms are grown here, so mushroom sauce, pickled saffron milk caps and mushroom salad are always present on the Estonian holiday table. Every housewife is sure to cook delicious jam from berries and fruits for the winter and make pickles from vegetables.

As for desserts, locals are very fond of cupcakes, pastries and sweets with unusual fillings. The pride of the country is Estonian chocolate with nuts. It is recognized as one of the most delicious in the world!

Several main national dishes of Estonia:

·Kartulipors – meat baked in mashed potatoes;

·Mulgipuder – pearl barley porridge with mashed potatoes;

·Mulgikapsas – a mix of barley stew, sauerkraut and pork;

·Vere pakeogid – pancakes with blood;

· Suitsukala - smoked trout;

· Dumplings based on barley flour;

· Tallinn sprats are a special sprat with spices, very popular among Estonians.

Favorite drinks of Estonians

Estonians love to treat themselves to various berry jelly, mead, birch and maple sap. Speaking of alcoholic beverages, we should highlight the national Estonian beer. By the way, it is also known outside the country. Each region of Estonia has its own beer recipe, with the most popular being Saku (light) and Saare (dark).

Local mulled wine “höegwein” is offered in almost every bar and cafe in Estonia. Trying it is a pleasure!

And two more famous Estonian liqueurs - Vana Tallinn “Old Tallinn” with a pleasant rum taste (it has been produced for more than fifty years) and Kannu Kukk, which very successfully combines a strong cumin taste and aroma!

5 best restaurants in Tallinn that you must visit

To experience the modern taste of Estonian cuisine, you need to go to the famous gastronomic establishments of Tallinn. We have selected some of the most popular and original vacation spots:

· Hell Hunt. Traditional food on Town Hall Square is simple but very tasty. Hell Hunt is located in the heart of the city. Almost every local resident will advise you to come to this establishment. The food here is tasty and inexpensive, however, there is one drawback - visiting Hell Hunt is not so easy; there are so many people who want to dine at this restaurant that you will have to book a table in advance, otherwise there may not be any free seats!

·Dunkri 5. Another establishment located near Town Hall Square. Excellent national Estonian cuisine is the highlight of this place! Very tasty beer is served here.

·Restaurant Ö. Get ready for an experimental and unconventional approach to local cuisine! This restaurant offers a wide range of dishes with unusual combinations.

·Restaurant "Vossa". The only restaurant in Estonia that has managed to gain worldwide popularity. It is one of the 50 best restaurants in the world and takes an honorable 15th place.

·Restaurant Ribe. The establishment is characterized primarily by the use of seasonal and fresh products! All dishes in the restaurant are prepared in accordance with European cuisine techniques and combine original flavor nuances. The restaurant has two halls, and in summer there is also an additional outdoor terrace.

Any traditional national cuisine can serve as a reflection of the character of the people who created it and the history of the country. There will be no exception Estonian cuisine. Its basic principles are simplicity, satiety and availability of ingredients. The fact that everything is prepared from natural products need not be mentioned. This is typical for the national dishes of northern countries with their climate and not a very diverse range of products.
At the same time, the traditional menu of Estonian residents cannot be called poor - it has everything necessary to maintain strength, and it complies with the strictest standards of healthy nutrition.
Historically, the basis of the diet of most Estonians was: fish, meat, cereals, dairy products, and vegetables. The lifestyle of fishermen and peasants did not indulge in excess free time for preparing complex, gourmet dishes; preference was given to simplicity. And the influence of neighbors - German and Swedish cuisine, supported these traditions.
During the Soviet era, the influence of Russian cuisine, as well as the traditions of the peoples of the Caucasus and the Central Asian republics, became noticeable. But even the emergence of new recipes could not change attitudes towards spices - they are almost never used. In addition to salt and a small amount of pepper, dill (for herring dishes), marjoram (for blood sausages), and caraway seeds (just a little for cottage cheese and cookies) are added to some dishes. For soups with meat, celery and parsley are used. Even onions are hardly used.

Traditional dishes of Estonian national cuisine

In traditional Estonian cuisine, practically nothing is fried. The ingredients are boiled in water, broth or milk. At the same time, all dishes have a unique taste, it is given by a combination of products unusual for residents of other countries and the addition of milk or sour cream.
Since ancient times, herring has been a significant part of the daily menu. Here it is prepared in different ways, but it is always delicious. You should definitely try the smoked herring, so tender and fatty. Second place is firmly occupied by the humble sprat.
Estonia bakes dozens of varieties of delicious bread. Among the most popular will be: gray “seppik”, traditional rye and barley bread, sweet and sour bread made from barley flour, honey, potato and potato-rye rolls. Bread is served with cold or hot dishes and is used as one of the ingredients in traditional recipes.
There is no need to be scared by the combination of peas and... milk in one dish. There are many such recipes in the Estonian traditional menu. “Kama” is very popular and loved. This is the name for oatmeal made from various cereals (rye, oats, barley, wheat) or mixtures thereof served with milk or curdled milk. Its history goes back hundreds of years and will continue as long as there is interest in proper healthy eating. Now there is no need to work hard grinding cereals into oatmeal in a large mortar - ready-made mixtures can be purchased at the store.
On weekdays, and more often on holidays, blood and liver sausages, pork liver pates, and meatballs appeared on the table. A hearty potato salad was served, accompanied by herring in sour cream and stuffed eggs. Estonians loved oatmeal jelly - kaerakile, cooked with the addition of milk. All this is prepared in modern Estonia.
A large place in nutrition is given to dairy products. In addition to milk, yogurt, and curdled milk, people here love milk porridges and milk soups. There are more than twenty recipes for such soups. Among them are milk-mushroom, milk-fish, milk-egg and milk-vegetable. Interestingly, the ingredients are first boiled almost until cooked in water and milk is added shortly before the end of cooking. Then quickly bring to a boil and turn off.
Estonians are especially partial to soups and know how to prepare delicious soups from herring, pearl barley and peas. Often cereals and vegetables are combined in one recipe. But almost no meat soups are prepared here, except perhaps from offal. The reason is simple - in the past, meat was not cheap, and they tried to save it for main courses. You should definitely try blueberry, bread and beer sweet soups - their names sound exotic, but the taste is pleasant and memorable for a long time.
The traditional methods of cooking meat, usually pork, are interesting. For boiling and baking meat, thick-walled dishes are used, in which the meat should simmer, becoming especially tender and retaining its taste and nutrients. There are recipes with meat baked in the oven. They use both fresh meat and smoked or corned beef.
Sült - jellied meat in Estonia is prepared without mixing pork heads with veal heads. But the result is definitely worth trying. The most popular side dish is potatoes. It is served with fish and any meat. There are many independent dishes where the main ingredient is potatoes.
Here they traditionally serve gravy with hot dishes, it is called “kastmed”. The basis for most gravies is sour cream and milk. They are not hot or spicy and are suitable even for children.
Estonian desserts seem unusual - they are made from rye bread, semolina, milk and honey. If you want to try to stick to the traditional menu, then for breakfast you will be served some kind of non-sweet milk porridge, sandwiches (rye bread, butter, salted or smoked herring). Croutons are prepared by frying bread in butter. Tomato sauce, eggs, cheese or jam are usually added to them.
For lunch you can order one of the many types of soup and a second one. Among the second courses, you can try several of the most common ones: “Mulgikapsas” - a stew combining sauerkraut, pearl barley and pork. Porridge made from mashed potatoes mixed with pearl barley - “mulgipuder”, served as a side dish, sometimes as an independent dish. If you want something exotic, then opt for Kaalikakruubipuder porridge made from boiled rutabaga or Kapsapunder cabbage porridge. The combination of buckwheat and peas is called "Hernetatrapuder".
Many people like kartulipõrsad, where juicy baked pork is hidden under a layer of mashed potatoes. This dish is shaped like a pig. And how amazingly local chefs cook pork knuckle with sauerkraut! But pork ribs and ears should not be ignored. You can take peas with smoked pork with them.
“Vere pakeogid”, aka pancakes with blood, despite their scary name, turn out to be very tasty. Dumplings made from barley are accompanied by a generous portion of sour cream sauce or, more often, milk sauce.
You can’t help but try smoked trout - “Suitsukala” or spicy-salted sprat and, of course, herring - fried, stewed, baked in rye dough - kalapirukad, smoked or salted. There is always a choice of fish dishes on the menu.
Homemade cheeses, fatty, hard, soft, are another source of pride for Estonians. Tourists are happy to take home neat wheels of cheese.

Desserts and baked goods

No meal is complete without a good dessert, and Estonians agree with this. Cinnamon rolls and various shortbread cookies can be eaten in any country, but berry soup from many varieties of berries is prepared this way only in Estonia. Just like a dessert made from stale rye bread, pre-soaked, with whipped cream, sugar and raisins. It is served in small bowls, garnished with berries or chocolate. For the Christmas holidays, they always bake "piparkook" - special cookies with cinnamon and pepper. Mousse made from semolina and fruit juices will appeal to those who have a sweet tooth.
Only in Estonia do they make onion jam with honey. Although in modern cooking honey is often replaced with sugar.
Locally produced sweets are no less original; in addition to the usual nut fillings, you can buy varieties with liqueurs, coffee and even mint. And, of course, marzipan. It is sold in the form of bars, candies or cute figures.

Beverages

Traditional jelly has still not been able to supplant drinks brought from outside. They love good coffee, kvass and fruit drinks here.
Estonian brewers have a good reputation and beer can be tasted in any of the regions - each brews its own variety according to ancient recipes. For lovers of dark varieties, we can recommend “Saare”. For those who prefer light ones - “Saku”.
Honey beer stands apart; it is brewed in the same way as hundreds of years ago, adding natural honey. Homemade beer with juniper is no less old; its taste may seem too unusual.
But almost everyone likes mulled wine “hoegwein”. They even take it with them as a tasty and healthy souvenir.
In addition to the famous Vana Tallinn liqueur, strong with a distinct taste of rum and the color of good coffee, they also produce equally strong Kannu Kukk (raspberry with the addition of caraway).

Where to try Estonian cuisine in Tallinn

Those who come to Estonia at the invitation of friends will definitely be offered to try traditional food. But what about other lovers of national cuisine? They, too, will not be disappointed if they go to Tallinn to any of the restaurants and cafes listed below, whose specialization is national Estonian cuisine.
MEKK No wonder it is recognized as one of the best restaurants in the country. Only environmentally friendly products come into his kitchen, and the chefs follow all national traditions. Bread and pastries are baked on site. There are seasonal changes in the menu - in the summer and autumn months there are more vegetables and fruits, in the winter - meat and fish. Chefs are especially successful with pork in lingonberry sauce.
You can visit it at: Suur-Karja, 17/19.
Olematu Rüütel (or "Nonexistent Knight") can be recommended to connoisseurs of national color. Here visitors will be offered a variety of national Estonian dishes, from pearl barley soup and smoked sausages to real fresh liver pate with cognac. The signature dish is "The Weakness of Mrs. Margaretha."
The establishment is located at: Kiriku põik, 4A.
If you find yourself in Tallinn near the Town Hall Square, then in search of unusual experiences you can look at Viru 2, in Peppersack. The establishment specializes in Estonian cuisine from the Middle Ages. You won't be able to taste blood sausages like this anywhere else.
For sweets you can go to Maiasmokk. This cafe is located at: Pikk 16 has existed since 1864, and all this time it has been famous for its delicious desserts and various pastries. In addition, the assortment includes raspberry liqueur Kannu Kukk and “Old Tallinn” - Vana Tallinn Cream, as well as several varieties of high-quality Estonian chocolate.

We can only hope that in addition to the pleasant impressions of staying in this small but amazingly beautiful country with the unique atmosphere of good old Europe, memories of delicious and unusual dishes of Estonian cuisine will be added.