Estonian cuisine is famous for its simplicity and naturalness. Residents honor traditions and try to cook at home, according to their grandmother’s proven recipes. The basis of the diet is hearty dishes of fish, meat, cereals and vegetables from their garden. Instead of shawarma, on the streets of Estonian cities they sell blood sausage stuffed with cereal; for dessert, marzipan candies or kokukha curd cheeses.
Lunch in Estonian: tasty, simple and healthy
Top 10 Estonian dishes you need to try
- Mulgicapsid – stewed cabbage with pork and barley. This is a popular street food and the most traditional Estonian dish.
- Marzipan is the country’s national pride. Candies made from almond flour and powdered sugar. The sweets are covered with chocolate glaze and decorated with nuts.
- Kohuke – curd cheese with fruit filling. You will find a large selection in your local supermarket in the dairy section.
- Kartulipors – balls of mashed potatoes with pork.
- Vereverst is a famous blood sausage stuffed with cereal. Sold on the streets and squares of the country with sour berry sauce.
- Kama is a mixture of ground cereals, most often it includes barley, oats, rye and peas. Oatmeal is added to kefir and served with honey or jam.
- Cream of Dunkles or bread soup is a hearty dish of smoked pork ribs and grits, served in a toasted bread crock. Be sure to try it in one of the cafes in Tallinn.
- Pirukad – pies made from yeast dough, filled with meat, jam or cereal.
- Piparkook – peppery crispy cookies with ginger. The sweet is baked at Christmas and decorated with icing. Estonian version of the famous gingerbread.
- Tallinn sprats are spicy-salted sprat, golden in color and with a bright taste. It is from this sprat that the famous sandwiches with loaf and pickled cucumber are made.
How much does lunch cost in Estonia for a tourist: a regular lunch in a street cafe will cost 7–10 EUR, and the average bill for dinner for two in a good restaurant is 30 EUR. Prices are not much different from neighboring countries.
Estonia’s national cuisine is proof that even a small country can have its own culinary identity. True gourmets will not find any delicacy or unusual combination of flavors in the plate; local housewives do not even use spices. Due to its complex history, the local cuisine clearly shows traces of Russian, Swedish, Danish and German influences.
Estonian national cuisine is also characterized by the presence of a large amount of fish (often dried or smoked). The national cuisine is simple and reflects the menu that dominated the area for centuries and was not very conducive to agricultural development. Sugar is expensive in Estonia, so in dishes it is replaced with honey or cream.
Drinks from Estonia
The most famous drink is called Valge Klaar, a delicious lemonade with apple juice. The recipe was invented in the 70s and is produced by local company Ale Coq. In addition to Valge Klaar, they produce regular lemonade and a large number of other drinks.
The next drink to try is Kali. It is made from lightly fermented rye bread. It sounds strange, but don’t worry, you’ll probably like it. Kali contains some alcohol, so little that you won’t be able to taste it.
And the last thing you need is birch sap. Yes, you heard right. In Estonia you can drink birch sap. It looks almost like water, but is a little more viscous and sweeter in taste.