Estonian cuisine

The traditional cuisine of Estonia has substantially been based on meat and potatoes, and on
fish in coastal and lakeside areas, but is influenced by many other cuisines by now. In the
present day it includes a variety of international foods and dishes, with a number of
contributions from the traditions of nearby countries. German, Scandinavian, Russian and
other influences have played their part. The most typical foods in Estonia have been rye
bread, pork, potatoes and dairy products. Estonian eating habits have historically been
closely linked to the seasons. In terms of staples, Estonia belongs firmly to the beer, vodka,
rye bread and pork "belt" of Europe.

The Cold Table

The first course in traditional Estonian cuisine is based on cold dishes - a selection of meats
and sausages served with potato salad or Rosolje, an Estonian signature dishes based on
beetroot, meat and herring . Small pastries called pirukad ("pirukas" in the singular) - a
relative of the pirozhki - filled with meat, cabbage, carrots, rice and other fillings or mixtures
are also popular, and are often served with bouillon. Herring is common among other fish as
a part of the Estonian Cold Table. Smoked or marinated eel, crayfish dishes and imported
crabs and shrimps are considered delicacies. One of Estonia's national dishes is räim (Baltic
dwarf herring), along with sprats. Flounder, perch and pike-perch are also popular.

Soups

Soups are traditionally eaten before the main course and most often are made of meat or
chicken stock mixed with a variety of vegetables. Soups are also blended with sour cream,
milk and yogurt.

The Main Course

Pork and potatoes accompanied by a rich gravy and often served with sauerkraut or other
vegetables has been the traditional Estonian main course. Pork has been the most important
meat and is eaten roasted, cured as bacon, in the form of ham, or in pies and sausages.There
are many other main dishes too.
Black Bread

Black rye bread accompanies almost every savory food in Estonia. Instead of wishing "bon
appetit", Estonians are prone to say jätku leiba ("may your bread last"). Estonians continue
to value their varieties of black rye-based bread. Estonia has not been a land of plenty. If a
piece of bread was dropped on the floor, it was good form to pick it up, kiss it to show
respect, and eat it.[citation needed] When Estonians live abroad, they often say that they
miss black bread the most.

Desserts

Specific desserts include kissel, curd snack and kama. Rhubarb pies are a favorite.

Red currant kissel

Strawberry and kiwi curd snack

Drinks

A traditionally popular drink called kali - similar to Russian kvass - is becoming more popular
again. Mead or mõdu, the drink that was most popular in ancient times, has almost
completely disappeared. Nowadays, locally brewed beer is the number one choice to
accompany food, different juices or simply water being the main non-alcoholic choice. Wine
is widely drunk, and although it is still not as popular as beer, it is becoming all the more
common. There are also Estonian fruit wines made of apples or different berries. Milk is also
widely drunk by children as well as adults. Estonians are also proud of their vodka and other
spirits, such as the herbal liquer Vana Tallinn. Two of Estonia's oldest breweries are A. Le
Coq, founded in 1807, and Saku Brewery, founded in 1820.

Other dairy products besides milk (Estonian: piim) include keefir and also hapupiim and pett,
which are variations on the theme of buttermilk.

Summer and Spring

Traditionally in summer and spring, Estonians like to eat everything fresh - berries, herbs,
vegetables and everything else that comes straight from the garden. Hunting and fishing
were common in the history. Nowadays, they have remained as popular pastimes. It is
popular to barbecue in the summer.
Winter and Christmas

During winter jams, preserves and pickles are brought to the table. During the past, when
the economy was largely agricultural, the gathering and conserving of fruits, mushrooms and
vegetables for winter was essential. Today, gathering and conserving is less common
because most everything can be bought from stores, but preparing food for winter is still
very popular in the countryside and continues to retain its charm for many, as opposed to
the commercialization of eating habits. Upholding of traditions is important to many.

Black pudding (Estonian: verivorst), head cheese (Estonian: sült) and sauerkraut (Estonian:
hapukapsas) with over-roasted potatoes have been part of the traditional Estonian menu
that nowadays are mostly Christmas specialties. Also, typical Christmas treats have been
apples, Mandarin oranges and gingerbread.

What to Drink in Estonia

BEER

Most people will usually want to try an Estonian beer, and while there are lots on offer, two
main breweries dominate the market. Saku, Estonia’s biggest brewer, was established as the
brewery of Saku Manor. You will easily find Saku Originaal (make sure to double the vowel
sound when ordering!) on tap in pubs and bars. Saku Kuld (Gold) is pitched as a premium
beer, and well worth a try. However both of these are fairly standard lager style beers. For
real beer connoisseurs, we here at EstAdventures recommend Saku Tume (Dark) or if you
can locate is Saku Abbey. You may wish to visit the Saku Brewery on an EstAdventures tour.

Traditionally Saku has dominated in Northern estonia, whereas A. Le Coq has been the
choice of southern Estonians. Although it sounds French it is actually from the town of Tartu,
and if you come to Tallinn to see a game of football you will probably do so at A. Le Coq
Arena. The most common brand is A. Le Coq Premium, but we prefer one called Alexander.
In winter we are particularly partial to A. Le Coq Porter.
If you’re looking for something a bit more unique, head to Hell Hunt (Gentle Wolf) in Pikk
street, where they have there own wonderful light and dark beers, or the the Beer House in
Dunkri Street, where they have a whole range of beers from light to dark.

LIQUEURS

Not for the faint hearted, Estonian Liqueurs are well worth a try. You can’t say you’ve been
to Tallinn until you’ve drunk Vana Tallinn (Old Tallinn). It is available in 40%, 45% and 50%
varieties, but if that scares you perhaps you may like to try the cream variety.

Kiiu Torn (Kiiu Tower) tastes something like Baileys, and is produced in the small town of Kiiu
about 25 minutes East of Tallinn. You can visit Kiiu Tower and sample the liqueur on
EstAdventure’s Lahemaa National Park Tour

Pirita is another local liqueur, which has a bottle adorned by the ruins of the Pirita convent.
A true experience can be to drink Pirita at the Pirita Convent ruins, Vana Tallinn in Old
Tallinn, and Kiiu Torn in Kiiu Tower!

VODKA

While they may not drink us much as Russians, Estonians certainly love Vodka. Vodka is used
to cure just about every ailment. For example at the onset of a cold, an old Estonian folk
remedy is to soak your socks in Vodka and then put them on your feet. Even today Estonians
swear by “Vodka Socks”.

The best known brand is Viru Valge, and we at EstAdventures are quite fond of the flavoured
varieties, even if Vodka does make us act a bit silly at times. Saremaa Vodka is also well
regarded. For a real treat seek out The Tall Blonde, labelled as the Queen of Vodkas.
Traditionally it has only been available outside of Estonia, though there are now a select
number of places where it is available locally.
 Fast food

Fast food (also known as Quick Service Restaurant or QSR within the industry itself) is the
term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low
preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a
restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in
a packaged form for take-out/take-away. The term "fast food" was recognized in a dictionary
by Merriam–Webster in 1951.

Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating, or fast food
restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Franchise operations which are part of
restaurant chains have standardized foodstuffs shipped to each restaurant from central
locations.

The capital requirements involved in opening up a non-franchised fast food restaurant are
relatively low. Restaurants with much higher sit-in ratios, where customers tend to sit and
have their orders brought to them in a seemingly more upscale atmosphere, may be known
in some areas as fast casual restaurants.

Variants

Although fast food often brings to mind traditional American fast food such as hamburgers
and fries, there are many other forms of fast food that enjoy widespread popularity in the
West.

Chinese takeaways/takeout restaurants are particularly popular. They normally offer a wide
variety of Asian food (not always Chinese), which has normally been fried. Most options are
some form of noodles, rice, or meat. In some cases, the food is presented as a smörgåsbord,
sometimes self service. The customer chooses the size of the container they wish to buy, and
then is free to fill it with their choice of food. It is common to combine several options in one
container, and some outlets charge by weight rather than by item. Many of these
restaurants offer free delivery for purchases over a minimum amount.
Sushi has seen rapidly rising popularity in recent times. A form of fast food created in Japan
(where bentō is the Japanese equivalent of fast food), sushi is normally cold sticky rice
flavored with a sweet rice vinegar and served with some topping (often fish), or, as in the
most popular kind in the West, rolled in nori (dried laver) with filling. The filling often
includes fish, chicken or cucumber.

Pizza is a common fast food category in the United States, with chains such as Papa John's,
Domino's Pizza, Sbarro and Pizza Hut. Menus are more limited and standardized than in
traditional pizzerias, and pizza delivery, often with a time commitment, is offered.

Kebab houses are a form of fast food restaurant from the Middle East, especially Turkey and
Lebanon. Meat is shaven from a rotisserie, and is served on a warmed flatbread with salad
and a choice of sauce and dressing. These doner kebabs or shawarmas are distinct from
shish kebabs served on sticks. Kebab shops are also found throughout the world, especially
Europe, New Zealand and Australia but they generally are less common in the US.

Fish and chip shops are a form of fast food popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and
New Zealand. Fish is battered and then deep fried.

The Dutch have their own types of fast food. A Dutch fast food meal often consists of a
portion of french fries (called friet or patat) with a sauce and a meat product. The most
common sauce to accompany french fries is mayonnaise, while others can be ketchup or
spiced ketchup, peanut sauce or piccalilli. Sometimes the fries are served with combinations
of sauces, most famously speciaal (special): mayonnaise, with (spiced) ketchup and chopped
onions; and oorlog (literally "war"): mayonnaise and peanut sauce (sometimes also with
ketchup and chopped onions). The meat product is usually a deep fried snack; this includes
the frikandel (a deep fried skinless minced meat sausage), and the kroket (deep fried meat
ragout covered in breadcrumbs).

In Portugal, there are some varieties of local fast-food and restaurants specialized in this
type of local cuisine. Some of the most popular foods include the popular frango assado
(Piri-piri grilled chicken previously marinated), francesinha, francesinha poveira, espetada
(succulent turkey or pork meat on two sticks) and bifanas (pork cutlets in a specific sauce
served as a sandwich). This type of food is also often served with french fries (called batatas
fritas), some international chains started appearing specialized in some of the typical
Portuguese fast food such as Nando's.