If you don't try out these incredible Estonian foods, what's the point of traveling to this country? From substantial staples, flavorful meat dishes, and

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

Rhubarb is very popular in Estonian cooking and features in numerous recipes. As this tarty fruit is now in season it's a great time to make this tasty treat. Rabarberikook is very easy to make and has been enjoyed by Estonians for generations. Ingredients Base 2 ½ cups plain flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 150g unsalted butter ¼ tsp baking powder Filling 600g rhubarb, chopped into small pieces 8 tbsp sugar 1tsp cinnamon Topping 6 eggs 6 tbsp sugar 6 tbsp flour 1tsp vanilla extract Icing sugar for dusting on top. Method Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease a rectangle cake pan. In a bowl cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer. Add the egg. In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking powder and then add to the butter mixture. Spread the batter evenly into the greased pan. The mixture can be quite sticky so use the back of a wet spoon to get a nice smooth result. Combine the rhubarb with the sugar and cinnamon. Gentle spoon over the top of the base layer. To prepare the topping, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and airy. Add the flour and vanilla extract then pour over the rhubarb filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool then sprinkle with icing sugar. Cut into squares and serve with cream.

Our Rye Bread has a distinct taste, accentuated by seeds and grains. Our recipe celebrates the delicious breads we ate in the Baltic States.

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

Estonian Black Bread is fermented Rye bread. My Sister s recipe

The Classics “pirukad” by Aivar Ruukel is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 1. Pirukad Pirukad (sing. Pirukas) are filled Estonian dumplings. Large pirukas are traditionally filled with cabbage, meat, and carrots. And small pirukas can contain different fillings. For example, meat, ham, cabbage, rice, mushrooms, and carrots. “Delicious Russian Salad served on the plate” by wuestenigel is licensed under CC BY […]

February 2012 It's Shrove Tuesday today, and I'm sharing a traditional Estonian Shrove Tuesday recipe with you. You'll need exactly three ingredients - pearl barley, smoked pork and water (and some salt to taste, if necessary). Cheap, simple, filling, flavoursome, and surprisingly delicious :) You'll need a good chunk of smoked pork - ribs are perfect, though I've often used a fattier smoked cheek. This particular piece of meat is called maasuitsuribi (country-smoked ribs) in Estonian: Note that this porridge reheats rather well - just slowly warm it until piping hot on your frying pan. I like to serve this with some sour cream. Barley Porridge with Smoked Pork (Vastlapuder) Serves four to six 200 g smoked pork (rib, cheek or thickly cut bacon) 175 g pearl barley, rinsed and drained 1 l boiling water salt, to taste Cut the smoked pork into dice: Fry the pork cubes in a heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, until browned and slightly crispened. (Drain off the excess oil, if necessary - various cuts of pork are rather different. Leave about a tablespoon or two of pork fat). Add the pearl barley and sauté for about a minute, stirring. Add the boiling water. Reduce heat, cover the pan with a lid. Simmer on a low heat for about an hour, stirring couple of times, until the barley is just ever so lightly al dente (you don't want it to go too mushy). Taste for seasoning, add some salt, if necessary. February 2008 MORE DELICIOUS SHROVE TUESDAY RECIPES @ NAMI-NAMI: Yellow split pea soup with smoked pork Traditional lenten buns Lenten buns with raspberries and marzipan Chocolate-y lenten buns

Are you visiting Estonia and don't know what to eat? Check our complete guide and first hand impressions on the top traditional Estonian food.

This one is lovely served with salty or spicy meat. It’s of course just gorgeous with no meat! It goes great alongside some simple roasted potatoes or spicy roasted cauliflower! Sour cream is…

I am born and bred in South-Estonia. I still live here and I couldn't imagine it any other way. South has a special place in my heart. It just has this uniquely different vibe. My vegan cooking workshops usually take place in Tallinn, which is in north and it's fun, but I love to drive back to our little forest cabin afterwards. Even if it's 3am. I guess there's no place like home. The culture-historical region where I'm from, is called Mulgimaa. We have our own dialect and we also have our own historical foods. Some of them are widely loved, like today's recipe, which is even considered Estonian national food in some cases. My mom has been cooking mashed potatoes with barley since I remember. She learned to make it from my dad, who learned to make it from his grandmother and so on. There are different versions of it, but the base is always the same - potatoes and barley. This dish is often served with pan-fried cubed lard and onions, but since I'm a vegan, I just love it with the onions or "beef" it up with delicious pan-fried eggplant, which has a really nice hearty texture. Some people also like to eat it with sour cream, but I replace it with sunflower sour cream. The main reasons we love this dish so much, it's because it's really filling, delicious, very affordable, doesn't need much labor and it heats up really nice when pan-fried the next day. That way it gets golden brown and crispy...yum! We also love to eat some home-made preserves with. For example tomato and green bean preserve or some spicy pickles. So it's all in all a winter season food. And since the days are getting a bit chillier here, it's the perfect time to share this recipe. Happy cooking and if you have some time, I would love to hear about your favorite foods from your region! Time: a bit over an hour Serves: 4 people Mashed potatoes with barley: 3 ⅓ pounds / 1 ½ kg potatoes ½ cup / 100 g pearl barley 2 onions 2 tsp fine salt (I used pink salt) 2 - 3 bay leaves 6 ⅓ cups / 1,5 liter water For serving: 3 onions 1 medium eggplant salt and pepper to taste sunflower sour cream, if you like Peel the potatoes and cut the bigger ones into half. Put them into a thick-bottomed pot along with thoroughly rinsed barley, chopped onions, salt and bay leaves. Cover everything with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and let it boil on a medium heat for at least an hour. In the meantime, you can prepare the onions, eggplant and also sunflower sour cream, if you like. Pan-fry the onions in plenty of oil, until really golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the eggplant into small cubes. Heat up a pan, add plenty of oil and half of the eggplant cubes. Sprinkle some salt on them and pan-fry them for a few minutes, until they are translucent and golden brown. Put the cubes on a plate covered with a paper towel, so it absorbs the extra oil. Pan-fry the remaining batch of eggplant cubes exactly the same way. Now check on the potatoes. If they still have too much water left (it shouldn't be too soupy), let it boil without a lid on high heat for about 5 minutes. Now mash everything using an old-school potato masher, definitely not a hand blender. Taste for salt and add more, if needed. Serve with pan-fried onions, pan-fried eggplant and some sunflower sour cream.

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

A Estonian traditional Meat Jelly Sült

I am born and bred in South-Estonia. I still live here and I couldn't imagine it any other way. South has a special place in my heart. It just has this uniquely different vibe. My vegan cooking workshops usually take place in Tallinn, which is in north and it's fun, but I love to drive back to our little forest cabin afterwards. Even if it's 3am. I guess there's no place like home. The culture-historical region where I'm from, is called Mulgimaa. We have our own dialect and we also have our own historical foods. Some of them are widely loved, like today's recipe, which is even considered Estonian national food in some cases. My mom has been cooking mashed potatoes with barley since I remember. She learned to make it from my dad, who learned to make it from his grandmother and so on. There are different versions of it, but the base is always the same - potatoes and barley. This dish is often served with pan-fried cubed lard and onions, but since I'm a vegan, I just love it with the onions or "beef" it up with delicious pan-fried eggplant, which has a really nice hearty texture. Some people also like to eat it with sour cream, but I replace it with sunflower sour cream. The main reasons we love this dish so much, it's because it's really filling, delicious, very affordable, doesn't need much labor and it heats up really nice when pan-fried the next day. That way it gets golden brown and crispy...yum! We also love to eat some home-made preserves with. For example tomato and green bean preserve or some spicy pickles. So it's all in all a winter season food. And since the days are getting a bit chillier here, it's the perfect time to share this recipe. Happy cooking and if you have some time, I would love to hear about your favorite foods from your region! Time: a bit over an hour Serves: 4 people Mashed potatoes with barley: 3 ⅓ pounds / 1 ½ kg potatoes ½ cup / 100 g pearl barley 2 onions 2 tsp fine salt (I used pink salt) 2 - 3 bay leaves 6 ⅓ cups / 1,5 liter water For serving: 3 onions 1 medium eggplant salt and pepper to taste sunflower sour cream, if you like Peel the potatoes and cut the bigger ones into half. Put them into a thick-bottomed pot along with thoroughly rinsed barley, chopped onions, salt and bay leaves. Cover everything with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and let it boil on a medium heat for at least an hour. In the meantime, you can prepare the onions, eggplant and also sunflower sour cream, if you like. Pan-fry the onions in plenty of oil, until really golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the eggplant into small cubes. Heat up a pan, add plenty of oil and half of the eggplant cubes. Sprinkle some salt on them and pan-fry them for a few minutes, until they are translucent and golden brown. Put the cubes on a plate covered with a paper towel, so it absorbs the extra oil. Pan-fry the remaining batch of eggplant cubes exactly the same way. Now check on the potatoes. If they still have too much water left (it shouldn't be too soupy), let it boil without a lid on high heat for about 5 minutes. Now mash everything using an old-school potato masher, definitely not a hand blender. Taste for salt and add more, if needed. Serve with pan-fried onions, pan-fried eggplant and some sunflower sour cream.

Tuntud Viljandimaa ehk mulgi roog hapukapsastest, sealihast ja kruupidest. (NB!

Sweet and savory, this delicious onion jam is a classic condiment from Estonia, and tastes great with bread adn cheese.

Here's a simple Estonian cucumber salad that my mum used to make quite frequently when we were younger. We never knew there was a 'recip...

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

For most of my life, the holiday season was synonymous with Grandma Vellend's piparkoogid, the Estonian spin on gingersnaps.

Here's a true Estonian classic - a layered cookie cake. If you've been reading Nami-Nami blog, you may remember that an Estonian cookie cake was also featured at the festive spread we served for Average Betty few weeks ago. It's a popular cake on children's birthday parties and on September 1st (the day all Estonian kids go back to school). I suspect these are the main reasons for its popularity: * There are just a few ingredients. * It's pretty cheap and affordable. * It's yummy :) * There are endless variations - you can use different flavoured cookies, different cream, different decorations. * The cake takes about 10-15 minutes to assemble, and every kid can make it, even small ones. The cookie cake above was made with the help of my 3,5 year old daughter - she did all the cookie-dipping and cookie-placing, I was left with spreading the sour cream between the layers. And she's made this cake before - here's a family portrait taken in January - few days before our son's first birthday and few weeks before our daughter's third birthday: Photo by Hele-Mai Alamaa (Pere & Kodu) as part for the cover story back in February. I make two main versions - one with halva and sour cream filling, the other with plain sour cream filling. That's right - plain, unflavoured sour cream - the cookies are sweet enough and there's absolutely no need to sweeten the cream that goes between the cookies. However, there are lots of people who add thinly sliced bananas between the layer, but I haven't tried that myself. I guess I like the classics remain classic :) As far as the cookies go, you need rectangular unfilled cookies - either plain or chocolate-flavoured or any other flavour you like. The cookies shouldn't be more than 5-6 mm (1/4-inch) thick. In Estonia any flavour produced and distributed by Estonian Kalev or Latvian Selga would work, elsewhere you could try with Bahlsen Leibniz's Butter Biscuits, or LU's Le Petit Beurre biscuit cookies, for instance. Sounds familiar? There's a similar, yet different popular cake in Germany, called Keller Kuchen (Cellar cake) or Kalter Hund (Cold Dog), or radiokaka in Sweden, where butter cookies are layered with chocolate and coconut butter cream. NB! Make this cake at least 4 hours earlier, preferably day before, so the sour cream has time to soften the cookies and make the cake more cakey. You can top the cake with chocolate glaze and decorate it just half an hour before serving. Estonian cookie cake (Kõige parem küpsisetort) Serves 12 to 15 4 packets of square/rectangular cookies (180 g/6 oz each) 100-200 ml milk or coffee for dipping the cookies 750 g thick sour cream (about 20% fat content) Chocolate glaze: 100 g dark chocolate 50 g unsalted butter 4 Tbsp double cream To decorate: crispy pearl sugar fresh berries coconut flakes/shredded coconut Dip 12 to 15 cookies into the milk or coffee and place onto a suitable cake tray (I usually use 3x5 cookies or 15 in total, depending on your cake tray, you may prefer 3x4 pattern, resulting in 12 servings). Now spread about a third of the sour cream evenly on top of the cookies. Continue with 3 more cookie and 2 more sour cream layers, finishing with the cookie layer. Cover the cake with a cling film and place into the fridge to soften. To make the chocolate glaze, break the chocolate into pieces and place into a small saucepan with butter and fresh cream. Slowly heat on a medium heat, stirring regularly, until the glaze is smooth and glossy. Spoon over the cake, spreading it evenly all over the top. (If using shredded coconut or pearl sugar for garnish, do it now, so it sticks into the chocolate glaze). Place back into the fridge to harden. To serve, cut the cake into neat squares (or rectangles, if your cookies weren't square), or smaller slices, if you prefer. Garnish with berries, if you wish (I used the wonderful green variety of blackcurrants, Vertti, that I was talking about in a recent post). Here's exactly the same cake, using chocolate-flavoured cookies and garnished with crispy pearl sugar granules: Similar recipes in English-language foodblogs: Easy 7-layer cake @ Steven and Chris Kellerkuchen / Cellar cake @ Light Recipes Similar recipes in Estonian foodblogs: Küpsisetort kohupiimakreemi ja banaaniga @ Sööme silmadega (Dagris) Šokolaadine küpsisetort @ Kiilike köögis (Anneli) Kohupiimakreemiga küpsisetort @ Siit nurgast ja sealt nurgast (Mari-Liis) Vale-napoleoni kook @ Kokkama Ragnega (Ragne) Šokolaadi-toorjuustukook küpsistega @ Kokkama Ragnega (Ragne) Hapukoorekreemiga küpsisetort @ Tassike.ee (Marju) Küpsisetort @ Magusad fotod (Marit) Kohvimaitseline küpsisetort @ Hea toit, parem elu! (Merit) Küpsisetort @ Head asjad (Neve) Halvaa-küpsisetort @ Maitse asi (Jaanika)

Here's my entry for the 10th installment of Waiter, there is something in my ... (WTISIM) foodblogging event, a brainchild of three fabulous British foodbloggers Johanna, Jeanne and Andrew. This month's edition is hosted by Andrew, who has asked us to send in our recipes for LAYERED CAKES. I decided to try meekook or a layered honey cake that is available in most cake shops and is a popular birthday table option. It consists of six thin cake layers and six simple sweetened sour cream layers. Our layers were slightly thicker than we expected them to be, but the taste was exactly right. Enjoy! MEEKOOK aka Estonian Honey Cake* (Meetort) Serves 12-16 Honey cake layers: 3 Tbsp honey 200 g (250 ml/1 cup) caster sugar 3 large eggs 2 tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda 360 g plain flour (600 ml) Between layers: 1 kg sour cream 85 g (100 ml) caster sugar Whisk eggs until pale and thick. Heat honey and sugar in a large saucepan. When it's about to boil, remove from the heat and add the whisked eggs, stirring until combined. Add baking soda and stir again. Add flour gradually, mixing until combined. Put aside to cool completely! Divide the dough into six equal parts (it's easiest to do it by rolling it into a cylinder and then cutting into six pieces). Take six sheets of baking/parchment paper, dust very slightly with flour. On a slightly floured parchment paper, form each piece of dough into a ball and then roll out into a 24 cm circles. Bake one dough circle at the time for 5 minutes in the middle of a 225 C oven until dark golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking paper. Layer five baked circles with the sour cream on a cake stand, covering also the top cake circle. Crush the sixth cake circle in a food processor and sprinkle on the top layer of sour cream. Place into the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. Here are links to my previous Waiter there is something in my ... entries: September 2007 (SAVOURY PRESERVE): Gooseberry Chutney August 2007 (MEATLESS BBQ): Roasted onions with blue cheese. July 2007 (SAUCES): Munakaste alias my grandma Senta's egg & smoked ham sauce. June 2007 (DUMPLINGS): Vareniki dumplings with curd cheese filling, served with home-made apricot jam & pistachios. May 2007 (STUFFED VEGETABLES): Stuffed tomatoes with two types of salad - cod liver salad & cucumber and wild garlic salad. April 2007 (BREAD): a traditional Estonian quick mushroom bread, Seenekarask. March 2007 (EASTER BASKET): a selection of various Easter delights. February 2007 (PIE): a great Russian puff pastry and fish pie, Salmon Kulebyaka. January 2007 (STEW): my version (in collaboration with Anthony Bourdain:) of the French classic Boeuf Bourguignon.

Delightful, crape-like Estonian pancakes recipe that make the perfect breakfast on Mother's Day. Estonian-style pancakes are a cross between a pancake and a crape, in that they are generally too thin to be thought of as traditional North American pancakes, and too thick for any chef to consider to be a proper crape. In any case, the are delicious and easy to roll or fold up around your desired topping.

My special thanks to Kinga ( www.greenmorning.pl ) for her help and support !!!

I realised today that I haven't been posting many Estonian recipes lately, which doesn't mean I haven't been eating lots of local food recently. I have. Especially cabbage dishes, as the new season's cabbage has hit the stalls. Today's dish is not strictly seasonal per se - it can be made in the middle of a rainy autumn, dark winter and promising spring. But somehow I always crave this dish in the early to mid-summer, when the cabbage tastes sweetest. Estonian Cabbage and Mince Stew (Hakkliha-kapsahautis) Serves 4 1 large green cabbage (about 2 pounds/1 kg), finely shredded 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks 1 Tbsp vegetable oil about a cup of freshly boiled water salt freshly ground black pepper 400 g (leanish) beef mince 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 Tbsp vegetable oil fresh parsley (optional) boiled potatoes, to serve Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots and the cabbage, season with salt and sauté for a few minutes, until the cabbage wilts a little. Add the boiling water, cover and simmer on a medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, until cabbage starts to soften. On a frying pan, heat the oil, then add onions and minced beef. Fry, stirring regularly, until the mince is browned all over. Add the whole lot to the softened cabbage. Give it a quick turn and continue simmering for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the cabbage is nicely softened. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, if you wish, and serve with boiled potatoes.

Exciting hot pink potato salad made with a combo of potatoes, roasted beets and a tangy yogurt-mustard dressing.

Estonian Black Bread is fermented Rye bread. My Sister s recipe

A Kvass is a fermented beverage, which is made is made from fermented black or rye bread, spring water, and herbs.

Sauerkraut is another must-have ingredient on our Christmas table - a lovely side-dish to all those fatty chunks of roast pork and crac...

Here's my entry for the 10th installment of Waiter, there is something in my ... (WTISIM) foodblogging event, a brainchild of three fabulous British foodbloggers Johanna, Jeanne and Andrew. This month's edition is hosted by Andrew, who has asked us to send in our recipes for LAYERED CAKES. I decided to try meekook or a layered honey cake that is available in most cake shops and is a popular birthday table option. It consists of six thin cake layers and six simple sweetened sour cream layers. Our layers were slightly thicker than we expected them to be, but the taste was exactly right. Enjoy! MEEKOOK aka Estonian Honey Cake* (Meetort) Serves 12-16 Honey cake layers: 3 Tbsp honey 200 g (250 ml/1 cup) caster sugar 3 large eggs 2 tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda 360 g plain flour (600 ml) Between layers: 1 kg sour cream 85 g (100 ml) caster sugar Whisk eggs until pale and thick. Heat honey and sugar in a large saucepan. When it's about to boil, remove from the heat and add the whisked eggs, stirring until combined. Add baking soda and stir again. Add flour gradually, mixing until combined. Put aside to cool completely! Divide the dough into six equal parts (it's easiest to do it by rolling it into a cylinder and then cutting into six pieces). Take six sheets of baking/parchment paper, dust very slightly with flour. On a slightly floured parchment paper, form each piece of dough into a ball and then roll out into a 24 cm circles. Bake one dough circle at the time for 5 minutes in the middle of a 225 C oven until dark golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking paper. Layer five baked circles with the sour cream on a cake stand, covering also the top cake circle. Crush the sixth cake circle in a food processor and sprinkle on the top layer of sour cream. Place into the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. Here are links to my previous Waiter there is something in my ... entries: September 2007 (SAVOURY PRESERVE): Gooseberry Chutney August 2007 (MEATLESS BBQ): Roasted onions with blue cheese. July 2007 (SAUCES): Munakaste alias my grandma Senta's egg & smoked ham sauce. June 2007 (DUMPLINGS): Vareniki dumplings with curd cheese filling, served with home-made apricot jam & pistachios. May 2007 (STUFFED VEGETABLES): Stuffed tomatoes with two types of salad - cod liver salad & cucumber and wild garlic salad. April 2007 (BREAD): a traditional Estonian quick mushroom bread, Seenekarask. March 2007 (EASTER BASKET): a selection of various Easter delights. February 2007 (PIE): a great Russian puff pastry and fish pie, Salmon Kulebyaka. January 2007 (STEW): my version (in collaboration with Anthony Bourdain:) of the French classic Boeuf Bourguignon.

Estonia Raspberry semolina mousse is a wonderful dessert treat usually served with milk or cream. It is also loved as a breakfast dish.

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

A fresh, light vegetable dish

A small cucumbers that have been fermented in cold salt water with dill and garlic.

Mulgi kapsad aka mulgikapsad is a traditional dish from Southern Estonia, consisting of pork, sauerkraut and barley (either pearl barley or barley groats). It doesn't sound much - but it's another one of those dishes that tastes much more and better that you'd imagine when looking at the (short and rather bland) list of ingredients. It's also cheap, filling and substantial, a perfect winter dish, which deserves attention outside Estonia as well. Hence this blog post. You'll need fresh sauerkraut for this dish. When I say "fresh sauerkraut", I mean the uncooked, fermented and unpasteurized sauerkraut. Look for "barrel cured" sauerkraut, not the "wine cured", and find it either in Eastern European stores or in your local health food store. Or ferment your own! :) * PS This dish is wheat-free. If you want a gluten-free version, then feel free to use porridge/pudding/risotto rice instead of barley. Sauerkraut with pork and barley (Mulgikapsad) Serves 6 to 8 1 kg fresh sauerkraut 0,5-1 kg fatty pork (belly or Boston butt/shoulder) 200 g pearl barley, rinsed and drained about 500 ml (2 cups) water salt, to taste sugar, to taste (optional) Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Spread the sauerkraut at the bottom of the pot, then top with meat cubes, and scatter barley on top: Now sprinkle with salt (about half a teaspoon should be enough in most cases) and pour over enough water to barely cover the ingredients. Cover with the lid, bring into a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about 2-3 hours, until the food is done. NO NEED TO STIR IT, though you may want to peek under the lid couple of times and add a little water, if it seems too dry. (You can also cook it in the moderate oven, if you prefer). This is how it'll look like when done - the pearl barley has swollen and the meat is tender: It's only now that you're supposed to give it a good stir, so the sauerkraut, barley and pork would be nicely and evenly distributed: Taste for seasoning - if you need, add a bit more salt. Some people add a bit of sugar as well, but I don't - it all depends on the flavour of your sauerkraut. Mulgi kapsad is not supposed to be sweet-and-sour, but you may need some sugar to balance the acidity, if your cabbage is very sour. Serve with boiled potatoes, with a good dollop of nice thick sour cream on the side, if you wish. Other bloggers writing about mulgikapsad: Kiilike köögis (recipe in Estonian) kokkama.blogspot.com (recipe in Estonian) The Kitchen Mouse (recipe in English) Estonian Cooking and Eating (recipe in English; some helpful comments there) Emmanuel Wille (recipe in Estonia; slightly fancier "restaurant-style" version) Talerka (recipe in Russian) Suhkrusai (recipe in Estonian) Ave köök (recipe in Estonian) Sille toidublog (recipe in Estonian, she uses turkey) Minu kodunurk (recipe in Estonian) Silgud ritta (recipe in Estonian) Igapäevane kokakunst (recipe in Estonian)

Originally posted in February 2012, slightly edited. It's Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, and before feasting on delicious Lenten buns (I've blogged about the classic ones, chocolate ones and luscious raspberry and marzipan ones), Estonians eat split pea soup. Thick, hearty, well-flavoured (smoked pork!) and textured (peas + pearl barley) - all the elements of a substantial and delicious winter soup are present. Here's a recipe that I've been using for years to make a big (I mean it!) pot of delicious soup. It's a fusion recipe, of a kind. You see - apparently in the Southern Estonia, they used to put barley in the split pea soup; in the North, they replaced the pearl barley with cubed carrots and potatoes. I use them all, so it's a meet-me-in-the-middle soup :) Note that the soup reheats very well. As it thickens when cooling, you may need to add some water when reheating it, and adjusting the seasoning again, if necessary. Estonian Yellow Split Pea Soup with Smoked Pork (Hernesupp suitsulihaga) Serves eight to ten 200 g yellow split peas 150 g pearl barley 3 litres of water about 1 kg of smoked pork - rib, cheek or hock 1 large onion 2 to 3 large carrots 2 large potatoes salt to taste 2 to 3 tsp sharp mustard (or to taste) fresh herbs (parsley, celery, dill, thyme, savory) ON THE PREVIOUS NIGHT OR IN THE MORNING: Pick through the peas and pearl barley to remove any grit. Place into a bowl, pour over enough cold water to cover by couple of centimetres and leave to soak. (This reduces the cooking time considerably). ON THE DAY: Place the smoked pork into a large bowl (definitely larger than 5 litres!). Add the 3 litres of water and bring slowly into a boil. Remove any froth and scum that appears on the surface. Rinse the soaked barley and peas, drain and add to the saucepan. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for about an hour. Meanwhile, peel and chop (or grate coarsely) the onion, carrots and potatoes. If you wish, you can sauté the onion and carrots in some oil - this enhances the flavour. Add the vegetables to the soup and continue simmering for about half an hour, until the meat and vegetables are fully cooked. Take the pork out of the soup, remove the meat from the bones and chop finely. Return the chopped meat into the saucepan. Season the soup with mustard and salt, add some herbs of your choice and serve.

If you're looking for a minced meat sauce recipe, try out this amazing Estonian version with south cream! It is delicious, tangy, and mouthwatering.

Estonian Pirukas recipe and information about its history, similar dishes from other countries, vegetarian and vegan options.

...that's an Estonian stuffed pastry. Taavi is a first generation American, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Estonia after World War II. He's a great cook and I especially love it when I get an invitation to join Taavi and Stephen in their home for a traditional Estonian meal. Of course everything prepared in their kitchen is a delight, both exceptional in the cooking arts, but I was particularly taken by the Pirukad. This little pastry's substantial dough is tender and melts in your mouth. I like that it has a hint of sweetness, which nicely off-sets the savory filling. This Pirukad recipe is from Estonian Tastes and Traditions by Karin Annus Karner. Taavi received the book as a gift from his sister. Presented below is the Parmitainas (means yeast dough in Estonian) recipe. The fillings are up to your discretion to make. These lovely pastries are great for brunch, appetizers or to eat with no other purpose in mind, but to enjoy them. Note: Taavi baked these Pirukads, but they can also be fried in about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pot or deep fryer. Also, these little pastries take some time to make. It might be fun to share the experience with friends. PÄRMITAINAS (Yeast Dough) Makes 60ish small Pirukad. 4 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar ½ cup warm water (from the tap works) 2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 tablespoon salt 1 ½ cups half-and-half, warmed 6 cups all-purpose flour (Taavi used bread flour) 1 egg, lightly beaten (for baked pirukad, Taavi used two) Mix ½ teaspoon of sugar into the warm water and sprinkle with the yeast. Let the mixture sit for a minute, then stir. Cover and let stand in a warm place to proof for about 10 minutes. add two packets of yeast to warm water and sugar This is what the yeast looks like after proofing for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix together the butter, eggs, cardamom, salt, half-and-half, and the remaining 4 teaspoons of sugar. Stir in the yeast mixture and slowly incorporate the flour and then knead vigorously for at least 5 minutes. Add yeast Need vigorously for 5 minutes Add more flour if necessary, until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Put the dough into a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let it rise for about 1 hour. (Taavi adds about 15 more minutes on to that.) Cover greased bowl This is what it looks like after an hour. Preheat oven to 375 and grease a baking sheet. Roll out the dough. divide the dough into fours roll it out Cut out the dough using something that is about 3” in diameter, a drinking glass works fine. Pull on the rounded cut, stretching it to an oval shape, place your filling into the center, be generous with the portion, brush the edges of the pirukad rounds with beaten egg and pinch shut. Seal with a fork and then brush the tops with egg. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden. seal with egg crimp with a fork Taavi used chopped ham with spices and ground veal/pork with cabbage for the fillings. The fillings are already cooked before putting in the pastry. ground pork and veal with cabbage and spices in the metal bowl has the chopped ham with spices filling and included in the picture are the ingredients to make the yeast dough. Look at all these golden lovelies!! Here are a couple of links for Estonian Tastes and Traditions http://books.google.com/books/about/Estonian_tastes_and_traditions.html?id=mPK75-OPQkQC http://www.amazon.com/Estonian-Traditions-Hippocrene-Cookbook-Library/dp/0781811228

It was a chilly -9 degrees yesterday, the perfect time to stay indoors and enjoy some baking. In the past I have made several apple based desserts including apple pie, apple slice, apple puffs etc. but never apple cake. This is the first time I have tried this recipe and I am happy to say I'm pleased with the result. This is a traditional Estonian recipe and if the photo doesn't do it justice, I can assure you it's very tasty! Estonian Apple Cake Ingredients 6 apples, chopped 1 cup sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup milk 125g butter 2 eggs, separated 1 tsp cinnamon Method Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Beat egg yolks and sugar then add in the milk and butter. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder, then add them to the milk and egg yolk mixture. Stir in chopped apples. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until frothy and gently fold them in to the batter. Grease a 26 cm round baking tin and sprinkle some fine breadcrumbs on the bottom and sides. Pour apple mixture into the baking tin. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve with cream custard or ice.cream.

The Classics “pirukad” by Aivar Ruukel is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 1. Pirukad Pirukad (sing. Pirukas) are filled Estonian dumplings. Large pirukas are traditionally filled with cabbage, meat, and carrots. And small pirukas can contain different fillings. For example, meat, ham, cabbage, rice, mushrooms, and carrots. “Delicious Russian Salad served on the plate” by wuestenigel is licensed under CC BY […]

Estonia is a child of the last Ice Age. Not only bogs, but the entire Estonian landscape was shaped by glaciers that stretched south from Scandinavia. At the shore of the Baltic coast, many large boulders that are Ice Age remnants can be found to this day.

I am born and bred in South-Estonia. I still live here and I couldn't imagine it any other way. South has a special place in my heart. It just has this uniquely different vibe. My vegan cooking workshops usually take place in Tallinn, which is in north and it's fun, but I love to drive back to our little forest cabin afterwards. Even if it's 3am. I guess there's no place like home. The culture-historical region where I'm from, is called Mulgimaa. We have our own dialect and we also have our own historical foods. Some of them are widely loved, like today's recipe, which is even considered Estonian national food in some cases. My mom has been cooking mashed potatoes with barley since I remember. She learned to make it from my dad, who learned to make it from his grandmother and so on. There are different versions of it, but the base is always the same - potatoes and barley. This dish is often served with pan-fried cubed lard and onions, but since I'm a vegan, I just love it with the onions or "beef" it up with delicious pan-fried eggplant, which has a really nice hearty texture. Some people also like to eat it with sour cream, but I replace it with sunflower sour cream. The main reasons we love this dish so much, it's because it's really filling, delicious, very affordable, doesn't need much labor and it heats up really nice when pan-fried the next day. That way it gets golden brown and crispy...yum! We also love to eat some home-made preserves with. For example tomato and green bean preserve or some spicy pickles. So it's all in all a winter season food. And since the days are getting a bit chillier here, it's the perfect time to share this recipe. Happy cooking and if you have some time, I would love to hear about your favorite foods from your region! Time: a bit over an hour Serves: 4 people Mashed potatoes with barley: 3 ⅓ pounds / 1 ½ kg potatoes ½ cup / 100 g pearl barley 2 onions 2 tsp fine salt (I used pink salt) 2 - 3 bay leaves 6 ⅓ cups / 1,5 liter water For serving: 3 onions 1 medium eggplant salt and pepper to taste sunflower sour cream, if you like Peel the potatoes and cut the bigger ones into half. Put them into a thick-bottomed pot along with thoroughly rinsed barley, chopped onions, salt and bay leaves. Cover everything with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and let it boil on a medium heat for at least an hour. In the meantime, you can prepare the onions, eggplant and also sunflower sour cream, if you like. Pan-fry the onions in plenty of oil, until really golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the eggplant into small cubes. Heat up a pan, add plenty of oil and half of the eggplant cubes. Sprinkle some salt on them and pan-fry them for a few minutes, until they are translucent and golden brown. Put the cubes on a plate covered with a paper towel, so it absorbs the extra oil. Pan-fry the remaining batch of eggplant cubes exactly the same way. Now check on the potatoes. If they still have too much water left (it shouldn't be too soupy), let it boil without a lid on high heat for about 5 minutes. Now mash everything using an old-school potato masher, definitely not a hand blender. Taste for salt and add more, if needed. Serve with pan-fried onions, pan-fried eggplant and some sunflower sour cream.

The Classics “pirukad” by Aivar Ruukel is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 1. Pirukad Pirukad (sing. Pirukas) are filled Estonian dumplings. Large pirukas are traditionally filled with cabbage, meat, and carrots. And small pirukas can contain different fillings. For example, meat, ham, cabbage, rice, mushrooms, and carrots. “Delicious Russian Salad served on the plate” by wuestenigel is licensed under CC BY […]

Con l’Abbecedario Culinario della Comunità Europea facciamo tappa in Estonia. Tra i piatti della cucina estone ho scelto i Pirukad dei fagottini ripieni che vengono serviti come aperitivi, o come stuzzichini nei kohvilaud o come antipasto nei pranzi. Possono essere di impasti diversi: di pasta frolla (muretainas), di pasta sfoglia (lehetainas) o di pasta lievitata (Pärmitainas); quest’ultima è la più popolare. Il ripieno può essere di: cavoli, carote, funghi, pesce, riso ecc. ma da quanto ho capito quello tradizionale è di carne cotta (Liha) che può essere arrosto, stufata o bollita. Per i miei pikurad ho preso spunto liberamente da qui, dove utilizza la pasta lievitata (Pärmitainas) la cui ricetta è tratta da un libro di Karin Annus Kärner Estonian Tastes And Traditions. Mentre per il ripieno ho scelto il cavolo verza condito con cipolla e carota che ho unito alla carne di manzo dello stracotto. Per la ricetta originale rimando - qui - Ingredienti per 15 pirukad: Per l’impasto (Pärmitainas): 250 g circa di farina 0 (150 farina 0 - 100 g Manitoba) 56 g di burro fuso 90 ml di latte riscaldato 30 ml di acqua tiepida 5 g di zucchero semolato 3 g di lievito di birra secco o 9 g di lievito di birra fresco 1 uovo pizzico di cardamomo macinato pizzico di sale Per il ripieno: 200 g di cavolo verza 1 carota 1 cipolla borettana olio extra vergine di oliva sale pepe nero 100 g circa di carne di manzo cotta (io stracotto) Preparazione: In un bicchiere si versa l’acqua tiepida (i 30 ml), il lievito e il pizzico di zucchero, si gira e si lascia riposare per 5-6 minuti per farlo attivare. In un altro bicchiere si sbatte l’uovo. In una ciotola capiente si versa il burro fuso, il latte riscaldato, il pizzico di sale, di zucchero, il cardamomo e metà dell’uovo (il resto si conserva in frigorifero). Si mescola il tutto, si aggiunge il lievito e pian piano s’incorpora la farina (se occorre si aggiunge altra farina). Si trasferisce il composto sulla spianatoia e s’impasta energicamente per almeno 15 minuti, fino ad avere un impasto consistente morbido ed elastico. Si dà la forma di una palla, si mette in una capiente ciotola unta di olio extra vergine di oliva e si copre con un panno. Si lascia a lievitare nel forno spento fino al raddoppio. Nel frattempo si prepara il ripieno. Si taglia a pezzetti la carota, la cipolla e il cavolo verza. In un’ampia padella si mette l’olio extra vergine di oliva, si uniscono le verdure e si fanno appassire per 8-10 minuti, si sala e si pepa. Poi si aggiunge la carne cotta finemente tagliata, quasi tritata. Si fa insaporire il tutto. Si lascia raffreddare (Il ripieno deve essere freddo). Passato il tempo di lievitazione, si prende l’impasto si stende una sfoglia di 5 millimetri circa di spessore e si formano dei cerchi con uno stampo, non deve essere grande (io 9 cm). Su ogni cerchio si mette un po’ di ripieno e si chiude a mezzaluna, si sigillano bene i bordi di chiusura. Si dispongono i pirukad su una placca da forno rivestita di carta forno; si spennellano con parte dell’uovo sbattuto messo da parte. Si mettono nel forno caldo a 190° C per 20-25 minuti; fino a doratura. Con questa ricetta partecipo alla raccolta dell'Abbecedario Culinario della Comunità Europea per la cucina dell’Estonia ospitato dal blog Cafe Lynnylu