Estonian Recipes

Estonian food is built on what the short northern summer and the Baltic Sea provide: rye, barley, potatoes, pork, cabbage, dairy, wild berries and mushrooms, and plenty of fish. Dark sour rye bread (leib) anchors the table, while barley and peas appear in porridges, soups and puddings. Pork and sauerkraut define winter, with blood sausage (verivorst) and sauerkraut stew on the Christmas table. Baltic herring and sprats are fried, pickled and piled on open sandwiches. German, Swedish, Russian and Finnish neighbors all influenced the kitchen, from savory pies (pirukad) to beet and herring salad (rosolje). Dairy plays a large part, with sour cream, buttermilk and curd cheese turning up in soups and desserts. Kama, a fine flour of roasted grains, is stirred into buttermilk and sweets, and foraged mushrooms and lingonberries are eaten fresh or preserved. Summer meals are lighter, built around new potatoes, dill and fresh fish.

Staple ingredients

• rye bread
• pork
• potatoes
• sauerkraut
• Baltic herring and sprats
• sour cream and buttermilk
• barley and peas
• lingonberries

• Soups 1
• Salads 1
• Main Dishes 4
• Breads 1
• Desserts 2
• Snacks 1

Soups

• Hernesupp (Estonian Split Pea Soup with Smoked Pork)EE1 h 45 minEasy

Salads

• Rosolje (Estonian Beet and Herring Salad)EE1 h 40 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Kapsapirukas (Estonian Cabbage Pie)EE1 h 55 minMedium
• Mulgikapsad (Estonian Sauerkraut and Barley Stew with Pork)EE2 h 10 minEasy
• Mulgipuder (Estonian Potato and Barley Mash with Bacon)EE1 h 10 minEasy
• Praetud Räim (Estonian Fried Baltic Herring)EE45 minEasy

Breads

• Kringel (Estonian Sweet Cardamom Bread)EE1 h 20 minMedium

Desserts

• Kama (Estonian Roasted-Grain Dessert with Kefir and Berries)EE10 minEasy
• Kohupiimakook (Estonian Curd Cheese Cake)EE1 h 40 minMedium

Snacks

• Kiluvõileib (Estonian Sprat and Egg Open Sandwich)EE20 minEasy