Estonia Recipes

Verivorst is a traditional Estonian blood and barley sausage favored as a Christmas dish. It is customarily served as a first course with cranberry sauce, red berry jam, mulgikapsad (Estonian sauerkraut), and browned potatoes. Some enjoy it with butter or sour cream. Verivorst is very similar to the Finnish recipe for mustamakkara. Recipe Serving: Serves 6

These baked rolls combine the texture of fresh, yeasty bread dough with the savory taste of thick-cut ham for a delicious, filling treat. They are best eaten warm and crisp from the oven and can be topped by a wide variety of salty, creamy, or spicy sauces for additional flavors. For the best taste and texture, use high-quality cuts of meat. Recipe Servings: Serves 8 to 12

Keel Hernestega is a quintessential Estonian appetizer of spiced boiled beef tongue. Serve the boiled tongue in thin circular cuts cooled or at room temperature accompanied by beans or peas. The dish has a rich, salty, and herbal flavor as a result of its lengthy cook time. Recipe Servings: Serves 6–8

Suitsukala is smoked fish, prepared from any one of the more than 30 species breeding in Estonia’s second largest lake, Võrtsjärv. A mystical, natural habitat for wildlife named for the plentiful reeds (võrrits) growing on its shores, this lake teams with bream, carp, eel, herring, perch, pike, smelt, trout, and zander. (Estonia's largest lake, Peipus, shares a common boundary with Russia.) Recipe Servings: Serves 4

Estonian cuisine generally revolves around meat dishes, and therefore meat-free soups are not common. This cabbage cream soup, however, is one of the popular few. The recipe below features cabbage and carrots, though any available vegetables can be added. The soup uses flour as a thickener, and three cups of heavy cream account for the “cream” in the name of the soup. The soup is served hot and traditionally topped with butter. Recipe Serving: Serves 3–4

An Estonian specialty, Nõgesesupp, is a light, healthy spring or early summer soup made from young nettles. Many know nettles only as a weed to avoid because of the painful stinging they can cause, but the plant’s culinary and medicinal uses are quite varied. Vitamin-rich nettles make tasty soups and enhance stews, salads, and omelets; and dried nettle leaves make a refreshing tea that is known to support joint health. Recipe Servings: Serves 4

A popular party food in Estonia, rosolje is a potato and beet salad that is an eye-catching purple. All the ingredients in this salad are typical of Estonian cuisine, including the cream-based dressing, which is distinct from the West European tradition of mayonnaise-based dressings. For traditional rosolje, the addition of herring is a must. Many modern recipes, however, omit herring—as well as any cold meats—for a completely vegetarian salad. Recipe Serving: Serves 4

A traditional winter preserve in Estonia, jellied pork is made by boiling pork hooves and thighs with various seasonings. If sült is to be consumed immediately, the resulting liquid is poured into a bowl and allowed to solidify. It is common, however, for the jelly to be poured into a sterile jar, stored, and eaten when fresh meat is not available. Recipe Serving: Serves 4–6

Marineeritud Angerjas is a very popular and traditional food in Estonia where eel is abundant and eaten fresh as well as canned. This recipe for marinated eel can be found in Estonian homes and restaurants; it is intended to be served cold. Marineeritud Angerjas has a strong fish flavor that is both unusual and distinctive. Recipe Servings: Serves 4 to 6

Lake Võrtsjärv is Estonia’s second largest lake, named for the plentiful reeds (võrrits) growing on its shores. This local, dairy-based casserole is simple comfort food that is hearty and filling. Leftovers such as ground meat or suitsukala (smoked fish) are re-purposed to create this tasty dish. Estonians are heavy on pickles. In this dish, pickled beets help to cut through a rich mouthfeel. Recipe Servings: Serves 4

A traditional dish hailing from southern Estonia, mulgikapsad is an enriched version of sauerkraut that combines sauerkraut with barley and pork or bacon. It uses inexpensive, locally-available ingredients and is traditionally eaten as a side, served alongside grilled meat and boiled potatoes. A hearty dish in cold weather, mulgikapsad is popular wintertime fare. Recipe Serving: Serves 5

Believed to have originated centuries ago, karask is a traditional barley bread that can be eaten as a side or—as in this recipe—topped with a cranberry cream sauce and enjoyed for dessert. The use of barley flour gives the bread a nutty flavor that complements many traditional Estonian dishes. The dessert version of the bread often uses carrot for added flavor. Recipe Serving: Serves 10–12

A thin pudding or dessert soup, kissel is common throughout Eastern Europe. It can even be served as a sweet drink. The thickness of the kissel comes from the inclusion of cornstarch, arrowroot powder, or—as in the recipe that follows—potato starch, and the thickness is adjusted depending on how kissel is to be consumed. The thinnest kissel is often drunk straight from the serving dish. Somewhat thicker kissel may be used as a topping or syrup for other desserts or dishes. The thickest variety of kissel is eaten as a standalone dessert. Recipe Servings: Serves 5