Beautiful Estonia. What do you think of when you hear the name of that country? Have you ever heard of it? Do you have any idea where it is? Does it bring to mind the line from “Encino Man” when Sean Astin explains away the frozen caveman he thawed out in his garage as an exchange student named Stoney from Estonia? (Am I the only one who has seen that movie??)
I had the opportunity this summer to spend several weeks in Tallinn, Estonia for my Air Force job. I was thrilled for the adventure, but the first thought that went through my head was, ‘wait; what do they eat in Estonia??’ Enter the trusty Google search, where I was rewarded with this little gem: “Estonians were peasants during serfdom, so traditional foods were born out of throwing things together because there was simply nothing else to eat.” Hmm… The trip was suddenly sounding less appealing. Things took a real nosedive with the next sentence, “When asking an Estonian what foods to try, the answer is usually sauerkraut, jellied meat, and blood sausage.” Okay, cancel my reservation please!!
Alas, the Air Force is not in the habit of cancelling missions based on the epicurean preferences of its members, so I was committed to making the best of whatever beefy Jell-O or fermented cabbage this Eastern European country could throw at me. (Yes, I Googled the location too; Estonia is just a 2-hour ferry ride across the Baltic Sea from Finland, and about 80 miles south of Mother Russia – they became an independent country only 28 years ago.) Being a “baby nation” probably explains why I actually had a hard time finding a true Estonian culinary identity. What I did find, thankfully, was some darn tasty chow at impossibly low prices! A plain t-shirt might cost 50 euro, but a filet mignon dinner with a bottle of decent wine would only set you back about 35 euro. So come with me to this deliciously underrated country and let’s take a look at Estonian cuisine. You’ll want to bring your stretchy sweatpants!
Let’s just start with where you need to set your expectations… This is where you grab a Big Mac. A McFlurry. And in an Estonian McDonald’s, you can also pick up a tasty, freshly baked, flaky croissant, on par with a Parisian boulangerie. I think we’re doing it wrong…
Next, how about we check out their definition of “mall food court” meals? This ain’t your average Panda Express or Taco Loco fare… In a country with more restaurants within walking distance than I could have sampled in a year, I found myself heading to the mall cafés multiple times for the closest thing to “home cooking” that I found.
Many menus were in Russian, but when I found one in English, I stumbled across the most delicious comfort food. This pasta dish was similar to beef stroganoff, with onions, garlic, truffle cream sauce and shaved parmesan over tender beef strips. I had to take a picture just to make sure I remember what was in it so I can recreate it at home! Best part? It was 8 euros. I couldn’t get a foot-long sandwich at Subway for that price in the States!
So those were the “fast food” options… now for the actual restaurants! My first Russian meal was at a place called Troika, in the middle of the Old Town square. After the cold-smoked beaver appetizer – you read that right – I wanted something familiar. B
eef stew on a bed of mashed potatoes? I was all over that. Not sure why the raw vegetables and cranberries were included, but hey, maybe it was supposed to be a side salad?? Estonia is not exactly a hotbed of fresh produce, so you don’t want to skip any veggies you get your hands on. And by the way, beaver is pretty salty and takes forever to chew! In case you were wondering.
Rabbit. The other, other white meat. I just never knew! If you have never tried it, you are missing out on one of the best kept secrets of the protein world. Every time I see a rabbit hopping through the neighborhood now, I don’t think ‘oh, how cute’, I think ‘oh, you’re delicious!’ Even though it’s considered white meat, I was reminded more of the flavorful chicken thigh. I got my first taste of heaven at a bistro called Frenchy in Telliskivi, Estonia, where rabbit was roasted to perfection under a creamy stone ground mustard sauce. They topped it with eggplant, asparagus and shaved, glazed carrots. And now I can die a happy woman!
But wait, there’s more! So much, much more. I haven’t even told you about the drinks. Now I’m not really one for the bar scene, but even I couldn’t resist Sigmund Freud’s. It. Was. Incredible. Maybe I just haven’t been to enough craft bars, but this place had the most creative, yummiest cocktails I’ve ever tasted, complete with clever names that made me giggle and garnishes that doubled as snacks. I drank the first three pages of the menu. In order. Because you couldn’t go wrong with any of them! “Breakfast at Guantanamo Bay” was a personal favorite; any drink that includes freshly made bananas foster is a winner in my book! Here’s a few of their greatest hits:
But then there was the seafood! Scallops. Shrimp. Salmon. Lobster. Caviar. Ceviche. Whether it was a nautical-themed restaurant or my hotel lobby eatery, the fish selection was unmatched. I can taste these shrimp tacos just looking at the picture…
So, what is “Estonian food” at the end of the day? I spent five weeks eating my way through the place and I’m still not sure. It seemed to be a conglomeration of Russian, German, French, and just plain GOOD food. One of my Top 3 meals of the whole trip did come from a restaurant aptly named… “Estonian Restaurant”. I figured if I was going to get authentic grub anywhere, that was the place! If no one had told me the origin of the food, I would have guessed Germany. Crispy pig shank, mustard so hot it made my eyeballs scream, roasted potatoes, and a big ol’ pile of that sauerkraut that Google told me I had to try. You know what? Google was right!
Have Book, Will Cook 