Estonian National Cuisine Black Bread • The word „bread“ came to Estonian from Germanic languages. • Traditional black bread spread in Estonia in the second century. • In a peasant household people usually baked bread on Saturdays. • Depending on the size of the family, they usually made 6-10 loaves of bread. • One loaf of bread usually weighed about 2-5 kg. Recipe of Bread • • • • • 5 l of warm water 100 g leaven 6 - 7 kg rye flour 1 tablespoon of salt 2 tablespoons of fennel seeds Beliefs and habits • There were many beliefs and habits related with bread: – If a piece of bread was dropped, it had to be picked up and given a kiss so that hunger would not come to the house. – A loaf of bread was never put on a table upside crust down. That would predict a family member’s death. – It was not allowed to lay a loaf of bread with its cut side to the door, because then the house would run out of bread. – People imprinted a cross on a loaf of bread before they baked it, because it would protect the family from an evil eye. – Eating the crusty end of bread would give a girl nice breasts. – Warm bread was supposed to be broken not cut. Christmas bread • Christmas bread had to be different from everyday bread. • It was made of rye or wheat flour and it was usually in the shape of a lying pig. • Christmas bread was also fed to the animals in the stables and barns Kama (flour mix) • Kama is a mixture of boiled, dried and roasted coarse-ground grains, mixed with water, buttermilk or yoghurt. • Kama flour was initally made after sowing from the remnants of the seeds. • Nowadays kama is a popular summer dish because it is light and cooling. • As it tastes good and is healthy, kama can be compared with muesli. Estonian Fish Culture The Baltic Herring • The Baltic herring has been the main fish dish on Estonians’ table for centuries. • It is the main fish that is caught in the Baltic Sea. • The Baltic herring has become the national fish of Estonia. • The Baltic herring is eaten fresh, marinated, smoked and tinned. Baltic Sprat • A sprat sandwich is a traditional snack on Estonian food table. • Sprats are usually salted with all kinds of spices. A sprat sandwich: • black bread • salted sprats • boiled eggs All you have to do now is just make a sandwich. Pork • Pork has been known in the national cuisine of Estonia for a long time. • Meat was eaten mostly in autumn and in winter with vegetables and cereals. Beliefs and habits: – The pig’s snout was given to a child, because people believed that it helped the child to become a writer. – Eating the heart gives strength. – The kidneys were boiled in soup and were eaten with somebody else to get well along with. • These traditions are old and mostly forgotten, but pork has still a very important place in Estonian cuisine. Jellied meat • In Estonian sült. • A traditional Estonian dish - boiled pork with vegetables in jelly. • The jelly is made by boiling the pig bones, sometimes trotters and heads. • Estonians eat jellied meat at Christmas time, on Shrove Tuesday, New Year’s Eve and at Easter. Milk • Milk is called “piim” in Estonian • Over the times Estonians have been drinking and using milk (mostly cow milk but also horse and goat milk) as everyday food. • The development of Estonian milk industry began in the 19th century. Nowadays it is one of the most important lines of production in Estonian farming. • Nearly 93% of the drinking milk produced and consumed in Estonia has a fat content of 2.5% which is unique in the EU. The 2.5% milk can only be marketed in Estonia. • Milk production started in farms. • A metal milk jug was used to collect milk from farms. • Piimapukk is a simple wooden construction. • Farmers brought their milk jugs there for collecting and selling the milk. Soured milk • Soured milk is called hapupiim in Estonian • Soured milk is a general term for milk that has acquired a tart taste through bacterial fermentation • Soured milk has been a common drink among Estonians for centuries. • Nowadays people drink mostly kefir which is a fermented milk drink similar with soured milk. Curd • Curd is made from soured milk by heating it on a low temperature. • Curd is a popular diet food because of its high calcium and phosphorus content and low energetic value. • Curd might be flavoured with salt or sugar and it is used in many different dishes like curd cheese patties. Curd snack • A curd snack is a sweet snack about five centimeters long. • It is made of milled sweet curd or curd cream and usually covered with chocolate glaze. • Different types of curd snacks may contain various fillings like jam, marmalade or raisins. • The curd snack has been one of Estonians’ favourite sweet snacks since 1960, when it was known as glazed sweet cheese. Thank you