If you find yourself in Estonia during the winter holidays, enjoying a local Christmas dinner is a must. Find out why the Christmas feast is such a meaningful event, which Estonian dishes to look for, and where you can have a feast of your own.
Apples grow abundantly in Estonia, but some types of talveõun (winter apple) are harvested late in the year and last through the winter.
Photo by: Jarek Jõepera
The Estonian way of life revolves around the changing seasons and nature's bounty. Berries are picked and collected in the summer months, while fruits, vegetables, grains, potatoes, and mushrooms are harvested in the autumn. This produce, along with farmed and wild game meats, are pickled, salted, smoked, and otherwise preserved to keep pantries full throughout the winter. Of course, nowadays there are grocery stores on every corner, so home food preservation is done more for fun than out of necessity. However, the practice of growing and harvesting one's own food remains popular in Estonia and is making its way back into modern-day kitchens. You can even see innovative young chefs using these time-honored culinary techniques as a way to make the most of seasonal ingredients.
Winter dishes in Estonia tend to be hearty and filling in order to provide energy and warmth in the cold weather. The food served at a Christmas dinner is no exception. Staples include verivorst (blood sausage), sült (jellied head cheese), hapukapsas (sauerkraut), oven-roasted potatoes, and pork. Lingonberry sauce and pickled pumpkin are offered on the side, as the acidity is the perfect accompaniment to the richness of the meat. While these food traditions go way back, Estonian families today sometimes opt for lighter fare over the holidays, especially as vegetarian and vegan options become more popular.
Apples and mandarin oranges are also enjoyed as Christmas treats, though piparkook (gingerbread) is the preferred seasonal dessert. While nothing beats homemade gingerbread, it's easy to find pre-made dough and icing at all major supermarkets, and the stands in the Christmas market, local bakeries, and cafes all have beautifully decorated gingerbread cookies for sale. There's even a seasonal exhibition devoted to gingerbread sculptures called Gingerbread Mania! A crisp cookie and a mug of mulled wine — either entirely alcohol-free or with an extra shot of Vana Tallinn — is a sweet treat that will keep you warm all winter long.
The Christmas meal itself, eaten on Christmas Eve or the night of Christmas, is an important family event that goes back to pagan times. There were to be seven, nine or twelve servings of food to bring good luck and plenty for next year's harvest. Food had to remain on the table all night long, and it was forbidden to peek under the table, for this was a sacred place where spirits dwelled and any food dropped was left there.
If you're feeling up to making your own Estonian Christmas dishes, we've got a few recipes you can try out for yourself so you can cook the Estonian way.
Recipe for oven-baked pork with sauerkraut
Ingredients
Directions
Recipe for verivorst (blood sausage)
Ingredients
Directions
If you're visiting Estonia over Christmas, you may not have the equipment — or the motivation! — the spend the day cooking a feast. You can still enjoy a traditional Estonian Christmas dinner and a memorable holiday dining experience at one of the many hotels and restaurants offering special Christmas meals on December 24th or 25th.
Here are some options for eating out in Tallinn on Christmas:
Several hotels will also be offering special seasonal packages including a Christmas meal and accommodation to make your holiday away from home truly unforgettable.
Try a magical Christmas in one of these luxurious manor hotels: