Location: Northern Europe
Population: 1.4 million
Capital: Tallinn
Geography: A low-lying country situated against the Baltic Sea
Language: Estonian
Signature flavours: Seafood (especially smoked fish), cabbage, pork, potato, rye, dairy

The Menu

Some years ago, Eric and I were sitting together in a tiny restaurant in the medieval area of Tallinn, Estonia. This was before Eric had ever conceived of the idea of Wooden Spoon Wanderer, but naturally undertaking this assignment brought me right back to that place, dunking bread into fish soup with a name I couldn’t pronounce. I wanted to create a menu that would transport me back to Estonia — the twisting cobble streets of the old town, the stony beaches of the Baltic sea, the winding boardwalks through peat bog and coniferous forest.

Leib: Also called black bread, this dark sourdough rye is enriched with sunflower seeds, oats, and caraway. It’s an ancient recipe, and no Estonian meal would be complete without it.

Prep and cooking time: 4 hours (plus at least 24 hours fermenting)
Difficulty: 4/5

Nõgesesupp (Nettle Soup): A white wine and onion broth with nettle and dandelion greens poured over chunks of black bread.

Prep and cooking time: 45 min
Difficulty: 2/5

Mulgikapsad and Sausages: Classic Eastern European fare — sauerkraut, pearl barley, and sausages, finished with a dollop of lingonberry jam.

Prep and cooking time: 30 min
Difficulty: 2/5

Suitsuräimepirukas (Smoked Herring Pie): A quiche-like herring, egg, and onion pie in a flaky rye crust.

Prep and cooking time: 75 min
Difficulty: 3/5

Rabarberikook (Quark and Rhubarb Cake): A shortcrust cake layered with quark (a cheese product similar to cottage cheese) and tender pieces of rhubarb, finished with a sweet and crunchy crumb topping.

Prep and cooking time: 75 min
Difficulty: 3/5

The Shopping List

I headed to a European market for this assignment, and quickly found authentic sauerkraut, a whole smoked herring, and a container of quark. Our local supermarket supplied most of our other ingredients, except for rhubarb, dandelion, and nettle, which I sourced from our garden (very carefully, in the case of the nettle). I found lingonberry jam at a nearby independent cheesemonger.

The Meal

The leib took me days to prepare (sourdough starter was needed) and hours to make. The rye dough is dense and sticky and doesn’t rise like other bread doughs. Unfortunately, our oven fan was on the fritz the day of this assignment, and due to uneven heating, my loaf was not quite what I had hoped for — it was rather tackier in the middle than I had envisioned. Still, it had all the complex richness of black bread, and after cutting thick slices, I toasted it briefly for a firmer texture. I slathered two slices with butter to eat alongside our meal, and diced another couple of slices for the nettle soup.

The soup was perhaps my favourite dish. With acidity from the white wine, gentle sweetness from the greens, and earthy depth from the leib, it was a lovely harmony of flavours. 

The mulgikapsad and sausages was pure Estonian comfort food, with greasy fried sausages, crunchy, tangy sauerkraut, and soft and filling pearl barley, it was another highlight. It was served with sweet lingonberry jam which tempered the sauerkraut and brightened the overall experience.

Because the oven was giving me trouble, I made the herring pie in our new air fryer, which worked a treat. The pie was smoky and fishy, with a buttery rye crust and warm, eggy filling. 

Our dessert was incredible — soft crust layered over lightly sweetened quark and tart rhubarb (so good in fact that I failed to get a decent picture of it — I was distracted).

It was a joy to bring the flavours of Estonia back into focus after so many years, and we eagerly dug into the leftovers for days later.

Links
The Complete Book of National Dishes by Henderson Daniel and Kristy Khemraj
https://www.andreatamme.com/blog/estonian-black-bread
https://estoniancuisine.com/2019/05/06/nettle-soup-nogesesupp/
https://estoniancuisine.com/2020/04/06/smoked-baltic-herring-pie-suitsuraimepirukas/#more-11924
https://estoniancuisine.com/2019/04/27/soft-and-crispy-quark-and-rhubarb-cake/

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional chef. I’m just a passionate cook with a curiosity for flavours I’ve never tried. For great recipes from gifted local cooks, follow the links above.