2. Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday – Vastlapäev - is a very
important day in Estonia. We don`t eat
pancakes on that day- we eat lenten buns
instead. We also have pea or bean soup,
salted beans and pig`s trotters on that day and
go sledging. For the last few years it has been
a wonderful winter with lots of snow, perfect
for vastlaliug- sledging downhill. In olden
days it was believed that he who went the
longest distance would grow the longest flax.
3. Shrove Tuesday
It was also believed that if you cut your hair at
Vastlapäev your hair would grow very nice
and thick. And you were supposed to comb
your hair seven times on that day.
4. PEA SOUP
250 g dried peas
150 g pearl barley
3 l water
1 kg smoked meat (pork)
1 big onion
2 big or 4 smaller potatoes
2-3 big carrots
salt
Put the pearl barley and peas into cold water
to soak for one day (put them into a big
bowl, pour over with cold water so that peas
and barley are all covered). Put the smoked
meat and water into a big pot and heat
slowly up to boiling. Remove the scum. Add
the soaked peas and pearl barley. Heat again
up to boiling, lower the heat, cover the pot
with a lid and boil it for about one hour.
Chop the onion, carrots and potatoes. Add
the vegetables to the soup. Boil for half an
hour, until vegetables and meat are soft.
Take the meat out of the soup. Remove the
bones, cut the meat into smaller pieces and
add again to the soup. Add salt.
5. LENTEN BUNS
For 30 buns:
5 dl warm milk
50 g yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
200 g melted butter
2 eggs
800 g wheat flour
0,5 – 1 teaspoon of cardamon
3 tbs sugar
Melt yeast with sugar and add it to the warm
milk. Add half of the flour. Mix and let to stay
in a warm place covered with a towel until
small bubbles appear on the surface. Add
salt, cardamon, cooled melted butter,
whipped eggs and rest of the flour. Mix until
the dough is shiny. Put it again into a warm
place to rise. Form buns. Put them on the
baking tray and let them rise for a while.
Brush with milk or egg and bake at 200-225
degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the buns are
golden. Take them out of the oven and let
them cool down. Cut a small piece from top
of the bun, cover with whipped cream and
put the piece back.
6. St.Michael’s Day – September 29
By St. Michael’s Day “the rape had to be in the
cave and the womenfolk in the chamber”, i.e. the
field labour had to be done and the women’s
housework started. Animals were killed for food,
and peasant household got better food to eat. It
was the most widespread lamb-killing and beer-
making date. It was a kind of leave-taking day
since the rent contracts were concluded for the
period covering the interval between St. George’s
Day and St. Michael’s Day.
7. MUTTON SOUP
500 g mutton
3 l water
1-2 carrots
1 onion
4-5 potatoes
salt
For dumplings:
1 egg
½ - ¾ glass of milk
1 glass of barley wheat
Put the meat into cold water and bring it to
boil, remove the scum. Add the chopped
carrots and onion and 15-20 minutes before
the end of boiling the diced potatoes. Season
with salt. Take the meat out of the soup.
Mix the dumpling dough, put the dumplings
into the boiling soup and boil until they rise
to the surface. Cut the meat into small
pieces and add to the soup.
8. CUMIN BARLEY BREAD
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
3 dl barley flour
1,5 dl wheat flour
0,5 teaspoon of baking soda
3 dl sour milk
2 teaspoon of cumin
2 tbs oil
Whip the egg with baking soda.
Add cumin and flour mixed with
soda, sour milk and oil. Bake in a
preheated oven at 200 degrees
for 40-45 minutes. You can use
small baking moulds. Serve hot
with honey or jam.
9. St Martin’s Day – November 10
For centuries Mardipäev (Martinmas) has been
one of the most important and cherished days in
the Estonian folk calendar. It remains popular
today, especially among young people and the
rural population. Martinmas celebrates the end
of the agrarian year and the beginning of the
winter period. On the eve of St Martin’s Day
children disguise themselves as men and go from
door to door, singing songs and telling jokes to
receive sweets.
10. PEA AND POTATO MASH
6 potatoes
3 dl fresh green peas
3, 5 - 4 dl cream
fresh parsley
salt
Peel the potatoes and boil
in the water, seasoned with
salt. Boil the peas in a
separate pot. Strain the
peas and mash them with
parsley and warm cream.
Add the potatoes and mash
into a porridge.
11. ST MARTIN’S GOOSE
goose
pepper
salt
Wash the goose, dry it and cover
with the mixture of salt and
pepper. Tie up the wings and legs
to the body. Put on the baking
tray. Bake in the oven at 200
degrees, from time to time pour
it over with the grease. If
necessary cover the goose with
tin foil at the end of baking.
Baking time is one hour per 1 kilo
of the bird.
12. APPLE AND BARLEY BREAD
0,5 l sour milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon of oil
250 g barley flour
300 g apples
1 dl raisins
1 dl sugar
Clean and gut the apples into pieces.
Wash and soak the raisins. Put the
dry ingredients into a big bowl and
mix them. Add egg, sour milk and oil
and mix. Then add apples and raisins
and mix well. Pour the dough into a
baking tray covered with baking
paper. Bake at 200 degrees for 35
minutes.
13. Christmas
Old Estonians celebrated winter solstice - the birthday of
the Sun. Starting from winter solstice, the days grew longer
and the sun rose higher in the sky. Jõulud was celebrated
from St. Thomas's Day (December 21) until Epiphany
(January 6) long before Christianity reached the region.
Jõulud, which involved excessive eating and prohibitions on
several types of work, was seen as a period of rest in the
middle of the long dark winter. Now Christmas is a mixture
of the traditional, the modern, the secular, and the
religious. Like in other Nordic states, Estonia's celebration
of Christmas mostly falls on Christmas Eve, however,
Christmas season starts from Advent with people buying
Advent calendars or lighting Advent candles.
14. Christmas
On Christmas Eve, people had to eat for 7, 9,
or even 12 times.
These were magic numbers and the excessive
eating would make sure that the next year
would be rich in food. If men ate seven times
during Christmas night, they were supposed
to have the strength of seven men the
following year.
15. Christmas
Each year on December 24, the President of
Estonia declares Christmas Peace and attends
a Christmas service. The tradition was
initiated by the order of Queen Kristina of
Sweden in the 17th century.
16. BARLEY SAUSAGES
1 kg streaked bacon
0,5 kg white onions
3 dl pearl barley
8 dl milk or water
1 teaspoon of salt
0,5 teaspoon of grinded white pepper
1-2 teaspoon of salt
majoram
6-8 m pork bowels
Put the pearl barley into cold water to
soak for one day. Pour the liquid used in
soaking away and boil the pearl barley in
clean water for 3-4 minutes and then let
to cool down. Chop the onions, mince the
bacon and add salt, pepper and majoram
with pearl barley and the water they were
boiled in. Mix everything and let to stay
in a cool place for two hours. Fill in the
bowels with the mixture (not too full).
Heat the sausages in 80° C water for 20
minutes and then bake in the oven at low
heat.
17. GINGER BREAD
250 g treacle or honey
100 g sugar
50 g butter
some salt
2 tsp gingerbread spices (cinnamon, clove,
cardamom, ginger, nutmeg)
1 egg
300 - 500 g flour
2 tsp baking powder
Bring the treacle, sugar, and butter to boil,
stir constantly. Add the spices and cool it by
whipping. Add whisked egg and flour mixed
with baking powder. Knead the mixture into
solid dough. Keep it in a cool place. Roll the
dough. Butter the baking sheet, mould cakes
and put them on the sheet. Bake. Decorate
after cooling if you wish.
18. KAMA
• Kama is a traditional
Estonian finely milled flour
mixture. The kama powder
is a mixture of roasted
barley, rye, oat and pea
flour.
• Kama does not require
baking. Mix 1-2 teaspoons
of kama powder with butter
milk and some sugar. It is a
healthy and cold food on a
hot summer day.
• Nowadays it is used for
making some desserts.
19. Customs
Estonian peasants did not start preparing
desserts until the beginning of the last
century. Earlier few desserts were prepared
(for instance beer soup, cottage cheese
crumbs) for holidays and family celebrations.
20. Customs
Estonians sitting down to eat say “May your
bread last!” to which one answers “We it will!”
Recently, the expression “Bon appetit” has
become more usual.
The first cookbooks intended for widespread use
appeared at the end of the 19th century,
although the first Estonian-language cookbook
was already published in Tallinn in 1781. This was
the Köki ja Kokka Ramat, mis Rootsi Kelest Eesti-
ma Kele üllespandud on, which was translated
from Swedish.
