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What to eat in Estonia

Five dishes to try in Estonia, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.

Five dishes to try in Estonia

  1. Verivorst

    Main dish

    Blood sausage with barley, served with lingonberry jam and sauerkraut.

    How to have it: A Christmas dish; shops and restaurants sell it from late November.

    Read about Verivorst on Wikipedia

  2. Mulgipuder

    Main dish

    Mash of potato and barley groats topped with fried pork and onion.

    How to have it: A South Estonian home dish, found on traditional menus in Tallinn and Viljandi.

    Read about Mulgipuder on Wikipedia

  3. Mulgikapsad

    Main dish

    Sauerkraut stewed with pork and pearl barley.

    How to have it: Usually served with boiled potatoes; common in canteens and old-town taverns.

    Read about Mulgikapsad on Wikipedia

  4. Leib

    BreadVegetarian

    Dense, dark sourdough rye bread served with nearly every meal.

    How to have it: Try it as küüslauguleib, fried garlic bread sticks that are the classic beer snack.

    Read about Leib on Wikipedia

  5. Kama

    BreakfastVegetarian

    Flour of roasted barley, rye, oat and pea, stirred into kefir or buttermilk.

    How to have it: Eaten for breakfast or as a snack; supermarkets also sell kama sweets and desserts.

    Read about Kama on Wikipedia

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Questions

What food is Estonia famous for?

Verivorst (blood sausage with barley, served with lingonberry jam and sauerkraut) comes first on our list, followed by Mulgipuder, Mulgikapsad, Leib and Kama.

What is the national dish of Estonia?

Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Estonia is Verivorst: blood sausage with barley, served with lingonberry jam and sauerkraut. A Christmas dish; shops and restaurants sell it from late November.

Which dishes in Estonia are vegetarian?

Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Leib and Kama. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.

How reliable is this list?

The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.

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Dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.