Food · Europe
What to eat in Estonia
Five dishes to try in Estonia, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Estonia
Verivorst
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.
Mulgipuder
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.
Mulgikapsad
Sauerkraut stewed with pork and pearl barley.
How to have it: Usually served with boiled potatoes; common in canteens and old-town taverns.
Leib
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.
Kama
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.
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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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Tick off every dish you try in Estonia
Explo is a free app: light up the countries you have visited, keep the dishes you have tried, and check visa rules, weather and holidays before you go.
Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.