Estonian cuisine combines simplicity and elegance. Even the most unusual combinations of foods, unusual for other national cuisines, such as fish, milk, vegetables and milk or herring and lard obtained surprisingly tasty. Despite the fact that spices are hardly used, dishes are attractive thanks to intelligent technology and verified proportions.

Features kitchen

It is believed that the typical Estonians differ restraint and deliberation. Is restrained and the National Estonian cuisine. The chefs clearly prefer the natural taste of the products, and do everything to keep it. For example, herbs are used very sparingly, even sparingly. Set of traditional spices is small: it is the onion, dill, marjoram, thyme and parsley sometimes. Interestingly, spices common to use only in the preparation of certain dishes. For example, dill complements the traditional herring, cumin placed in cheese and cheese with marjoram cooked blood sausage and parsley or celery Celery: vegetable with obvious advantages   added to some soups. The rest of the dishes are often without using spices.

Basic processing methods adopted in the Estonian kitchen - in a liquid decoction. Fried foods are very few, and they all tend to be borrowed from other nations. Only sometimes used short roasting, but it is usually used sour cream instead of oil, and the resulting dishes are mild, delicate flavor.

Love to boiling does not mean that all Estonian dishes are similar, because you can cook food in different ways. So, cooking is carried out at different temperatures, different times and in different liquids (water, milk, sour cream, kvass Russian kvass: ideal for summer , A mixture of milk with flour and eggs). As a result, and the dishes are different from each other, although the whole range of Estonian dishes taste quite recognizable and specific.

The most popular products - milk and potatoes, they are a part of almost all dishes. Appetizers, soups, main courses and desserts are gentle creamy taste and milk flavor. Also actively used saltwater fish, especially herring, pork, offal, peas, turnips, cabbage. Combinations of products can be quite unexpected, such as milk with peas, fish with bacon, apples and bull's blood, milk, fish or sweet potato pastries.

Food in Estonia is traditionally prefer simple and hearty. It is popular in the Baltic cold dishes, fish dishes, cereal and flour products. From hot dishes should be noted in particular soups made from vegetables with smoked bacon or meat offal, or milk-based. Interestingly, for Estonian dairy soups uses only fresh, not fermented milk.

Food Estonian

Main dishes are often prepared with pork or offal (especially appreciated by the liver). It is used as veal and - less frequently - lamb. But it is much more common dishes of the Baltic fish: stewed, boiled, baked in the form of puddings and casseroles. Also, the fish often vyalyat and salted, but the onion in fish cookery used very sparingly because of its sharp taste bad in harmony with the traditions of Estonian cuisine.

Popular flour and groats dishes. In Estonia, many baked breads, differing original taste by adding special starters, potato or honey. Also baked rye pie with lots of toppings, such as fish and fat, meat and hemp seed, ham with eggs and barley porridge. From the original cereal cereals cook several types of cereals with milk. These are often added kasham bean or vegetables such as cabbage or potato.

Vegetables alone almost never used, but it is often part of the cereals. At the same time vegetables are often part of the meat and cereal dishes, and are also used for desserts, including such well-known as the carrot cake.

Estonian desserts are usually quite hearty and heavy. This bread soups, jelly with milk or cream, snowballs egg dough, egg or cereal porridge and sweet puddings with whipped cream. Popular sweet buns, which are usually served with coffee in between meals.

Dairy cooking

Fantasy Estonian cooks amazing: from the fresh (ie not sour) milk is preparing a variety of original dishes. If you wish, you can prepare a meal consisting of dishes based on milk. For example, only one milk soups can be of several types:

• Dairy dumpling dough;
• Milk with cereals, such as barley;
• Milk and vegetable fresh and dried vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbage, turnips;
• Milk-fish;
• Milk and egg;
• Milky mushroom with fresh or dried mushrooms;
• Milk and peas (they are usually cooked with the addition of buckwheat);
• Dairy dairy products such as sour cream or cream (usually makes such sweet soups).

Also from milk or cream gravy is prepared for the main dishes and sauces, which stewed veal, liver and other offal.

Sour cream is widely used in the preparation of fish dishes. For example, a very popular appetizer - herring with onion, sour cream drenched Smetana: untold riches of Russian cuisine . A famous dish Silgud Pekikastmes prepared from herring with bacon, boiled in boiling milk sauce. Also fresh and smoked fish with potatoes baked in the oven with the addition of milk.

Estonian porridge cereals with vegetables cooked usually in the water until soft, then add the milk to the dish. Sometimes it can be a lot of milk, and sometimes it is used only as an additional softener gives the dish an original flavor accent.

Desserts based on milk - it is primarily the whipped cream and sour cream, and bread and fruit soups grounds, which are also complemented by a mandatory cap of whipped cream. Sometimes, however, grounds and fruit jelly are served without cream, but just drink milk.

Maria Bykov