Estonia

Country - Estonia

Cuisine Description - The Estonian cuisine inherited concepts from all the nations that controlled this country. To enumerate the most important nations that once were in the command of Estonian territories there were Danes, Germans, Russians, Swedes and Poles. These nations only controlled parts of the country and never the entire territory. In conclusion, the Estonian cuisine is quite diverse, since it made contact with so many countries.
People usually stay away from the Estonian cuisine, because the name of the dishes intimidates them. Indeed, such dishes as marinated eel, blood sausages or jellied meats might demoralize the foreigners, but if they manage to pass over the name, they will discover some delicacies. It is said that the taste is better than the visual effect, when regarding Estonian foods.
People from this part of Europe seem to have a strange connection with the nature. During the spring and the summer the Estonians display evidences of vivacity, while during the autumn and the winter they have a different behavior. At the end of the summer, all the Estonian families prepare the jams, picles and conserved vegetables.
The Estonians have imported ingredients, such as potatoes, before starting to crop them locally. Another item that was unknown to people from Estonia until the 17th century, is the coffee. Nowdays people consume coffee roasted at home and manually grounded only on Sundays and during the holidays.
The most important Estonian dishes are: Silgusoust, Mulgikapsad, Verivorst, Sült, Keel hernestega and Karask. The first five of them are based on meat and are either appetizers or main dishes. The most popular Estonian beverage is named Kali. This is a white drink and is actually a beer that has not underwent fermentation. Besides Kali, the Estonians enjoy a great number of wines.
When Estonia became the target of urbanization, dishes such as potatoes and fried meats gained popularity in the restaurants and the fast-foods. Still, Estonia has a cuisine with rural origins and most of the traditional dishes are prepared even nowdays by the Estonians. Copyright Recipes Wiki