Ancient Estonians ate usually fermented milk dipped in bread, fish or potatoes in the hot summer.
Now we are more riche 🙂 So, bread is not enough.
To make this soup use your creativity. For this soup are suitable for example:
radish, tomato, cucumber
fermented cucumber, boiled beetroot, boiled potatoes, boiled eggs
Continue reading “Estonian Cold Soup with Black Bread”
My father was born in 1943. So, he was child after war. This was terrible time. Estonia was occupied by Soviet Union, Hunger and poverty. In March 1949, 20,722 people (2.5% of the population) were deported to Siberia.
Started collectivization. Forcibly was established collective farms, which means that all farmers must give all animals to collective farms. All over the countryside, the establishment of kolkhozes was announced and the majority of the peasants joined ‘voluntarily’, fearing that they would be deported if they did not sign up. During the 1950s, masses of farm animals would starve to death in late winter or early spring because of a lack of fodder. Collective farmer’s did not get first years any salary.
Because was lack of eggs and everything, children invented ” bread”, to have something to eat. They mixed potatoes, flour and oil and baked this on to the wood burning stove iron.
Continue reading “How to make Estonian Potato Flat Bread. Kartulipletskid”
Jaaniõhtu (Midsummer Eve – 23 June) and Jaanipäev (Midsummer Day, St John’s Day – 24 June) are the most important holidays in the Estonian calendar.
The Jaanipäev celebrations were merged with the celebration of Võidupüha (Victory Day) after the War of Independence, when the Estonian forces defeated the German troops on 23 June 1919.
So, we have long holiday 🙂
Jaanipäev is summer solstice and we say ” sun do not go down”. Even at 10 pm you can read book, because is enough light 🙂 This is the day, when all children has permission to be awake overnight.
To be honest. Because of global warming summer is not summer anymore. My birthday is 17th of June, and few years ago in my birthday was snowing !
And about Jaanipäev- yes we have bonfires, but usually exactly this evening is raining or lot of mosquitoes and.. this is not very fun:)
But still until today we believe: the lighting of the bonfire and jumping over it. This is a way of guaranteeing prosperity and avoiding bad luck.
In Estonian fairy tales and literature, there is a tale of two lovers, Koit (dawn) and Hämarik (dusk). These two lovers see each other only once a year and exchange the briefest of kisses on the shortest night of the year. Earth-bound lovers go into the forest looking for the “flower of the fern” which is said to bloom only on that night.
So, this is important day for young pars…:) and lot of grill and chill. And next morning you just need a sour and sweet soup. I do not call this Selyanka, because real Selyanka is little bit different. But very similar:) This is Selyanka-type soup. Continue reading “After Party Soup. Seljanka”
Do Estonians have a comfort food?
I believe that we can call our Milk Soup as comfort food. All our Mothers made a milk soup at night. When the child’s stomach had suddenly become so empty 🙂
Milk soup is very easy to make, it gets ready quickly and as milk is rich of B vitamin, it makes you calm and helps you sleep.
However, this comfort food has sometimes been complicated 🙂
During the Soviet times at school on Mondays we were always served a bowl of milk soup for lunch. Of course, I hated it:)
In a very popular book called ” Kasuema” by Silvia Rannamaa, which describes the life of a youngster during the 60s, the ” Milk soup Mondays” were compared to Dickens poorhouses 🙂 believe me, despite the fact that this book was very popular it certainly did not help to rise the popularity of milk soups.
But again, we can call Milk soup a comfort food. On Mondays, you have enough power to start your 🙂 school week.
And yes, you can not believe this, but traditionally the milk soup is served with some spiced sprat (Tallinna Vürtsikilu) sandwiches 🙂
You can replace pasta with rice, barley, semolina or dumplings. Recipe is the same.
For Dumpling Soup bring milk to boil, reduce heat and add small dumplings. Dumpling recipe you can find here.
Vastlapäev, known as Shrove Tuesday in much of the English-speaking world, the Estonians celebrate this day a little differently.
Instead of pancakes, we eat split pea soup and the delicious Vastlakukkel cream cake.
Traditionally children will sled down any available hill of snow, to get “long linens”. And not only children. Tomorrow, after meeting I am going with my colleges to sled, as well.
And later we have pea soup and Vastlakukkel!
Today, of course nobody care about linen, this is just for fun:)
The name Vastlapaev is taken from the German word “fasten” (to fast). And after Vastlapäev started fast, because meat was ran out.
Traditional pea soup takes time, so this is reasonable to cook more soup and leftovers freeze or store in clean airtight jar.
Traditional Estonian Pea Soup takes time, but it is worth it
Soup from Sauerkraut, fermented cabbage, is very easy to cook.
How to make Sauerkraut, look at this recipe
Sauerkraut sour and salty soup is warming winter-time dish, which needs time to get best result
Serve with sour- cream. Head isu!
Soundtrack Syn Cole “Follow Me”
This is easy and delicious vegetable soup.
A tasty vegetable soup, easy to cook
I know about Turnip two things.
The First is famous Russian Fairy Tale. And the second, before potato arrived from America, ancient Estonians ate turnips.
Turnip in estonian ” Naeris”. And ” Naeris” means, “laughed”, as well. So, “Naeris naeris”- means “Turnip laughed” 🙂
For Soup
– per eater 1/2 carrot
– 1 potato per eater
– 1 onion
– 1 tablespoon butter Continue reading “Meat Ball Soup. Frikadellisupp”
This is weekend soup, because needs more time for perfect broth
For Soup
For Dumplings
