5 Estonian recipes

5 Estonian recipes

Pink potato salad (Rosolje)

The glory days of this salad were between the 1930`s and 1960`s when it was on every party`s menu. However, there was a time when rosolje was pushed aside by potato salad because potato was easier to make and had simple ingredients. To get a true taste of this party pleaser, homemade rosolje is the way to go. Just follow the recipe carefully.

Pink potato salad (Rosolje)

400g cooked beets400g cooked potatoes200g cooked carrots2 herring fillets2 pickles2 tart apples 200g cooked pork or beef3 hard-boiled eggs

Pink potato salad (Rosolje)Dressing:

2,5 cups sour cream1 tsp salt0,5 tsp Dijon mustarda pinch of sugar

Cut all ingredients into small cubes. To prepare dressing, mix together sour cream, salt, mustard and sugar. Pour dressing over cubed ingredients, leaving some of the chopped eggs for garnish. Lets stand for a few hours. Just before serving, garnish with chopped eggs.

Head cheese estonian style (sült)

This dish, uniquely Estonian, resembles head cheese and was traditionally served at Christmas time; now it is served throughout year as an appetizer or when served with boiled potatoes, as a meal. Some codiments used to flavor sült are hot mustard, horseradish and vinegar.


2,5 bone-in pork (shanks, hocks or head) and veal2 onions, chopped2 carrots, chopped10 black peppercorns5 dried whole all-spice3 bay leaves1 tbsp salt

Head cheese estonian style (sült)Rinse meat and place it in a large pot. Fill pot with enough cold water to cover meat, and bring it to a quick boil. Boil rapidly for a few minutes. Drain and discard water. Rinse froth off of meat and pot. Return pieces of meat to the pot, placing them tightly together. Pour boiling water over meat to fill pot to a couple of centimeters over the meat. Simmer uncovered until meat falls off the bones – for about 3-4 hours. It is important to maintain a gentle boil to make sure the meat jelly turns out clear. After the first hour of simmering add salt, chopped carrots and onions.


Ten minutes before the end of cooking time add whole all-spice. Remove meat with slotted spoon, cool, and cut it into small pieces. Strain broth throught double-folded cheesecloth. Return the broth and meat pieces to the pot. Add a generous amount of salt to broth since the taste weakens as the dish cools. Rinse the molds with cold water and place at bottom of each mold slices of carrots and some green peas, if desired. Lay the pieces of meat on top of the carrots and green peas, and then add broth. Store molds in refrigerator.

Sauerkraut soup (hapukapsasupp)

Estonians loves sauerkraut so much that they not only use it in the main course, but also in soups. Furthermore sauerkraut soup keeps so well that reheating it only enhances its taste. Thus, when making this soup, it is usually made with the idea of having lots left-over soup in mind – even small families make this soup with at least 2 kilograms of sauerkraut.


1 kg sauerkraut1 kg pork8-12 cups water2 carrots, grated2 tbsp sugar2 tsp salt0,5 cup barley (optional)sour cream for garnish


In a large pot combine cold water, sauerkraut and pork (and barely, if using). Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer for 2-3 hours. 30 minutes before the end of cooking time, add grated carrots and season with salt and sugar. Sugar helps to make the sour taste milder. At the very end of cooking or just before serving, add some cubed boiled potatoes to the soup, if desired.

Easy apple pie (lihtne õunakook)

From midsummer until late fall, loads and loads of juicy apples riven in gardens throughout Estonia. A significant amount of them are used in a variety of pastries.


125 g butter, melted and cooled2 eggs, separated1 cup sugar0,5 cup milk, at room temperature 1,75 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder1 tsp cinnamon1 kg apples, chopped

Preheat oven to 200 C.


Beat egg yolks and sugar. Add milk and butter. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and baking powder, then add them to the milk and egg-yolk mixture. Stir in chopped apples. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until frotht and gently fold them into batter. Butter a 26 cm round baking dish and sprinkle some fine breadcrumbs on the bottom and sides. Pour apple mixture into baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or custard.

Mashed potatoes with cracked barley (mulgipuder)

Mulgipuder, a meal cooked with potatoes and barley, and mulgikapsad, a meal cooked with sauerkraut, pork and barley, are two popular dishes that originate from Viljandimaa, a prosperous county in southern Estonia.

1 kg potatoes, peeled4 cups water100 g cracked barley salt to taste

Gravy: 1 large onion, finely chopped100 g fatty porksalt


Wash barley; drain. In a large pot, combine potatoes, salt and water. Sprinkle barley on top of potatoes. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 1 to 1,5 hours or until barley is tender. Mix potatoes and barley with wooden spoon until more or less smooth. Adjust taste by adding more salt, if necessary. For the gravy, brown pork in frying pan – do not drain fat. Add onions and salt. Put potato and barley meal into bowls. Make a pit in the center of each serving and fill it with gravy. Serve with a cup of cold milk.


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5 Estonian recipes