Christmas is only a few days away and now is the time to prepare for the biggest feast of the year. Food is at the heart of all Christmas celebrations and although it takes considerable time to cook a feast, it is always worth it when we are sitting down enjoying it with our loved ones. Traditional Estonian Christmas cuisine varies slightly from that of other countries, rather than eating Christmas turkey, goose or ham, Estonians prefer to eat pork accompanied with the traditional blood sausage (verivorst).
There are many side dishes on an Estonian Christmas table. Every Estonian home includes braised sauerkraut and oven-roasted potatoes with their pork. Other popular dishes are sült (brawn), potato salad, pickled cucumbers and pumpkin, and of course dark rye bread. The darker the better!
Estonians also enjoy eating piparkoogid (gingerbread) at Christmas time and when you make it yourself, the kitchen is filled with a wonderful spicy aroma that really makes you feel like it's Christmas. The same goes for when you make homemade glögi (mulled wine). It's a real treat!
Merry Christmas everyone!
