Estonia among Europe's highest cheese consumers

There have been several cheese consumption reports released lately. The figures do vary but it's clear that Estonians do love their cheese and rates highly in the consumption rate.

Cheese Consumption by Country 2023 according to the World Population Review

Estonians eat a variety of cheese but it is perhaps cheese curd that is produced and consumed most often. Cheese curd is used in many Estonian recipes.

 

 

Milk is considered 'white gold' in Estonia. Dairy sector forms a basis of Estonian agriculture, that has a centuries-old tradition. You can learn more about Estonian cheese production here

Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993-2022

Estonian ingenuity

Estonians have long had a passion for inventiveness. Up until the 20th century the majority of Estonians lived in the countryside which meant most things were homemade. The wooden peasant age refers to the period when people made things from the resources in their vicinity (before urbanisation).  Estonians have a knack for making something out of nothing, and some of the results have been quite interesting. For example, this boy from Tarvastu, designed and built his own wooden bike in 1912.

 

Photo taken by Johannes Pääsukes

During  the Soviet occupation, do-it-yourself gadgets were common in Estonia due to the drop in living standards and the unavailability of many products. Getting by in life often required creative solutions and so many things were created using a bit of ingenuity. Some of these included making a heating coil out of a soldering iron, a car muffler out of a fireman's foam extinguisher or a lawnmover out of a Riga washing machine motor. Today, despite living in a modern society, Estonians have not lost their technical savvy and habit of crafting things themselves whenever the need arises. In modern times this cultural trait is manifested in the country's high rate of entrepreneurship, particularly in the tech sectors.

New Tallinn Ghost Stories Book

There are dozens of houses in Tallinn's Old Town in which ghosts are believed to have appeared. Over the centuries these haunted houses have been the basis of many myths and legends that have entertained eager listeners. Historian Jaak Juske has published a collection of some of these ghost stories in his new book Tallinna vanalinna kõhedad kummituslood. The book includes an introduction to the history of the Old Town and is currently available only in Estonian.

 

Tallinna vanalinna kõhedad kummituslood / Scary Ghost Stories of Tallinn's Old Town

Estonian is the 5th most difficult language to learn for native English speakers

According to the Foreign Service Instiute, the Estonian language is ranked the 5th toughest language to learn after Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Arabic. While Estonian uses the Roman alphabet, like English, it also has the additional letters õ, ä,ö, ü, and 14 noun cases along with short/long consonants and vowels that be can difficult for native English speaker to pronounce.  The best way to learn the beautiful sounding Estonian language is to immerse yourself in it and practice, practice, practice.

Learn to make your first Estonian striped skirt

Every Estonian woman and girl should have a skirt in their parish colours and if you don't already have one and are going to be in Tallinn in November, then this workshop might interest you. More information can be found on the Eesti Käsitöö website - Minu esimene triibuseelik.

Estonian TV show Ringvaade has a tradition of remaking the Eurovision winning song in Estonian. EestiLaul Ollie's version of Loreen's "Tattoo" has a little tribute to Käärijä at the end.

Tallinn celebrates its 775th anniversary today!

On the 15th of May 1248 King Erik IV of Denmark granted the Lübeck city rights to Tallinn. This was a significant event that allowed Tallinn to join the Union of European Cities. A town council was formed and shortly after Tallinn became a member of the Hanseatic League which saw it  become a major trading hub. Many of the beautiful old buildings found in Tallinn's old town today were built during the Middle Ages when Tallinn's merchant community thrived.

Today we celebrate Tallinn Day. A list of events can be found here.

                           Port of Reval (Tallinn) in 1853. Painting by Alexey Bogolyubov.

Historic names for Estonia and what people call it today

Over the centuries the land of Estonia has been referred to by many different names. Aesti, Eistland, Estia and Hestia are all words historians have found in various Scandinavian and Germanic records. In the 12th century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus wrote the Danish history book Gesta Danorumon and referred to Estonia as Estia and its people as Estonum.

The Frugården runestone in Sweden dated from the 11th century mentions Estlatum "Estonian lands".

Up until the 20th century a common English spelling used for Estonia was Esthonia.  That changed in 1922 when Estonian diplomat Oskar Kallas raised the issue and the Royal Geographical Society agreed that the correct spelling was Estonia. The formal adoption took place at the government level only in 1926, with the United Kingdom and United States then adopting the spelling Estonia.

Today, Estonia (Eesti to Estonians) is known by many different names in different languages. Here are a few of them.

German / Danish / Dutch / Swedish - Estland

Finnish - Viro

French - Estonie

Croatian / Slovenian - Estonija

Hungarian - Észtország

Lithuanian - Estija

Czech - Estonsko

Latvian - Igaunija

Maltese - L-Estonja

Europe Day Concert in Tallinn

The European spirit was alive and kicking in Tallinn last night for the Europe Day concert that began at 6pm. Over 10,000 people gathered on Tallinn's Freedom Square to watch performances by Tanel Padar, Stefan and Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra. It was an amazing night and if you missed the event, you can always watch the video online.

 

Estonian Patissier Ernst Johannes Kollist

The coronation of King Charles III took place on Saturday at London's Westminster Abbey which saw millions of people from around the world tune in to watch the televised event. It was a historic day, full of memorable moments that saw great unity among members of the Commonwealth. President Alar Karis attended the coronation and expressed his well wishes, but this is not the first time there has been an Estonian presence at a royal coronation. A little known fact that some people may not be aware of is that Ernst Joannes Kollist, a patissier from Pärnu, was the chef patissier at the coronation of King George VI in 1937.

                                                        Kollist during the 1930s

Born in 1885, Kollist worked in a pastry shop as a labourer after he finished high school and was soon promoted to apprentice. After graduating in 1905 he began travelling the world working in top class hotels first in St.Petersburg, then Lucerne Switzerland before moving on to London.

Kollist had a hunger for learning and increasing his skills. He studied German, French, English and Italian languages as well as accounting and other professional general knowledge. He was diigent in his pursuit of learning about wines, menus and goods, table setting, manners and the art of cooking.

In1916 Kollist volunteered to join the British Army and continued his profession in a military environment, afterwards he carried on working in famous hotels.

Kollist published the cookbook French Pastry, Confectionery and Sweets in 1929. In his book Kollist assembles an original collection of recipes from nearly three decades. This classic work contains secret recipes and methods of continental chefs including sections on pastries and sweets, flans and gateaux, petits-fours, chocolates, cakes, souffles, ices, parfaits, and much more. The highly illustrated book is now considered a collectors item. In 1950 he published a second book The Complete Patissier.

 

French Pastry, Confectionery and Sweets

Written and illustrated by E.J.Kollist.

First Estonian church in the USA was built in 1914

Attending church has long played an important role in an Estonian's life. Especially among the disapora who want a connection to home. As more Estonians immigrated to America, congregations formed and services were often conducted in homes by local or travelling ministers. In 1907 in Gleason, Wisconsin, the desire amongst Estonians to have a church of their own soon became a reality. Reverend Hans Rebane was the local minister and had a congregation of 29 members. Three of those members, Johan Wiltein, George Tutt and Albert Sommi each paid $25 to purchase the land on which the first Estonian church was built.

  

The Estonian Evangelical Martin Luther Church 

Four acres of land was purchased and the church officially opened in 1914. The Estonian Evangelical Martin Luther Church was built to serve the local Baltic community, namely Estonians and Latvians.  In addition to church services, picnics and gatherings of Estonians took place on the land. One of the original founders of the church, Albert Sommi, stated his last wish was that the church always serve as a landmark and reminder of Estonian roots in America.

During the 1930s the church had a congregation of around 135 members but numbers began to decline after this as people started moving away from the area. By the late 1950s the church was barely used, fell into disrepair and was vandalised. Today, efforts are being made to restore this historic landmark.

World's best female disc golfer is Estonian

Thirty-year-old Kristin Tattar from Pärnu is currently ranked the top female disc golf plaver in the world. Originally a cross-country skier, Tattar retired from skiing due to ill health and soon showed promise in disc golfing. In 2014 she entered the Estonian disc golf championship for the first time and won the gold medal. Tattar has been a professional disc golfer since 2015.

Estonia joined the EU 19 years ago today!

On 1st May 2004 Estonia officially joined the European Union. It was a landmark decision that, along with its accession to NATO, firmly anchored Estonia in the European family of nations.

 

 

Estonian GDP at the time in 2004 was 12157 million USD. In 2022 it was 38131 million. 

Average monthly salary in 2004 was 466 EUR and it was 1775 EUR by the end of 2022.

Head Kevadpäev! Happy Spring Day!

Spring Day in Estonia is celebrated on the first of May. It is a national holiday that celebrates the arrival of spring in Northern Europe. It closely resembles May Day celebrations around Europe where everyone has a day off work to engage in leisure activities. On this day, it is customary for Estonians to enjoy the spring weather, dance, sing and eat.