Friday, October 23, 2009

Tallinn, Part One

Let's face it; at first glance, Estonia hardly seems like an attractive travel destination. It's cold, tiny, rainy and used to belong to Russia....on paper, it's got virtually nothing going for it.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. My weekend in Tallinn has easily been one of the highlights of my semester thus far. In the Middle Ages, Tallinn was a stronghold of the Livonian Knights of the Sword (an offshoot of the more famous Teutonic Knights), and that knightly heritage is reflected in the Old City...I swear, it's like stepping straight into the pages of a fairy tale. Cobblestone streets, grey stone walls and towers, the incessant ringing of churchbells, and in every direction you look, there's a half-dozen cathedral spires reaching towards heaven. You honestly feel like you've completely left the 21st century for an era of crusaders and castles...it's a pretty cool feeling.

And then there's the food...oh my god, there is the food. To be fair, a lot of traditional Estonian cuisine is similar to Russian, with lots of pork and potatoes, although it's a bit less heavy on the dairy products. I ate at a pair of traditional Estonian restaurants, both of which were quite tasty, and the fried garlic bread was especially good. But nothing that I had this past weekend can compare to that pinnacle of Baltic eating, the one and only HESBURGER.

How to explain Hesburger? Well, it's kind of like an Estonian Burger King or McDonald's, except not nearly as health-conscious. The classic Hesburger is a double-decker burger, along the lines of the Big Mac, but comes with a little cardboard ring around it to keep the sauce and toppings from exploding out the sides. It's huge and messy and greasy as hell; you can literally feel your life expectancy decreasing as you eat it...and I absolutely love it. I love it so much I ate TWO. (for those of you who haven't been following this regularly, the thing that I've been craving more than almost anything else in Russia is a big, juicy cheeseburger...and boy, did Estonia come through for me!)


Life-threatening junk food aside, Tallinn also had two other foods that really stuck with me (okay, one of them is technically a beverage). The first would be the Medovar Honey Beer from Beer House, one of the most awesome bars in Estonia. Medovar Honey is basically beer, but with a healthy dose of fermented honey, giving it a much more palatable taste than the standard German pilsner (not that I dislike pilsner, mind you)...but, compared to the other stuff that I've drunk this semester, Medovar goes down a whole lot more smoothly, and goes really well with mozzarella sticks, too. But perhaps more importantly, they serve it in 1-liter steins that are larger than your head. Case in point:


The second, even more delectable bit of Estonian food is what in English we would call Sweet Almonds, made specially by the Olde Hansa restaurant...basically, these are almonds that are slow-roasted and mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and over 30 other kinds of spices until they are positively caked in this sugary dullish-red mixture. The taste is practically indescribable, and downright addictive; much like Cheezits or Pringles, you simply cannot stop with just one. They are served fresh throughout Old Tallinn, from medieval-style wooden carts by VERY attractive Estonian girls in medieval attire (who are more than happy to offer you free samples every time you pass by). As wonderful as they taste, it is the smell which really makes them great; it's hard to describe, but it's a little similar to the smell of spiced apple cider, with a little something else that I can't quite pin down....it is utterly intoxicating. I tried to buy some to bring back home, but they smelled so delicious that I couldn't help myself...I ate the whole box before I even made it back to the hotel. Yes, they are THAT good.

Anyway, that's all that I've got time for today; I'll finish off my Tallinn Tales tomorrow evening, hopefully.


1 comment:

  1. Augh! I am jealous on so many levels. Tallinn sounds absolutely amazing. And that beer... I don't even like beer that much but it sounds kickass. I wish there were people in medieval-style clothing selling delicious foods here. D:

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