Peipsi area offers exciting flavours: Kolkja bream straight from the smokehouse, a basket heaped with cranberries picked from Emajõe Suursoo bog, golden yellow onion braid made of Peipsi onions... These are by no means the only experiences that can be encountered in Peipsi area.
Flavours of Peipsi area
Lake Peipus is home to 37 species of fish and 9 species of amphibians. Freshly smoked vendace straight from the oven is surely hard to resist, however, pike caviar and pan-boiled perch prepared according to the customs of Old Believers are by no means inferior. We are all familiar with cod liver, but not so much with burbot liver. Peipsi Kalatööstus has put it in a can along with salt and oil, and it is worth looking for at fairs. However, if you need a great gift for a vobla fan, then you can find some at Mesi Tare guesthouse in Varnja.
As well as the famous Peipsi onion, which may tear up the eyes but is perfect for cutting and will last until the next harvest. Peipsi onion was brought here by Old Believers who moved here after the Russian Schism and continued to grow it here.
Eating onion is very common around Peipsi area, also in its more modern forms, when thinking about, for instance, the onion jam with Scottish whiskey made in the kitchen of Alatskivi castle.
Peipsi area is a pirozhki-lover's paradise. A large batch of pirozhki were traditionally baked for Saturday evenings, and then eaten over the course of several days. Meat pirozhki, cabbage pirozhki, carrot pirozhki, onion pirozhki... In order to get a taste of real onion pirozhki, go to Kostja onion farm where, in addition to delicious pirozhki, you will also be introduced to the specific features of local onion cultivation.
Estonian wines
Estonia is a rapidly developing wine country. And it is no joke, because local crafters of home-made wines mix extremely exciting flavour combinations from berries, fruits, and even weeds.
Räpina Creative Centre has experimented with various wines for a few good years now, and their rowanberry wine is really nice. After all, rowans are considered a hometree in our culture and these are especially valued in Peipsi area. Therefore, rowanberry wine could even be a regarded as the signature wine of Peipsi area.
But where to eat once you have stocked up on cucumbers and fish? There are quite a few pleasant places to eat in Peipsi area that offer local flavours and something for everyone. It is definitely worth to visit Kivi tavern in Alatskivi, which attracts visitors with its romantic interior and tableware. And you would not get to taste pike cutlets or home-made preservatives prepared according to local recipes, a special passion of the lady of the house Aigne, anywhere else.
Where else to go?
Peipsi area is beautiful and has diverse nature and culture. Discover the ruins of medieval Vasknarva castle at Vasknarva village, you can dangle your feet over the boat dock and see the village life of another country across the river even without binoculars. The sandy beach starting from Kauksi attracts many locals as well as visitors from afar to the area every year. Kauksi holiday house offers genuine Peipsi cuisine by using traditional as well as modern recipes. You should definitely visit the Onion Route in August-September in order to get at least a braid of authentic Peipsi onion for the winter.
This is the real Peipsi area!
