Estonian dense fermented rye bread, the daily staple across the country. Eaten at every meal with butter, herring or as a base for kiluvõileib.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Estonian black rye bread (leib) traces back to medieval Estonian peasant cookery and the dense rye-baking tradition shared across the Baltic and Nordic regions. Rye grew well on Estonian soils where wheat struggled, and the long sourdough fermentation made the loaf last weeks. The phrase 'igapäevane leib' (daily bread) carries the same weight in Estonian as it does in any agricultural culture. Modern bakers like Karjase Sai in Kopli keep the traditional long-fermented version going.
Common allergens: Gluten
Tip from the editors. Rye bread tastes better the day after baking. Slice thin and freeze the rest.
Karjase Sai is a serious kopli sourdough bakery 15 minutes from the old town that most tourists never reach, with daily-baked rye and pastries.
Why locals love it: A serious Kopli sourdough bakery 15 minutes from the Old Town that most tourists never reach, with daily-baked rye and pastries.
Tip: Cardamom buns sell out by 12:00 on weekends. Combine with the Põhjala Tap Room next door for an afternoon.
RØST on Rotermanni is a Scandinavian-leaning bakery in the converted Nisuveski grain-mill building with sourdough loaves, cardamom buns and cinnamon buns.
Worth the queue: Cardamom bun
Maiasmokk on Pikk has been Tallinn's confectionery cafe since 1864, the oldest continuously operating cafe in Estonia with a marzipan-painting room daily.
Signature drink: Hot chocolate with marzipan
Order: Hot chocolate and a piece of hand-painted marzipan; the kringel sweet bread is the everyday order.
Tip: The marzipan room runs an audioguide tour. Cake counter at the door for takeaway.
More cities are in research. Want leib covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.