Estonian head cheese: meat from pork hocks slow-boiled with bay, allspice and pepper, then set into a clear aspic. Sliced cold and served with mustard and rye bread at Christmas smorgasbords.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Sült belongs to the broader European tradition of head cheese (German Sülze, Polish galareta), absorbed into Estonian cooking through Baltic German aristocracy and Hanseatic trade in the 13th to 19th centuries. Estonian farmers boiled pork hocks for hours with bay, allspice and pepper, then set the gelatinous broth into a mould. The slices became a winter staple at every Estonian smorgasbord and remain a Christmas-table standard alongside verivorst.
Tip from the editors. The natural gelatin in pork hocks sets the aspic; no extra gelatine is needed.
Rataskaevu 16 is the Old Town's mid-priced Estonian comfort-food room, with braised elk, beef tenderloin and chef's choice white fish on a dietary menu.
Signature: Braised elk roast, Beef tenderloin
Order: Braised elk roast with potato and beetroot gratin (€28.60); add the Estonian cheese platter.
Tip: Book a week ahead in summer. Sister room Väike Rataskaevu at Niguliste 6 takes the overflow with a smaller menu.
Olde Hansa on Vana turg runs the medieval Hanseatic feast in candlelight until midnight every night, with live hurdy-gurdy and bagpipe music Wed to Sat.
Try: Medieval Hanseatic feast with live music
Pegasus on Harju has been a Tallinn dining-room landmark since 1962, with three floors of modern European cooking and Harju Hill views above the Old Town.
Signature: Daily seasonal mains, Modern European plates
Order: Whatever the seasonal daily menu sends; the kitchen runs a vegetarian-friendly room with full vegan options.
Tip: Vintage Pegasus interior preserves the Soviet-era ceiling. Window tables look across Vabaduse square.
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