Olde Hansa ★ 4.4
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
History
Verivorst grew from peasant winter cookery in the Estonian countryside, where families slaughtered a pig before the Christmas darkness. The pig's blood was mixed with pearl barley, onion, marjoram and stuffed into the intestine casing. The Christmas market on Tallinn's Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats) sells it through December, paired with lingonberry jam and gluhwine. Many Old Town restaurants like Olde Hansa and Rataskaevu 16 also serve it as a year-round homage to the season.
Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g pearl barley
- 500ml pig's blood
- 200g pork back fat, diced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1m natural sausage casing
- Lingonberry jam to serve
- Sour cream to serve
Method
- Boil the barley in salted water until just tender, about 25 minutes, then drain and cool.
- Soften the onion and pork fat in a heavy pan over low heat for 10 minutes until translucent.
- Mix the cooked barley, onion mixture, blood, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Stuff into the sausage casing, leaving room for expansion, and tie into 15cm links.
- Roast at 180C for 40 minutes, turning once, then serve hot with lingonberry jam and sour cream.
Tip from the editors. If you can't find pig's blood, the dish works as a barley-pork sausage without the colour, but the iron flavour is what makes it Estonian Christmas.
Where to eat verivorst
Verivorst in Tallinn
Rataskaevu 16 ★ 4.8
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.
III Draakon ★ 4.3
III Draakon under the Town Hall serves elk soup, pirukad pastries and house beer for a few euros each in a medieval-themed candle-lit cellar.
Try: Elk soup and savoury pirukad
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