Going on my sixth year of grad school and approaching my thirtieth birthday, I think it’s fair to say I waited a bit longer than most students to study abroad. And since I’d never traveled further than Canada, I had no idea what daily life might look like in Europe, let alone in Estonia.
In particular, I wasn’t sure if my eating habits would need to change. For the past three years, I’ve been a strict vegan, and when I applied to RLASP, I was very conscious of the fact that veganism isn’t equally popular everywhere. Preparing for my trip to Tallinn, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to find my familiar vegan products. I’ve heard about the booming vegan culture in Germany, Australia, and the UK, but what about veganism in Estonia?
I have faced challenges on program, as all students do when studying abroad, but finding tasty, nutritious, affordable vegan food has not been one of them. As luck would have it, Tallinn has turned out to be a plant-lover’s paradise. The grocery stores carry an interesting array of plant-based products you won’t find in the US, including an entire line of vegan proteins founded right here in Estonia. I’ve discovered some traditional Estonian foods that are by default vegan as well, like kama, a porridge made from rye, oat, barley, and pea flours that I love to eat for breakfast, or kali, a popular drink made from fermented rye bread. My hosts have shown me farmers markets where I can find local fruits and veggies, as well as forests where you can find wild berries.
The number of options for eating out is really what surprised me, though. Not only are there many vegan restaurants, but it seems that in general most restaurants offer high-quality vegan dishes. Even the lunch buffet at the university café, I was shocked to learn, provides multiple different vegan options every weekday. The dishes I’ve ordered in Tallinn have been some of the freshest, most flavorful, and most creative I have ever had.
Though I’ve still only experienced a sliver of what the city has to offer, I’d like to share some of the amazing places I’ve been so far.
I’ll start with a café called NOP, which was where I ate my first meal out in Tallinn. The café itself has such a cozy atmosphere, with a bright red door and a largely wooden interior. On my first visit, I ordered a warm veggie bowl with pomegranate-glazed tempeh, chickpeas, kimchi and kale, roast carrots and sweet potato, pickled cauliflower, and turmeric-tahini sauce, which tasted unbelievable, with such vibrant flavors and a really rich texture. I have also tried their “planty” buckwheat with leeks, scallions, kale, jalapenos, tempeh, and a pesto sauce. This lovely dish was my introduction to Estonian buckwheat.
The next stop on my list introduced me to yet another Estonian staple. Kringel Kohvik, named for the Estonian sweet bread pastry, is an all-vegan café located a bit out of my way, but absolutely worth it every time. Some of the dishes I’ve tried there, besides kringel, include a smoked tofu alfredo, a green lentil stew, and one panini with cream cheese and eerily convincing carrot lox. Like NOP, Kringel is also very charming inside, with many fellow vegans reading, chatting, or petting their dogs at any given time.
Next on the list is Nihe Kohvik in the creative district called Telliskivi. Telliskivi is such a cool spot to spend the day, with lots of murals and a photography museum. My favorite meal at this all-vegan café would have to be the sweet potato pancakes with onion jam, tofu cream, and pink almond crumble. These little pancakes are a perfect mix of savory, sweet, crispy, and soft. Why the almonds are pink, I still do not know, but they match the onion jam, perhaps making this also the prettiest dish I’ve had in Tallinn. The café is open until nine every evening, which is nice since I often like to go out for a late dinner during the white nights.
Nihe happens to have a sister café called Rohe, conveniently located outside the Balti Jaam train station. The inside of the café is spacious, with many tables, outlets, and a view of Balti Jaam, if you like to people watch. They also have a semi-enclosed outdoor space. So far I’ve only tried one dish at Rohe, which was a crisp, earthy, and slightly sweet tempeh bowl with kasha, balsamic beetroot, lentils, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh greens. I’ve noticed that the tempeh here has a different taste and texture than in the US, a bit tangier and softer, which I like. The meals at Rohe are quite inexpensive as well, so I will definitely be back.
Finally, this list would not be complete without Vegan Restoran V, an all-vegan sit-down restaurant right in the center of Old Town. Getting a seat for dinner can be tough because this place is so popular, so I’ve gone twice for lunch. The food here is perhaps more upscale, but the prices are not. I’ve tried two of the entrees here, the first being a sweet potato, cauliflower, and quinoa dish in a creamy tomato sauce, and the other being the vegetable lasagna in white-wine sauce. Both were out of this world! I also love their homemade black bread, which is an absolute staple in Estonia. Compared to rye bread in the US, I’d say Estonian versions are denser, chewier, and maltier.
Through food I have learned a lot about the local history and culture, and especially about the contemporary vegan subculture, of Tallinn. Though less familiar to Americans than cities like London or Berlin, Tallinn has a robust plant-based community, engaged with both international and traditional Estonian cuisines. The vegan culture in Tallinn has helped me to feel connected to the city, and has been my fuel as I navigate the various sites, stories, and languages of this unique place, and of course during all of these late white nights.
Title VIII Fellowship for Overseas Language Study Recipient
Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program
Tallinn, Estonia, Summer 2024