Piece of Bread

Very often in Australia I get asked “Where's your accent from?”. I'm from Estonia. Some think it's exotic to be from Estonia, some know that Skype was invented in Estonia, many can name our capital city Tallinn and some have been to Estonia. Few might know that once Estonia was part of the Soviet Union – a place where I was born.

Many show interest in Estonia's cuisine - that I find one of the most complicated questions to answer. I tend to explain that we eat lot of potatoes, rice and pasta. Then again, lot of countries eat potatoes, rice and pasta. I usually mention the love for morning porridges: oat porridge, manna porridge, buckwheat porridge – you name it, we have it!

However, I must say the quintessential Estonian food is black bread. Not just any bread but black bread. Baking a loaf of black bread is a tradition that goes back hundreds not to say thousands of years.

My grandmother who lived in an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere in the forest baked her own bread. She rarely bought bread from the local village shop. Bread making was for her a whole day process. When the inviting smells from her baking started to fill the old farm house you knew that soon it's time for the fresh bread. Unfortunately you could't eat it straight out from the oven. The bread had to be covered with a wet towel for a while, because otherwise the bread-crust would become too dry. It was always my grandmother who placed the clean wet white linen towel over the hot bread with her soft wrinkled hands – and then the whole family had to show patience before the first slice was cut.

Those were the childhood memories of the farm house living while being a wild young kid running around barefoot in the summertime grass and not thinking much about where the food was coming from - it was always provided.

Suddenly the whole society started to transform. The illusion of good life within the Soviet Union broke down. Estonians wanted to gain back their lost freedom. Furthermore, by the end of the Soviet days there was simply no food - the aisles in the shops were empty. 

The history started to unroll: Berlin Wall fell, Soviet Union collapsed, and Estonia regained its independence.

The early days for the young nation were bleak. Almost everyone was equally poor – what a great starting position?

I remember a day when I was coming home from school and I couldn't afford to have my school lunch - therefore I was feeling quite hungry. At home I placed down my schoolbag, changed my clothes and went to the kitchen for some food. Alas, I couldn't find any food. The refrigerator had only a half full bottle of ketchup inside, and the bread box contained a half loaf of black bread. So, I took the ketchup, I took the bread, I found the knife, and I cut myself a slice of bread. I squeezed lots of ketchup on the bread slice and I ate it for lunch. Believe me, it tasted divine.

I will remember the particular piece of black bread with ketchup probably for the rest of my life.

Nowadays, if you would visit a convenience store in Estonia you will notice the vast variety of breads available. However, I will suggest the most simple traditional black bread. “Bon appetite” or the Estonian way “Head isu”.