The
magusa/lett (sweets counter) at the Gustav Cafe
kohvik in Kalamaja, Tallinn on
vastla/päev (Shrove Tuesday). All eyes were focused on the
vastla/kuklid (Shrove Tuesday buns) on this day. These ones, with
moos (jam) inside, in addition to the usual
vahu/koor (whipped cream) were 1.65 € and worth every penny.
It can safely be said that
vastla/päev, Shrove Tuesday, is the day when you see the most people on the streets in Tallinn walking and holding funny little boxes. The only day in fact. It's a growing trend that's nice to see. They were taking them home or to friends' places to share. They were mostly younger people. Not to say that older people don't eat and enjoy them, but the spectrum of
vastla/kuklid is broad. Every year there are articles rating the best buns out there, but my experience is, that if you want that ones a year tasty treat, you should buy it at a bakery and not a supermarket. Alas, a lot of retired people are not willing or able to buy the fancier models.
I tried my first ever vegan
vastlakukkel at a downtown
kohvik this year and it was expensive, a whopping 2,90 €, but it was fantastically good. The bun wasn't simply bland white bread (which the cheapest once tend to be), and it contained a
törts of
moos (jam) and
kookos/kreem (coconut whipped cream). The other traditional
vastlapäeva food is
herne/supp (pea soup). Check! And you should go tobogganing. Unfortunately
vastlapäev was the warmest day in a while and all the snow we still had on Feb. 27 (not much, but the ground was white), was gone for the last day of the month. People used to believe that there was a great correlation between the length of your sled run and the height of your flax the following summer. The word
vastlad comes from the Danish word
fastelavn. The accompanying
fastlagsbulle are eaten in various forms in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Photo and text: Riina Kindlam, Tallinn
