This pre-Estonian 95th Independence Day bread ad campaign of Eesti Pagar (Bakery) reads: "Musta leiva jõud" – THE POWER (strength) OF BLACK BREAD. In small print: "Nii raske, kui on Sinu töö, nii magus on Sinu leib." – Your bread is as sweet as your work is hard. In the background is a shirtless man kivi kangutamas (prying up a boulder), but the star, or power of dark rye bread embodied is the woman, a direct reference to Linda from the epic tale Kalevipoeg. The specific variety of bread being advertised is must vormileib – black loaf pan bread. Vorm ia also a mould, vormima = to mould. This as opposed to the loaf being shaped by hand and baked on the (open) oven floor – põranda/leib, "floor bread". Photo: Riina Kindlam
Bread is a basic food in Estonia that no one skimps on and many, in fact, survive on. It accompanies almost every meal in all circumstances and often without butter or any other kind of spread. Sales of bread, which must not ever dip (lange) substantially, see a surge (tõus) around the anniversary of Estonian independence 24. veebruaril, when the hors d'oeuvres (suupisted) du jour are usually something on dark rye, such as kilu (sprats), heeringas, tursamaksasalat (cod liver salad)… (Loe edasi Eesti Elu 22. veebr.)