Haapsalu is Estonia’s oldest resort, characterised by a diverse range of cultural events and the 19th century. a café culture that started in the 19th century and is still thriving today. Haapsalu, full of quaint cafés and food places, lives at a leisurely pace, enlivened by the busy summer events. Whether it’s good Italian wine, jazz, an American car or rock, it’s always juxtaposed with the flavours chosen by our local chefs. Romantic mornings in a café, brunches, street food, dinners – you could say – life is a party!
Almost a third of Läänemaa is protected, making it the most protected county in Estonia. Numerous small producers in Läänemaa work in harmony with nature to provide consumers with pure raw materials and authentic flavours. The low-fertility soils have taught people to supplement their diet with game, wildfowl, coastal fish, berries and mushrooms, and nowadays, in keeping with ancient traditions, natural food plants such as black cedar, blackberry and anchovy are among those used in cooking. You can find out more about the producers in Läänemaa here.
Läänemaa is known in Estonia for its unique Coastal Swede culture, which has strong influences on the food and way of life in Läänemaa. In addition to the bilingual place names of Vormsi, Osmus Island and Noaroots, traces of the coastal Swedes’ food traditions can be found today in local dishes, small coastal festivals and modernised recipes that have evolved and changed over several generations since their original form. There are few coastal Swedes in the population today, but our long-standing fishing traditions are honoured by our coastal fishermen.
Homepage image: Northwest Estonia Image Bank / Autor: Silver Raidla