Food History - Jõgevamaa Katab Laua

ABOUT THE FOOD INDUSTRY IN GENERAL

When discussing food culture, it is important to distinguish between manor house, town citizen, and peasant cuisines. The first Estonian-language cookbook, which originated from Sweden, was published in 1781 and was intended for Estonian manor cooks who needed clear instructions for preparing dishes. Sweden should also be mentioned from a completely different perspective. Namely, Reinerus Reineri Broocman (1677-1738), a clergyman born in Laiuse, had already published in Norrköping, Sweden, the most comprehensive Swedish household manual, "En fulständig swensk hus-hålds-bok." The first volume was published in 1736, and the second volume was edited and published posthumously by his son in 1739 (Raag 2016:871). Broocman combined material from earlier German and Swedish manuals with his own experiences, creating a symbiosis characteristic of the so-called "housefather" type of literature, which covered forestry, hunting, fishing, gardening, agriculture, culinary arts, diseases, veterinary medicine, etc. This work also included comparative and experiential or cultural-historical references to Livonia and Laiuse (Svenskt biografiskt lexikon online). An important chapter of the manual consisted of recipes for dishes covering the entire menu, including jams and liqueurs.

CHANGES IN AGRICULTURE IN THE 19TH CENTURY AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY

In the 17th and 18th centuries, rye and barley continued to dominate both manor and peasant fields. Oats were grown less and mainly used as animal feed. Among spring crops, flax, peas, buckwheat, and occasionally lentils were cultivated to a lesser extent, while spring rye and wheat were even rarer (Kahk 1992:332-333). The 19th century was a time of great change: a transition to a multi-crop system took place, as potatoes and clover were introduced, and the share of grain cultivation began to decrease in favor of potatoes and field hay.

A good example of the rapid development of the multi-crop system can be seen at Kuremaa manor. During the period 1844–1849, rye, barley, potatoes, clover, oats, spring crops, and mixed crops (peas+oats) were grown either alone or in combination (RA, EAA.1388.1.117, p. 4). In the period 1896–1908, the list of cultivated crops was already longer: rye, potatoes, barley, oats, clover, vetch, fodder peas (pelusk), and mixed crops (peas+oats). Wheat was also on the list (it could substitute rye in one crop rotation), but for some reason, it does not appear in the field distribution. Part of the land was alternately left fallow or partially fallow (RA, EAA.1388.1.117, p. 22).

FROM THE FIELD AND THE GARDEN

Fermented rye bread has been at the center of the Estonian diet for roughly the past thousand years. Since grain yields were initially almost nonexistent compared to today, and years of crop failure occurred from time to time, bread made from pure rye was rather rare. Bread with chaff and various fillers to add volume was an everyday food, while pure rye bread was reserved only for holidays. It was not until the mid- and late 19th century that more favorable times arrived in this respect.

Although fine bread and wheat bread were also baked in medieval towns, rye bread remained a staple of the rural diet, and baked goods made from wheat flour were an occasional treat from the city. Perhaps that is why the soft and fluffy market bun is still a nostalgic pastry today. Yeast-leavened baked goods are a rather late addition to the rural diet. For example, according to a 1939 account from the village of Jõune, yeast for baking was previously obtained from the local Saduküla [manor] brewery (ERM KV 39:617).

Indeed, over the past century, the consumption of rye bread has steadily declined, largely due to the spread of the potato, and black bread, which was once a staple, has become merely a side dish—if even that. This is also reflected in the decrease of rye cultivation area, especially clearly from the mid-1980s onward, with the last decade seeing only a tenth of the area compared to the peak years of the 1920s and 1930s (Lillak 2020:270). Whereas before the Second World War every family baked their own bread, the new wave of home bread baking now helps to bridge the gap that had emerged in the meantime. Today, what was once a necessity has become a kind of therapy and a guarantee of authenticity.

Cereals, legumes

In 1923, the process of bread-making was recorded in the Torma area. To make bread, about half a külimitt of flour was mixed into a bucket of water. The mixture was left to stand until the next day, until it began to ferment. Then more flour was kneaded in and the dough was left to rise for a couple more hours. It was baked in the oven for two hours. Bread was baked once a week. Often, potatoes were kneaded into the dough to supplement the flour. Emergency bread or "lemleib" was baked from unfermented dough and was 4-5 times smaller than regular loaves.

Previously, kama was made, but in recent times it has almost disappeared, was recalled from the Avinurme area. Oats were boiled until soft, dried in the oven or on a rubber sheet, and ground into flour at the mill or by hand. The husks (kestad – ÜJ) were sifted out through a coarse cloth. The flour was mixed with milk into a stiff dough, small "bulls" were rolled, which were baked and eaten immediately.

Barley flour was used to make körti: the flour was mixed into boiling water, and fresh milk was added. Once it cooled down, it was eaten with sour milk. Porridge was made from barley and buckwheat groats. The groats were prepared at the mill, but pearl barley was made at home in a mortar. Flour porridge was cooked from barley and rye flour. For mashed potatoes, potatoes were crushed, mixed with fresh milk, and eaten with sour milk.

To make kiisli, oat flour was mixed with water and left to ferment for a day. The strained liquid was boiled to the thickness of körti, allowed to cool, and eaten with fresh milk (ERM EA 4:555-559).