Local food from Hiiumaa
Local food from Hiiumaa
In our company, we pay special attention to the origin of the food we offer and prefer local ingredients because: It’s the freshest and the least processed. Food coming from nearby sources needs no preservatives. The further the food comes from, the more warehousing, transporting, cleaning, processing and freezing it needs and each of those processes may decrease nutritive value. A shorter supply chain means harvesting fruits in their final stage of ripening and delivering to the consumer. The faster the fruit are consumed, the more nutrients they have. By choosing local produce you can be sure it has been produced naturally, it is fresh and therefore, has more taste.
We know who is the producer, where they are located and where they produce. There is no anonymous production. Transportation and production costs are smaller and therefore the ecological footprint for the environment is also smaller.
By preferring local food we support life and employment in our area – on Hiiumaa.
Hiiumaa and organic food.
Food grown on Hiiumaa is usually organic. There is no intensive crop production nor use of artificial fertilisers or plant health products – such practices have been left behind to an era of more than 30 years ago. Beef and lamb grown on the coast have been fed with plants growing in the nature.
Mushrooms and berries have been picked in the local forests. Bees have made their honey out of plants from the pristine Hiiumaa nature. Fish from the local sea have grown far from the influence of big cities and industries. Using Hiiumaa-grown produce you can be quite sure they have no rests of dangerous substances in them.
Hiiumaa green label
Sustainably produced local products are marked with the Hiiumaa green label. The label is given to high quality produce made using sustainable processes on Hiiumaa or with raw material from Hiiumaa, valuing and adding value to the local natural and human resources, traditional skills and local culture.
There are 148 products that have the Hiiumaa green label. Find them in shops and e-shops.
Lest & Lammas and local food
Our menu is full of local produce. For us, it is an important reflection of identity. We have been working on a local food supply chain for nearly 15 years.
Fish
Fish has a key role to play in the cuisine of Hiiumaa and we think it is very important to serve it. Thanks to local fishermen we have access to plenty of different fish from the local coastal sea.
Depending on the season and the catch we offer:
- Baltic herring – fried, in soup, marinated or dried
- Sprat – spice cured or barbecued on rack
- Pike – in cutlets
- Ide – casserole or dried
- Perch – filleted and fried, in aspic or smoked
- Flounder – fried, smoked or dried
- Eel – in soup, marinated or smoked
- Garfish – fried, smoked or dried
Meat
Thanks to the Kassari Ülemäe farm we offer organic beef and lamb meat grown on the local salt meadows. We use it in burgers, pelmeni, stews and other dishes. We produce also smoked sausage, smoked meat, conserves and well renowned smoked lamb shoulder i.e. the Hiiu viiul (Hiiu violin).
To achieve the best quality, we co-operate with Hiiumaa Butchery.
Apples and berries
We have our own apple and berry orchard and use the fruit to make organic apple juice, cider and breakfast jams.
During the strawberry season, we offer fresh berries from Kassari.
Herbs
Herbs in Lest & Lammas come from our own small garden, so it is truly as fresh as can be.
Mushroom
Seasonally, our menu features chanterelles, boletus and milk mushrooms from Kassari. Lest & Lammas restaurant is open daily in summer. Outside the season we work with prior agreement.
Contact us via e-mail info@hiiumaale.ee or phone +372 4636146.
Beer
Hiiu Brewery prepares several types of beer using our forefathers’ recipes. Available straight from the barrel in summer and bottled during the rest of the year. As a beer snack we offer dried Baltic herring, ide and garfish produced in Hiiu Brewery. They can be purchased in the e-shop as well. Take a closer look www.hiiuõllekoda.ee.
Hiiu Fish and Beer Festival
On the third weekend of August we host the Hiiumaa Beer and Fish Festival. In 2022, it falls on August 20 and it will be the eighth festival in a row. The goal of the event is to popularise fish eating and introduce the local food tradition as well as Hiiumaa as a tourist destination. Main attractions of the festival are fish cooked in several ways to enjoy at the festival or take away, contests for best tasting fish bites and best home brewed beer, plus a rich cultural program.
Hiiumaa has many local producers that have come together in a non-profit organization called Hiiumaine Toit MTÜ with an e-shop on www.pood.hiiumaa.ee. Local shops sell baked goods, organic meat, fresh and processed fish, goat cheese, honey, herbs, smoked sausage and smoked meat, apple juice, beer, cider, jams and conserves – all made on Hiiumaa. In summer, there is more fresh produce from forests and gardens available. Numerous summer restaurants offer local food as well. Our own food is very important to Hiiumaa. Welcome to Hiiumaa!