Time for Junk Fud on the Road From Iceland

 Allison and I took a drive around the entire island of Iceland taking in the nature, restaurants, grocery stores and truck stops.

Icelandic Adventure

Recently Allison and I went on a pretty epic Icelandic adventure with a couple of friends of ours. Unlike many of the adventures I write about on this site, the focus of this trip had nothing to do with food. The focus was instead exploring the natural beauty of this awesome country. What this basically means is that all of the food we tasted on this trip was focused on road tripping around the amazing island, and not about stopping at every restaurant or candy store.

In fact, stopping at restaurants wasn't that important to us at all, since we were all riding in a camper. Most of our meals were being cooked on a tiny range inside our camper. The meal of choice for this adventure for me and Allison were hamburgers. It's because the local grocery store (called bonus) sold pre-made hamburgers in packages of two. As a side note, Bonus has one of the greatest grocery store logos/mascots ever (pictured above). One thing that was available at Bonus, as well as other grocery stores was a huge selection of pre-made salads and dips. Often a meal for me was a hamburger with a side of one or two salads, and the burger would be covered in some kind of flavoured cream cheese or spread.

Mornings for me consisted of skyr, which is kind of like yogurt. I'm not sure where skyr was invented (maybe Iceland) but it was so abundant on this trip. Most grocery stores had several brands of skyr to choose from, but only a few varieties of yogurt. 

Coffee was also an important part of this trip, for everyone except me because I don't drink coffee. We were traveling with two friends from Finland, so I'm not sure if the excessive amount of coffee came from them, or if Iceland is also really coffee crazy too. It could also be the fact that we were driving a lot, and some nights sleeping very little, so coffee was just important.

While we stopped at many amazing sites, we also stopped at many truck stops as well. The selection of snacks at the truck stops was superb. Always a good collection of chocolate and wafer themed bars, and always an exceptional collection of licorice and gummy treats. Each truck stop had at least one giant wall filled with a huge selection of sweet treats.

Truck stops often had bakeries in them as well, and cinnamon buns seemed to be the treat of choice. Some bakeries/truck stops had more than one variety of cinnamon bun to choose from.

The one thing I found challenging on this trip, snack wise, was trying to find treats that were exclusively Icelandic. While in Reykjavík and even at some truck stops there were advertised Icelandic chocolate bars available, candy wise it was hard to figure out which treats were brought in from other countries and which were local. There seems to be quite an affinity for Northern European treats, in particular treats from Sweden and Denmark.

We finished our trip in the capital Reykjavík, and the food choices seemed very plentiful. We ate some excellent local dishes, and even tried some great Indian food. Outside of the cities it seems like Iceland is really a great place to eat simply as you explore the beautiful countryside. Inside the cities it feels very European, with options from many parts of the world, but also some traditional local foods that are very comfortable for most western pallets.

Did I mention, I also tasted some glacier water from a newly broken iceberg. It was really tasty, but also just a little bit salty.

Our Nordic Adventure

 

Allison and I have been lucky enough to visit many countries in Europe, lately we've found a certain affection for some of the northern countries. In particular we've had a great experience in Finland (and even a little bit of Norway). It was were we had one of the most epic road trips ever, traveling above the arctic circle. We have great friends in Finland and continue to meet more great people from that country. We do however have some friends from other Nordic countries, who would tell us that it was well worth visiting other parts as well. So Allison and I decided that we would go on another adventure in northern Europe.

Our plan was to start in Finland, jump on a boat to Sweden and head to Denmark. The time in Finland was to be short as the point of going was to surprise one of our road trip friends for their birthday. While we only had one day in Helsinki, we managed to get in many of our favourite Finland treats, including Piirakka and a stop at the Fazer Cafe. These were important flavours for us in Finland and they did not disappoint. In fact I'll be posting another blog in the near future about the Fazer Cafe and how amazing a place it is. The Piirakka is a symbol of our friends and the hospitality that the people of Finland are not at all famous for, but have in spades.

After an all too brief stop in Helsinki, we jumped on a ferry to Stockholm Sweden. Stockholm is an interesting city in that it's both European and Nordic. I feel like Helsinki is more Nordic than European, and Stockholm is the opposite. Neither is better or worse, but just different. The old town in Stockholm offers foods from all over Europe, including multiple churro and Belgian waffle stands. There are certainly some very Nordic things, but in many areas I felt more like I was in Europe than I do in when I'm visiting Finland.

The thing I wanted to eat most of all on this trip was meatballs in Sweden, and that's what we had for our first meal. We had it for many other meals as well since they were pretty yummy everywhere, and also unique to the chefs who prepared them. All of my experience with Swedish meat balls in the past was from IKEA, and amazingly there were some similarities. They seem to always come with mashed potatoes, a white gravy and a side of lingonberries. The differences I found were that the lingonberries where often not a jam, but more sour and fresher. There would also often be a side of pickles, I would describe as bread and butter pickles. Many of our meatball plates also offered a few sprigs of what I believe to be raw pea shoots too. I don't know if they were just supposed to be garnish, but Allison and I found that part to be the unexpected joyful addition to this meal.

Another thing I discovered in Stockholm was this clown. This clown would continue to haunt my dreams and every single treat, snack or convenience store for the rest of our time in Sweden. The clown is promoting ice cream, and I can only assume that kids have built in some kind of mental connection between it and receiving cool treats. As a foreigner I found it a little unease, and would often jump out at me in random places.

The other food that I never think of being Swedish, but most certainly is, is the cinnamon bun... sort of. They call them cinnamon buns, but I would probably call them cardamom buns instead. I have a bit of a confession, I can't say that I've had a cinnamon bun at IKEA in recent memory, so I'm not sure if they're the same. I did enjoy these "cinnamon buns", but I feel like the novelty was what really gave them a plus. The sugar on top is probably the highlight for me, as they're "pearls" of sugar and not icing or regular grains. I liked the sugar so much that I bought a bag of it for future baking experiments. I feel as though given the option, I would probably go for a North American, full of sugar and icing cinnamon bun over a Swedish one. I certainly enjoyed these, but I don't know if I like them more than the ones I get at home.

We ended our time in Sweden at a charming little town called Ystad. In fact I believe this town could literally be used as the dictionary definition for charming. We stayed in the middle of the older part of town only a few minutes walk from the waterfront. Food wise the selection was very similar to that of Stockholm, only fewer fast food options and more local places.

Our one find in Ystad was an amazing pizza place that was both charming and delicious. I can't say enough about the amazing people who ran it, and how important they were to awesome trip.

After a few modes of transportation we stopped in the first city of the last country we planned on visiting, Copenhagen. Copenhagen was even more European than Stockholm, with a touch of Nordic traditions. The food in Copenhagen was a mixed bag, and I mean that totally. We had some of our best and worst meals there. The interesting thing about this city is that we often found that the quality of food was often reflected in the quality of service we got at any eating establishment. We also found that all prices were sky high in this city (and even the whole country). At times we felt like we were getting our moneys worth, and other times it felt like we were being seriously ripped off.

The main theme of our stops in all of Denmark was theme parks. This country is very well known for several theme parks that have and continue to influence the entire world. Theme parks are such a big part of this leg of the trip that I've decided to write a separate blog on the theme parks of Denmark, so keep an eye open for that soon.

There were however two things about Copenhagen that are worth mentioning. The first is the danish, or the lack of the danish. When I was a kid, I always wanted to eat a danish in Denmark, but a few years back I learned that they don't actually sell danishes in Denmark. What I learned on this trip is that they do sell danishes, they just don't call them that. In fact I've never seen a country with so many danish like treats available in every cafe, bakery and grocery store. I'm not sure what the true definition of a danish is, but from what I can tell it's a pastry made with some kind of puff pastry, filled with fruit, cheese or custard.

The other things worth mentioning about Copenhagen are the 7-11s. I'm not sure how this evolved, but all of the 7-11 locations that we visited were not brightly lit convenience stores. Instead, they were quick service cafes with seating and fancy bakery counters. They had refrigerators full of drinks, but also espresso machines and fancy sandwiches. They also had a few other sundries, but they were pushed into the back of the store among the dimly lit seating.

Our final stop was in a town called Billund. Billund would probably be a small farming community if it wasn't for one particular company that started there, and continues to operate there, Lego. Billund is not only home to the Lego campus/headquarters, but it's home to the original Legoland and a place called Lego House. I will have a great deal more to write about both of these places on my blog about theme parks in Denmark, however I will mention one thing that will be the theme of that portion of that blog, there are very few options to eat Lego shaped foods in the town of Billund, far fewer than you might think.

We left Billund airport and headed back home. It was a horrible flight home that we're still trying to recover from it. My appreciation for the Nordic countries of Europe has only gone up. They are each different and each offer some amazing treats, foods, and snacks.

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A Candy Factor I'd Never Thought Of

When I designed candycritic.org, I thought that the main things I should examine are taste and texture. I added novelty because candy is fun, and it's a good catchall for elements that I maybe didn't think about. However, occasionally I feel like sound can also be an important part of enjoying candy. It could be an actual musical candy, it could be the satisfying crunch of a potato chip, or it could be the amazing sound that this newest candy review offers.  For now I'll include any rankings for sound in the novelty section, but maybe I'll make a list in the future of best sounding candies.

Check out this awesome, and very satisfying soundings candy right now.

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Almost The Original, But Not Exactly

 

This candy made me think once again about the power of authenticity. I always find that authenticity in food, particular candy, is a strange battle. Just because a company did not invent a particular candy, doesn't mean that their version is less superior... right? The problem with this argument is that the original companies often do make the more superior version of most treats. I've had hundreds of variations of classic treats, but most of the time the original seems to be the better one. My only guess is that the original company has a reputation to uphold. The copycat companies can always move onto the next popular snack and make a copy of it instead, while the original company needs that treat to be the best it can be.

Check out my latest review where I taste a generic copy of a classic candy.

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Boring Candy Is Hard To Write About

Probably the biggest challenge I have with this website (candycritic.org) is writing about unimpressive candy. Unimpressive candy for me is neither really good or really bad, it's just fine. Sometimes a candy is simple, and kind of boring, but also not that bad either. I will often find myself restarting the writing process several times when writing a boring candy review. I'll try desperately to find an angle or a feature that's worth mentioning, but sometimes it's just not there. What makes it even worse is I don't have any reason to tell you not to eat the candy either. It's average candy, and it's the bane of every candy reviewers life.

Check out my latest candy review of a treat that's perfectly fine, but nothing impressive either.

Be sure to check out my Facebook, Instagram the Twitter right now as I'm going to be posting lots of bonus review over the next little while.

You can also pick up my book(s) all about the history of candy and snacks. It's called Snack Facts.

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Gummies Of Every Shape and Colour

 

I've always felt that the gummy is one of if not the best candy for creating fun designs. I feel like gummies can be just about any size, shape or colour. If you really think about it, I feel like you can make just about anything out of gummy. The reason I don't think you see more varieties of shapes and colours is that it's expensive to make your first batch of gummies. You really need industrial equipment to make gummies, small candy shops often stick with things like chocolate because they're easier to make in small quantities. Maybe some day the technology will start to allow small companies to make their own gummies, and maybe then we'll see some amazing gummy art.

This week's new review is okay, but not as creative as I'd hoped, but you can read more about it here.

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Is York The Candy Bar Capital Of The World?

 In this episode of Junk Fud and You I argue that York is the candy bar capital of the world. If any other city wants to disagree I'd be happy to visit and be proven wrong.

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A New Candy Review From Europe

I've been lucky enough to travel to many places, and eat candy from just about every corner of the world. One of the interesting things about the world is the way that candy flavours and trends seem to stick together, geographically. It seems like borders don't mean as much as general regions. For example, this box of chocolates that was purchased in Finland, has a very central/northern European feel to it. A marshmallow from Asia is very different than a North American marshmallow. Caramel from South America is also very unique, but similar within South America. It's obviously the fact that food traditions spread across areas and ignore the borders. They do however stop at random places and suddenly there's something completely different. It's hard to explain, but if you taste the same chocolate bar made in different parts of the world, you just might start to understand it.

Click here to read my very European chocolate review.

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Amazing Christmas Candy/Junk Food Things That You Should Buy - Lindt Advent

 

Sure spending almost $50 for an advent calendar is high, but you're worth it, and Christmas only comes around once a year.

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It's Time To Think About Nougat - Vital Belgian Top Nougat

Nougat has always been a bit of an enigma to me. It's an ingredient found in many of my favourite treats, yet on its own I have trouble appreciating it. It's a really unique ingredient in the candy world, and I think it might become an obsession. Much like licorice and spicy foods, I want to develop an appreciation for nougat. The only way to do that is to sample as many nougats as I can. It might even call for me to try and make a few myself. To be honest, I don't even know all of the ingredients that go into a nougat.

Click here to read the review that made me think about nougat.

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Thinking About Wafers... And Other Things - Kagi "Classic"

Today's new review got me thinking about wafers. To most people wafers are just another form of flour and sugar that's often associated with cookies. To me, wafers present a conundrum in the candy world, a riddle that is sometimes solved, and often failed. Whenever I buy a wafer based candy bar, I feel like I'm taking a risk, and also about to think very deeply about what I'm about to eat.

Strangely, this overthinking of a wafer bar has also made me think about my future, both immediate and long term. As is regular here at candycritic.org, there are changes on the horizon. Some of these changes are in my control, others are not. I have no plans on stopping Candy Critic, but as is common, there are some changes coming.

Click here to find out what makes me think about wafers.

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Today's New Candy Review Makes Me Think About What's On A Package - Snap and Crackle

Whenever I review a candy, I try my hardest not to be influenced by the package. The thing is, the more I think about it, the more I realize that the package of a candy treat is really a big part of any candy experience. It's the first thing you see when you're at a candy store, and it often gives you some insight into what you should be expecting. Sometimes that expectation is only hinted at, and sometimes it's laid out in full words (I'd say full English, but I've had several candies that have zero English on them at all). This candy on the other hand has what it's "supposed" to be written in plain English, yet it doesn't actually have any of what it's describing. Strangely, this actually disappointed me.

Click here to find out why this taffy candy disappointed me.

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Candy & Snack Trends For 2020

The world of candy and snacks is always changing. Popular flavours change, and new ideas are around every corner. While I’m not clairvoyant about what the future has to hold for us snack lovers out there, I do have some ideas about what I think will be trendy over the next year or two.

More Vegan Foods/Candy

I think we're going to see more and more foods that are vegetable based, and I don't think this is going to stop with meat products. There are many candies and snacks that still use animal based ingredients, and I think this is going to go on the decline even more than it is already. I think it's going to be become the norm to use only vegetable based ingredients in candy and snacks in the future and I think this is going to be a big selling feature this year. There are so many vegetable based substitutes for the ingredients used today in candy and snacks already, so it only makes sense for those who haven’t switched yet to switch over in order to keep a growing number of people happy with their snacks.

Fewer Super Spicy Treats

I've never been a huge fan of super spicy foods. For the last few years I've been trying to improve my tolerance of spicy foods, but it's still something I'm not in love with. I'm even less in love with the idea of having spicy foods that are so spicy that it causes people to be sick. I know that some people enjoy challenging themselves, but I'm starting to think that most people are getting tired of pushing the limits.

More Crazy Flavoured Chips

The crazy chip trend is not new. It's been going strong for a few years now, and I think it's going to keep going strong. While I like to see almost any new and fun flavour of chips, I'm really enjoying the trend of taking flavours from other parts of the world and introducing them via chips. Not everyone can travel to Thailand to try some authentic Tom Yum soup, but now anybody can eat the chips.

More Limited Edition Treats

I think this year, much like last year, is going to be filled with limited edition versions of classic snacks and treats. I worry that many of these treat companies are running out of ideas, and the flavours are just weird for weird sake, but I don't think that's going to stop them from continuing to make these treats. I predict that not only are we going to see more strange flavours, but I think that this year we might see an increase in the new colours and looks of classic treats (so they can get the Instagram clicks).

Even More CBD Candy

It could be the circles of people I hang out with, or the fact that I’m Canadian, but I keep coming across articles about CBD products, and more relevantly CBD edibles. The reason there’s a boom in these products is legalization of marijuana in many parts of the world. Edible CBD products are not something that can always be made in someone’s basement, so with more places around the world legalizing marijuana, there are more markets to sell legally, and more places that high quality snack and candy companies can build legal factories to manufacture CBD infused candies. Right now, there are several small newer companies producing edibles, but I think in the next year or two we’re going to see larger companies like Hershey’s, Frito-Lays, or even Nestle getting into the CBD market.

Here are a few things I hope (but I'm not sure) will trend this year:

Black Licorice in Odd Places

Over the last few years I've come to discover that Northern Europe has been using black licorice is some odd ways. It's common (and delicious) to find black licorice with chocolate, and I've even tried black licorice potato chips. While I'm not a huge fan of black licorice most of the time, I've found that as a subtle flavour addition it sometimes works really well.

Asian Candy From More Diverse Places

I think we're going to see even more Asian candies, but not just from Japan. I'm hoping that this year we start to see candies from all over Asia, including places like India, Thailand, and Malaysia. While Japan and China seem to have a pretty strong hold on the international candy market, it'll be great to get a bit more variety from this part of the world.

Lesser Known European Chocolate Brands Going Global

There are a lot of European chocolate bars that are really popular in some European countries, but for some reason they just haven't gone global yet. I hope that this is the year that these brands expand, and we start to see Fazer all over the world.

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Today We Eat A Classic European Bar - Lion

I think what amazes me most about this bar is the fact that most people in North America have no idea that it exists. It's the kind of bar that I think people in North America would love, but you really don't find it around at all. Maybe there's some kind of stealth technology attached to this bar, maybe it falls under the radar of anybody in North America, after all, it took years for me to finally get around to reviewing it.

Click here to find out what  you're missing, if you're North American.

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It's Time For Another Episode Of Junk Fud On The Road - The Netherlands

Holland, is one of the nicest places you can visit. It's full of nature, cool people, and cool people walking through nature. It's also a great place to eat some really fine food. The Netherlands is a country where almost everything you eat feels safe from a North American perspective. It's likely because much of the food from that area is part of the culture in North America as well.

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It's Time For A New Episode Of Junk Fud On The Road - Irelands

In this episode of Junk Fud On The Road, Chris and Allison talk about their recent trip to Ireland where they ate far more potatoes than is politically correct to talk about.

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A Look At The Irelands - Part 3 Of Our European Adventure

I'm going to do something very unpopular, something that has been the subject of tension for years, and even cost people their lives. I'm going to write about Northern Ireland and Ireland in the same article.  Culturally I can see some differences between the two countries. There's no doubt that there are differences and ask any citizen of either country and they'll explain those differences. The problem I found is that the food is very similar. In fact I had to do some research to find out where some of the food I ate actually came from.

 

Take Tayto's for example. Tayto's are a brand of potato chips (or crisps as they’d call them) that no one else in the world except those who live in Ireland (north and other) have ever heard of. That's a shame, because they make a mean bag of chips. They're not the best chips I've ever eaten, but they're pretty good. The most amazing thing about these chips is how popular they are in Ireland. When we landed in Belfast, it seemed like the entire airport was sponsored by the potato chip company. According to one of the posters on the wall of the airport, Tayto's Cheese and Onion flavoured chips account for more than half of  the chips sold on the entirety of Ireland (both sides of the border I assume). I assumed by this huge presence in Belfast that these must be a Northern Ireland thing.

As it turns out, Tayto's are actually made in Ireland (the south), but you'd never have guessed that in the north. The north also had a huge amount of Cadbury products available. This was no surprise as Northern Ireland is a commonwealth country, and every commonwealth country I've ever visited is loaded with Cadbury treats. I thought that maybe this is something that would disappear once we visited the south, but no, lots of Cadbury all over the place. I found the same thing with grocery stores, and fast food places as well. I couldn't find one single difference between either Ireland when it came to food.

I would say the only difference I found between these two countries food wise was beer. It's more that I would say Ireland has an obsession with Guinness beer. At the very least it's something they truly celebrate/push on tourists. This is most obvious in Dublin, but every tourist stop we visited in Ireland (not the north) had some kind of Guinness trinket. Every truck stop had a whole section dedicated to buying Guinness merchandise. I didn't see that much up in the north, so maybe that's the great divide.

It makes me happy though, these are two countries that have a very bloody history. There's a lot of differences that these two countries will always have, and a history that can never be erased. But it's good to know that there are areas they can agree on, small things that remind them that although they've fought a war, they can still be in agreement upon. On either side of the border they can agree, cheese and onion Tayto's are pretty good.

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A Look At Finland - Part 2 Of Our European Adventure

 

 Finland is a place that has a strange connection with me. I actually have a lot of people in Finland that I consider friends. These aren't just friends I've made on the internet, these are people that I've met in the real world. I've always wondered why I have such a connection with Finnish people, but after visiting recently it's started to make sense.

I've never traveled anywhere in the world where I didn't enjoy at least one food item that they're well known for. Finland on the other hand gave me so much great food that I don't even know where to start. In fact I've written this introduction 5 times already because I just didn't know what to begin with.  I guess I'll  start with my introduction to Finnish treats, and it's a good one.

  

Fazer is a company that makes a lot of different food items. They make baked goods, candies, but they're most famous in my mind for their chocolate. The good news is that they're famous for their chocolate for good reason. I'd tasted Fazer chocolate before this trip, so when we decided to go to Finland, getting some Fazer chocolate was top on my list. What we discovered on this trip is that Fazer has so much to offer, and I could write a whole website dedicated to reviewing just Fazer products. It can vary from breads and candies, but it also includes some amazing baked goods and hand made chocolates sold at their cafes. Yes, Fazer has cafes in Finland.

Best of all, in Helsinki is "the” Fazer Cafe, the flagship store. It's also the  place where Karl Fazer started making his chocolates in Finland in 1891. The cafe does not disappoint, and if you're a fan of Fazer (and you should be) this is a place worth visiting.

While Fazer is a great thing to try in Finland, it's not the only thing. Allison being the carnivore that she is managed to try reindeer in many forms, including something called a reindeer snowball that's basically cheese and reindeer, two of her favourite things. Allison also fell in love with the breads in Finland (and the bread used in the reindeer snowball is the perfect example why). Bread is an interesting thing, many cultures have bread as being an important part of their food. Bread however isn't simple, so many cultures have their own take on bread, and Finland is no different. The "average" bread in Finland is a dense bread often filled with whole grains. These breads are generously slathered in butter and often eaten with cheese and meats.

The bread that blew me away though is something from the north, something called Karelian pasty. The best way to describe it is to say it looks like a squashed baked potato, but has the consistency of a very soft flat bread. They're often filled with a porridge (rice being my favourite), but it's what you put on top that blew my mind. Finnish egg salad may look typical, but the minute you bite into it you know it's a game changer. Rather than using mayonnaise as the bonding agent, people of Finland use butter. If you're keeping score, that's a lot of butter, but it works so well. It's super rich, but isn't as greasy as you'd think it would be. This is likely because of the properties of the Karelian pasty. They seem to work so perfectly together, and just thinking about it makes me crave just one more bite.

The final things I want to talk about when it comes to Finnish food is berries. This country is obsessed with berries, and they're very specific about what kind of berries they love. The obsession is all about wild berries, and there's a huge variety of berries to choose from. Growing in the forests of Finland are everything from wild raspberries, to the elusive cloudberry. The later is a treasure that when mixed with a special baked cheese can change the way you feel about berries all together. Apparently the location of cloudberries in the wild is such a closely guarded secret that it's only passed down from one generation to another. So if you want to pick your own cloudberries, you're going to need to marry a Finn.

While I say this about many of the places I visit, Finland is truly a great place for any foodie to visit. There is a huge variety of food to choose from, but best of all it makes you feel good. Everything they love to eat comes from home. Even when you buy it in the store, it feels like it was made at someone’s house. If you get the chance that I did, to eat at someone's home, you'll understand why this works. Finnish food is casual, but most importantly it's comfortable.

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A Look At Estonia - Part 1 Of Our European Adventure

 

Estonia was a bit of a surprise food wise. I wasn't expecting to not enjoy the food in Estonia, but I also wasn't expecting  to enjoy it so much either. I didn't expect to find a theme restaurant that worked so well, and I wasn't expecting to find one of the most creative chocolate shops either. I also wasn't expecting to learn so much about the areas food history.

The food history in Estonia (Tallinn in particular) is right on display. There are two areas of history that seem to be front and center in this town in general and with food. The oldest is the medieval period, and this is ever present when you're walking through the old town part of Tallinn. There are all kinds of restaurants and snacks available that help you get a sense of what it might have been like a long time ago in Tallinn. Most obvious are the many people selling nuts and snacks on the street in small carts, they really give you an old timey feel. There are also several restaurants around town that show off traditional cooking, however none pull it off as well as the Olde Hansa.

 

The Old Hansa appears at first to be more of a gimmick than a real restaurant, but it really does both so very well. While you can't deny that it's a little gimmick like to have all the staff pretend that it's the medieval period, there are so many other reasons why this restaurant's theme works. First of all the minimal lighting really sets the mood. Most of the light from the restaurant is candle light, and most of the visible decorations are traditional, even the utensils are traditional. The really unique thing about this restaurant though is the food, it's not modern food dressed up to look old. Apparently the restaurant's chefs spent time researching what would have been the traditional food at the time. They serve this food the way it may have been served, and really spent a lot of time perfecting these details. While I'm sure the hygiene is much better than it would have been, there was something about the flavour of the food that really put us in the mood.

After the medieval period, the most noted time in Estonia is the period when the country was occupied by the USSR. There are many areas of life that were greatly affected by the occupation of Estonia, and the food was no exception. One of the interesting stops to check out is the Hotel Viru. This functioning hotel used to house one of the most important spying areas of the KGB. It was one of the only hotels in the USSR to allow foreign guests, and not wanting to appear poor, it was one of the hubs of fine food in the area back then. The restaurants and bars were some of the finest in the entire USSR empire. There are stories of the cakes that were sold at this hotel being used as currency, and that three cakes could get you a sofa. Today, the grocery store in the mall at the base of the hotel still sells the same cakes.

Another place that really tells a story about the USSR period in Tallinn is the Chocolate Museum in Chocolala (a great candy store with a museum attached to it). This museum is a great place to learn all about the history of sweets in Estonia, and tells the story of this country before, during and after the occupation. There are great collections of old packages and lots of information about how this country's candy evolved and changed. Best of all this museum is housed in a great modern chocolate shop that has some pretty unique sweets to try. They're liberal with the samples, and if you can I recommend trying the chocolate covered reindeer moss (it's not that great, but it's really unique).
Estonia was a very surprising place for us.

When we were planning our trip, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find enough content to write about the food in this place. After the first day I knew that this wasn’t going to be a problem at all. You don’t often come across a city where the food history is so well preserved and presented.

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