Local Drinks

1. kali

   Kali — kvass, fermented from malt or rye bread

   Usage

   Malt, flour or rye bread steeped in water and fermented with yeast: malty, gently fizzy, faintly sour and amber-coloured, drunk cold. Sold in PET bottles in every supermarket and, in summer, from street tanks. ⚠ Natural fermentation can leave 0.7–2.0% alcohol. Some commercial versions are alcohol-free — check the label if you are driving or avoid alcohol

   Grammar Note

   Genitive and partitive are both "kalja" (Sooviksin kalja = I'd like a kali). On Saaremaa it is called "kaljataar"

2. kasemahl

   Birch sap

   Usage

   Clear, faintly sweet sap tapped from birch trunks in early spring. In the 19th century every farm collected it. Fresh birch sap still appears in markets and supermarkets in spring, along with carbonated and fermented versions. Strictly seasonal, roughly March–April

   Grammar Note

   Genitive and partitive are both "kasemahla"

3. hapupiim

   Hapupiim — soured milk

   Usage

   Milk soured and thickened by lactic-acid bacteria. In Estonia it is not only drunk but used to mix "kama", to bake "karask" and to pour over potatoes. Sits next to plain milk ("piim") in the dairy aisle

   Grammar Note

   Genitive and partitive are both "hapupiima"

4. pett

   Buttermilk

   Usage

   What is left after churning butter: low in fat and slightly sour. Drunk cold, used to mix "kama" and used as the liquid in "karask" dough. Also called "võipiim" and "petipiim"

   Grammar Note

   Genitive "peti", partitive "petti"

5. keefir

   Kefir — cultured milk drink

   Usage

   Milk fermented with several bacteria and yeasts. It is slightly fizzy and contains 1–2% alcohol — a trace from fermentation, not treated as an alcoholic drink. Sold in large cartons in Estonian shops. "kefiir" is an alternative spelling

   Grammar Note

   Genitive "keefiri", partitive "keefirit"

6. morss

   Morss — berry cordial diluted with water and sugar

   Usage

   A sweet-sour cold drink of tart juice — cranberry, currant, lingonberry — let down with sugar and water. It is served to birthday guests. Read as a family or children's drink; common at canteens and buffets

   Grammar Note

   Genitive "morsi", partitive "morssi"

7. mahl

   Juice

   Usage

   Pressed fruit, berry or vegetable drink, without carbonation. Apple juice ("õunamahl") dominates in Estonia, and home-pressed juice appears at markets in autumn. On price lists, "värskelt pressitud mahl" means freshly pressed juice

   Grammar Note

   Genitive and partitive are both "mahla". ⚠ The same word also means tree sap, as in "kasemahl"

8. piim

   Milk

   Usage

   Also the word to use when asking for milk in your coffee. The dairy shelf lines up "piim" (milk), "hapupiim" (soured milk), "pett" (buttermilk), "keefir" (kefir) and "kohupiim" (curd) side by side, so the words are what keep them apart

   Grammar Note

   Genitive and partitive are both "piima" (Kas ma saaksin piima? = Could I have some milk?)

9. taimetee

   Herbal tea

   Usage

   Tea brewed from plants rather than tea leaves. Estonians still pick and dry fireweed, camomile, mint and linden, and dried herb mixes are sold by the bag at markets and craft shops. Café menus usually list "tee" (black tea) and "taimetee" as separate lines

   Grammar Note

   Genitive "taimetee", partitive "taimeteed"

10. limonaad

    Limonaad — sweet fizzy soft drink, not necessarily lemon

    Usage

    ⚠ Not the same range as English "lemonade": It is simply a sweet carbonated soft drink, whatever the flavour. Craft versions are increasingly on café menus — one example is a ginger-and-mint limonaad

    Grammar Note

    Genitive and partitive are both "limonaadi"

11. karastusjook

    Soft drink — non-alcoholic carbonated drink

    Usage

    A category label used on menus and supermarket shelf headers. It is a non-alcoholic carbonated drink of water, sugar and flavourings. It names the section rather than a product, so it is what to look for when scanning a drinks list

    Grammar Note

    Genitive "karastusjoogi", partitive "karastusjooki"

12. jäätee

    Iced tea

    Usage

    ⚠ "jäätee" has a second, unrelated sense: a winter ice road across the frozen sea. Estonia really does open official ice roads to its islands in winter, so the word is not always a drink. Ordering one in a café is unambiguous

    Grammar Note

    Genitive "jäätee", partitive "jääteed"

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