Your guide to foraging in Estonia’s Soomaa National Park

Autumn is a time for foraging and feasting in Estonia. Here’s how you can tuck in too.

Autumn has long been regarded as a time of plenty in Estonia. 

Locals head to the forests, baskets in hand, and take their pick from an abundance of mushrooms, nuts, herbs and berries that appear amongst the trees.

The food gathered is used in seasonal dishes or preserved for the winter.

It is a tradition that has been observed for centuries and is as much a social occasion as one to stock up on provisions.

The south of Estonia is regarded as the best place to forage for mushrooms, particularly chanterelles. A distinctive, yellow mushroom, they are delicious when cooked in a creamy sauce served with pasta or grains.

Milk mushrooms, boletus and russula are also abundant here too.

Not all the mushrooms in Estonia’s forests are edible.

If you’re going to forage in Estonia, it is best to go with an expert guide. They will teach about different kinds of mushrooms and point out the ones that are safe to eat.

One of the best places to forage for mushrooms is Soomaa National park.

Local guides from Soomaa.com with show you the best places to forage and use the mushrooms you gather to prepare a delicious mushroom meal.

They will also show you the different ways to preserve mushrooms, such as drying, pickling, salting and marinating.

Estonians love mushrooming. And after exploring the forests of southern Estonia in autumn, you will too.