Olde Hansa in Tallinn's Old Town
Medieval Food and Drink Highlight Estonia's Hanseatic Past
Nov 10, 2008
Authentic Medieval dinning is replicated daily at Tallinn’s Old Town restaurant, Olde Hansa. Olde Hansa points back to the time when Tallinn, then Reval, was part of the Hanseatic League or “Hansa,” a confederation of European cities and towns united by the common goal of trade. Olde Hansa has succeeding in taking the visitor back to the Middle Ages through a richly diverse menu featuring authentic dishes prepared according to Medieval standards in an ambiance befitting a wealthy merchant house of the bygone era.
Challenging Twenty-First Century Tastes
Visitors sit on wooden benches with boar skin covers, much like the banquets of medieval lords where guests sat on benches set before trestle tables. Servers in period costume assist with menu recommendations and explanations of unfamiliar selections. Beverages include liquors like berry schnapps, beer with herbs, honey, or cinnamon, and spiced wine.
Menu sections reflect the status of wealth. In the Middle Ages, only the well to do ate this sumptuously while 98% of the population subsisted on porridge and black bread. At the Olde Hansa, a typical dinner might well be:
- Thick meat soup or forest mushroom soup
- An appetizer plate of smoked herring and smoke-grilled salmon
- Frederic’s games sausages made from bear, wild boar, and elk
- Figs and almonds on the side
- Rose pudding savoury or apple and honey under crispy coat with almond milk
The above meal, not including drinks, costs $39.00 US.
The Olde Hansa menu, a Medieval work of art in itself, features a variety of fish, meats, poultry, and vegetable dishes. Several selections can be ordered in two portion sizes, “mild” or “great hunger.” There is pork marinated in wine, rabbit roast, “softly spiced Fish Stew” from Bergen, and superb spelt breads. Although many visitors are only in Tallinn for a day tour, coming in by ship from ports like Helsinki, Olde Hansa should be experienced several times in order to enjoy the variety of delicious entrees.
Groups of Six or More
For large groups, book one of the Olde Hansa Grand Feasts and allot at least two hours for the experience. Select from the Game Feast, Saturday Feast, Merchant’s Feast, or Royal Hunting Feast, the latter being the most expensive at 908 EEK (Estonian Krooni) or $80.00 US, per person. This feast includes a number of appetizers and breads as well as Wild Birds, fillet of elk, and at least a dozen other well prepared dishes. Olde Hansa feasts are as close to a medieval buffet as a visitor will get.
The ambiance includes musicians and appropriate candle lighting as well as medieval demonstrations. A shop sells medieval glassware, apparel, spices, and pottery. Visitors can also shop Olde Hansa on line. Visitors can even purchase the leather-bound menu for approximately $90.00 US.
Whether visiting Tallinn for a day or for a week, Olde Hansa in the medieval Old Town caters an experience that goes well beyond the typical medieval or Renaissance fairs many visitors may be familiar with. An eye for detail and authenticity separates Olde Hansa from more generic representations, permitting the visitor a fine dining experience not seen elsewhere. Lunch or dinner at Olde Hansa is an experience visitors will remember long after, something that cannot be said for many other restaurants.
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