I love Estonian beef

Ivari Padar - former member of the Riigikogu and fan of Estonian food

My contact with cattle dates back to childhood, because steer and cows were bred in our home. I have bred Limousine beef cattle myself and promoted beef cattle breeding in Estonia for a long time. I am very glad that the tradition of beef cattle breeding in Estonia has risen to rather high level from practically zero, both for numbers as well as quality, although there is still room for growth.

As for beef, its popularity will probably be always limited due to the fact that unlike pork, which we can roast, cook or fry in various ways, preparation of beef is art. Beef is demanding, and in order to prepare any piece of it well, the cook must know their anatomy. 

One of the simplest slices is naturally fillet, which is accomplishable for many people at home. Already since early times, people have prepared domestic beef goulash here, which enables to prepare good food also of meat with harder structure. However, other parts of beef and more exciting dishes require already more complicated procedures, and naturally also high-quality raw material is a precondition for delicious food.

As I have bred beef cattle myself, I have learned to serve beef in very different tasty ways. The easiest food of these is boeuf à la tartare, prepared of a beef cattle grown on Estonian grasslands rich in species, which would undoubtedly deserve a place in the menu of any Estonian gourmet restaurant.