A land with various tastes
Põlva county is known for its green way of living. If the nature is clean, the food is clean, and so Põlva county has strong agricultural and food traditions. Local food culture connects the legacies of Seto and Võrumaa, local forest products and clean agricultural products.
As of 2009, quality products from Põlva county have been awarded the “Rohelisem märk” (Greener Badge): Food and eco products carrying the badge can be found in the Põlva Talupood (Farm Shop), Toiduait (Traditional Food Barn) and in the food shop in the Edu Keskus.
The history of growing flax in Põlva county is long. In the end of the 80s flax was grown on 4000 hectares in Estonia, 1000 of which was in Põlva county. Today the centre of flax production is Mooste. Flax oil and flax flour is produced out of flax here, which is more valuable than gold from a health standpoint. Flax oil has a lot of important Omega 3 fatty acids and the fibre content of flax flour is 800 times greater than of any other flour.
Have you seen buckwheat in bloom? The buckwheat grown in Zerna farm is popular in eco stores and at fairs. The buckwheat sold here is white, because it is not heated, but peeled. This way the grain still holds all of its goodness. In the Zerna farm everything is eco: they grow eco grain, make eco flour and bake eco baked products.
So, if you are travelling around the area, take a moment to visit local production farms and buy honey, apples, eggs, herbal teas, cheese or baked products.
Local catering values local products and traditional recipes very highly. The Pesa restaurant offers Local Delicacies (Omakandi Road), which are made from local produce, in the Kiudoski Restoraan you can get Peipsi pikes and Räpina sheep, in Seto Tsäimaja you can taste authentic Seto dishes and the homey Tillu Kodukohvik offers lovely homemade food.
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