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All Estonia Kolkja Chicory Museum
Gastro Obscura

Chicory Museum

See tools once used for processing this coffee-substitute plant before sampling its flavor firsthand.

Kolkja, Estonia

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ahvenas
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Dried (left) and roasted (right) chicory   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
A chicory drying oven   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Chicory blossom   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Special chicory knife   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Special knife for cutting the roots   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Chicory plant   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Powder for making an instant drink   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Chicory is a perennial plant native to Europe whose roots were once commonly harvested, roasted, and used to make food and drinks. In Kolkja, Estonia, the Chicory Museum tells this culinary history via artifacts from the heyday of the versatile root as well as a few offerings of chicory-based delights.

Housed in a room built in 1893 for the purpose of drying chicory, the museum hearkens back to when beverages made from its roots were popular across Europe. In Germany, a drink made from chicory was known as “Prussian coffee,” as the flavor resembled a cup of Joe. As coffee beans became more accessible, however, the consumption of the chicory plant became less common.

Chicory farming around Estonia’s Lake Peipus region dates back to the 1870s, where it continued until World War II, when many of the fields and processing facilities were destroyed. To transform the plant into a beverage, producers cut the roots with special chicory knives and put them into ovens for drying. (An oven-load of roots took about two days to dry at 104°F.) The dried chicory was then roasted, milled to a fine powder, and mixed with water. Visitors to the Chicory Museum can see an original chicory oven along with the other tools that were used in this process.

If you don’t feel inclined to grow, roast, and mill your own chicory, you can buy the museum’s dried chicory root slices, powder, or syrup extract, or simply sample its chicory drinks as well as other foods and tasty treats made with the plant.

Related Tags

Museums Museums And Collections Coffee Drinks Farming

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The visitors center and museum are open Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Community Contributors

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ahvenas

Published

December 11, 2019

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  • https://www.visitestonia.com/en/chicory-museum
  • http://visitpeipsi.com/en/objects/1048363/
  • https://www.baristamagazine.com/the-origins-of-chicory/
  • https://www.britannica.com/plant/chicory
Chicory Museum
Suur tee 25
Kolkja, 60306
Estonia
58.553473, 27.213367
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Kolkja Kala-ja Sibularestora (Kolkja Old Believers Restaurant)

Kolkja, Estonia

miles away

Old Believers Museum

Kolkja, Estonia

miles away

Samovar House

Varnja, Estonia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kolkja

Kolkja

Estonia

Places 3

Nearby Places

Kolkja Kala-ja Sibularestora (Kolkja Old Believers Restaurant)

Kolkja, Estonia

miles away

Old Believers Museum

Kolkja, Estonia

miles away

Samovar House

Varnja, Estonia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kolkja

Kolkja

Estonia

Places 3

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