Tallinn’s oldest cafe has been operating since the 1860s. Its most popular product was said to cure heartaches.
Maiasmokk is a historic cafe and marzipan room
Where do you drink coffee? That is the question that almost all Finns in Tallinn are thinking about. Even on a fast day cruise, you can at least have time to have lunch and a coffee.
A classic alternative is Maiasmokk, the oldest café in Tallinn and Estonia, which has been operating since 1864. On the other hand, there was a bakery even earlier in the same place, already in 1806. When you have a coffee here, you can see a piece of local history at the same time.
The cafe was founded by a German Georg Stude, which still has its own room on the upper floor of the cafe. The current look of the café dates back to 1913: pay attention to handsome details such as the decorative ceiling.
The cafe, which serves on two floors, sells cakes, pastries, chocolate and marzipan. Salads, pasta and main courses are also available. Today, the cafe is owned by the Estonian chocolate factory Kalev, whose products are familiar to most visitors to Tallinn.
The current name, Maiasmokk meaning delicious mouth, has been in use since 1984. The cafe is located in the old town along the route of most tourists. It is only a stone’s throw away from Raatihuoneentor.
Marzipan for a broken heart
The cafe’s specialty is the marzipan room, where the sweet treat is still decorated. Georg Stude’s marzipan was the product that once made the cafe famous. Both Tallinn and Lübeck in Germany have taken credit for inventing marzipan, but no one seems to know the truth.
Customers can buy ready-made marzipan figures or design their own according to their wishes, because there is a professional at work. Groups can also organize workshops in the cafe, where they learn how to decorate marzipan.
Marzipan, made from almonds and sugar, originally had a different purpose than it does today. The product was made in pharmacies, and it was believed to help one ailment for which there is actually no medicine: heartache. Marzipan appeared on pharmacy price lists as early as 1695.
Marzipan is also associated with another Tallinn attraction, where it was originally made. Did you know that Raeapteek, the oldest pharmacy in Europe, operates in Tallinn? You can find it just a couple of minutes’ walk from the cafe.
Read also: Did you know this? A ghost story is revealed behind Tallinn’s most popular restaurant
Source: www.rantapallo.fi
