Have you heard or maybe remember the time when Thursday was fish day, canteen sauce was thin, and in a restaurant you might wait for a table longer than we could even imagine today? The exhibition “Where Did the Sauce Come From and Where Did the Meat Go?!” takes visitors to the canteens of Soviet Estonia, workers’ dining halls, collective farm lunch tables, home kitchens, and the parties of the Soviet elite.

It is a humorous, or perhaps tragicomic, and educational look at a time when food followed official norms, shortages were part of everyday life, and the system was everywhere. But it was also a time of resourcefulness and, at times, complete absurdity.

The exhibition is open until 31 December 2027.

Was it really like this?

The exhibition takes a look inside the kitchens and dining rooms of Soviet-era public catering and asks simple but revealing questions:

• Why was Thursday fish day?
• Where did the meat go?
• What did ordinary people eat, and what could the Soviet elite afford?
• How did workers’ canteens, school canteens, milk bars, and snack bars operate?
• What recipes, rules, and dishes do people still remember today?

The exhibition includes historical photographs, posters, recipes, food stories, memories, objects that reflect the era, and a film. One important voice guiding visitors through the exhibition is Linda Petti, a renowned cook, food technologist, promoter of healthy eating, and author of cookbooks.

Linda Petti — a sharp and outspoken lady

Linda Petti wrote about food in a way that sometimes makes it hard to tell whether she was teaching people how to cook or describing an entire society. Her recipes, notes, and comments give a very direct view of the period.

They tell us how to make something out of very little, how to use leftovers, how eating was organised, and what everyday food culture looked like at a time when many things were not available.

At the exhibition, visitors can explore Linda Petti’s recipes, which were somewhat different from the usual recipes of her time. They can read her quotes and notes, and see how a single page from a cookbook can sometimes say more about an era than a long chapter in a history textbook.

Vote with a piece of pasta

Visitors can also take part in the exhibition in a hands-on and playful way. Place a piece of pasta into the jar of the dish you remember most vividly from the Soviet period.

Was it borscht, solyanka, pasta with sausage sauce, caramel kissel, snowball soup — or perhaps something completely different? If your dish is not on the list, write it on the board.

From time to time, we will share which dish is leading in people’s memories.

Activities for children

In the back part of the exhibition, children will find a small activity area where they can set a table and explore different kitchen tools.

This creates a good opportunity to talk with younger visitors about how eating habits, kitchens, and tableware have changed over time — and why parents and grandparents still remember some food stories so clearly.

A miniature exhibition is waiting in the same building

In the same temporary exhibitions building, visitors can enjoy two very different journeys into the past with one visit.

On the ground floor, the popular miniature exhibition “Look, I Shrunk the Collective Farm!” presents the world of a Soviet collective farm through highly detailed models in 1:35 scale.

First, see how the collective farm has been shrunk into miniature form. Then explore what people ate at that time and how food was served.

Who is the exhibition for?

The exhibition is for those who remember Soviet-era canteens, fish day, long queues, and strange food experiences.

It is also for those who do not remember that time themselves, but have heard stories about empty shops, missing meat, and how people somehow still managed to get enough to eat.

The exhibition is suitable for families, groups of friends, history enthusiasts, food lovers, nostalgia seekers, and anyone who enjoys discovering bigger stories through everyday life.

The average visit takes about 30–45 minutes.

Visit the exhibition

The exhibition is open from 27 May 2026 to 31 December 2027.

Museum opening hours:

1 June – 31 August
Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00

1 September – 31 May
Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:00

Tickets can be purchased on site or via Fienta by clicking here.

Ticket information is available by clicking here.