Estonian mythology, storytelling and edible art are travelling around Australia this September. HEIA spoke with Haldjaemand Margit about what exactly she has packed for the adventure.
Once upon a time in Estonia, walking into a forest was apparently a considerably more complicated undertaking than it is today. The forest might have a mistress, the water might contain water spirits, and there were fairies, witches, gods and various other visible and invisible beings to consider. This September, some of that mysterious old world is coming to Australia.
A Most Unusual Adventure (Üks väga ebatavaline seiklus) is a three-hour journey through Estonian mythology, storytelling and heritage food art, led by food artist, cook and teacher Margit Kirss-Elsayed — or, for the purposes of this particular expedition, Haldjaemand Margit (Fairy Queen Margit). Part theatre, part storytelling and part cooking, the experience brings old Estonian stories together with audience participation and food art that everyone eventually gets to eat.
The Australian adventure takes place outdoors, with events in Melbourne on 12 September, Adelaide on 19 September and Sydney on 26 September, before continuing to Auckland on 3 October.
So, naturally, HEIA wanted to know more. What exactly does one do on an adventure with a Fairy Queen? Are we listening, walking, cooking or eating? Do we need to know anything about Estonian mythology beforehand? And perhaps most importantly: has Margit really managed to fit an Estonian bog into her luggage?
We asked. Margit patiently responded.
The interview: Margit on Estonia’s ancient creatures, curious stories and edible art
Can you tell us what A Most Unusual Adventure is about?
A Most Unusual Adventure is a mythological journey through time where old Estonian stories and heritage food meet. We visit the world of näkid (water spirits), fairies, gods and other strange characters through stories, while I create heritage food art together with the audience. So there is a little theatre, a little storytelling, a little cooking — and in the end, we get to eat it all.
The adventure lasts around three hours. It isn’t a lecture but an interactive experience where storytelling and food art come together as one.
Why is it called A Most Unusual Adventure?
Näkid, fairies, forest mistresses and other beings were perfectly ordinary characters in ancient Estonia, but today they have become rather unusual — and that’s partly what the name refers to. Creating food art is also something quite unusual, even though we use perfectly ordinary ingredients.
What kinds of stories will we hear? Are we talking fairy tales, legends or things people actually believed?
A Most Unusual Adventure takes us back to a time when a forest wasn’t simply a forest, water wasn’t simply water and every place could have its own visible or invisible inhabitant.
We’ll hear old stories and beliefs from Estonian folklore — about fairies and näkid, witches and gods, illness and death, but also about love, happiness, food and the ways people tried to explain a world they didn’t understand. They aren’t exactly fairy tales, nor are they true stories from a history textbook. They are stories people have told from generation to generation, changing them and making them their own.
So everything you hear on the journey is true — unless, of course, it is made up and completely false…
Can these strange old stories actually tell us something about Estonians today?
Through the stories, we can learn quite a lot about Estonians — why the forest is so important to us, where our relationship with nature, food and our ancestors comes from, and why some old beliefs continue to live quietly within us today.
Mythology isn’t only about what people once believed. It tells us something about who we are, where we come from and what we have carried with us into the present. It is especially fascinating to tell these stories on the other side of the world, so far from Estonia.
And where does food come into all of this?
Not every story is told only through words. We tell some through flavours. Alongside the storytelling, we’ll create heritage food art together with the audience, inspired by the day’s stories. People can join in, taste, ask questions and discuss things as we go, and the event unfolds through stories, little surprises, humour and a shared table.
Some stories stay with you because of what you heard, some because of what you tasted. The best ones perhaps because of both.
Who exactly is Haldjaemand Margit — and how did you end up combining mythology with food?
I’m a food artist, cook, teacher and creator of MTÜ Kirsikool, and one of my greatest passions is Estonian heritage food — although not necessarily exactly as it appears in grandmother’s recipe book.
I like playing with heritage, giving it new forms and combining food with stories, art and people. In my hands, food becomes part of the story — heritage food art — and this time we’ll create it together with the audience.
The idea for A Most Unusual Adventure came from wanting to bring together two very old ways of storytelling: stories and food.
Important practical question: how adventurous is this adventure? Should we prepare to get muddy?
We won’t get dirty, but comfortable, weatherproof clothing would be a good idea.
We’ll tell stories from Estonian mythology about fairies, näkid, beliefs and the strange world of our ancestors, compare some of them with Australian mythology and mix in a few hands-on activities. Then we’ll create heritage food art together inspired by the day.
If there are tables in the park, we’ll use them; if there aren’t, we’ll work on the grass under a tree. We won’t be doing much walking, so everyone should be able to participate.
Do we need to bring food, plates or anything else? And should we perhaps arrive hungry?
There’s no need to bring food — we’ll make it and eat it! You can bring a drink if you like, but you don’t need plates or anything like that.
You don’t need any previous knowledge of Estonian mythology or cooking either. Just come and let yourself be carried along.
And we won’t let anyone leave with an empty stomach.
Who can come along? Is the adventure suitable for children too?
There are no age restrictions, although younger children will probably need some parental guidance. Everyone is welcome with mum and dad.
Will you be speaking English or Estonian?
The language will depend on who participates. I suspect we’ll mainly use English, but we’ll learn some words and terms in Estonian where it’s important to know them in the original language.
We hear that in Estonia this adventure normally involves an actual bog…?
In Estonia, this journey normally really does travel through a bog. In Australia, we’ll bring the bog with us in our imagination — fortunately, the fairies, näkid and other characters fit quite nicely into hand luggage.
This isn’t your first time in Australia. How did Australia become part of the adventure?
This is my second time in Australia. One of my greatest passions is sharing what I know and can do, and from that grew the idea of taking Estonian heritage food and stories even further — and so the Kirsikool world tour was born. The first workshops took place in Hastings in England and Malta. Now it is Australia’s turn, and in January 2027 the journey continues to Egypt and Brazil.
Here on the other side of the world, it is especially fascinating to see how Estonian stories and flavours speak to people living about as far from Estonia as it is possible to get.
And what will the Fairy Queen take home from Australia?
I’ll take home many new acquaintances, new knowledge and experiences — and, of course, flavours. Several ideas have already emerged about how I might later turn this whole journey into food art.
Most people bring souvenirs home from their travels. The Fairy Queen brings home new stories and flavours.
Event details
Melbourne — Saturday, 12 September
Fitzroy Gardens — River God Fountain, 11am
Awaiting confirmation
Adelaide — Saturday, 19 September
Lefevre Park — Glover (North) Playspace, 11am
Gather from 10.45am
Sydney — Saturday, 26 September
Centennial Park — Fearnley Ground, Randwick Gates, 11am
Gather from 10.45am
The adventure then crosses the Tasman to Auckland on 3 October.
The Australian tour is organised by Ave Nukki, President of the Estonian Society in Sydney.
Book your tickets
Tickets are $50 in Adelaide and Melbourne; Sydney tickets are $50 for Estonian Society members and $60 for non-members.
Book your tickets here.
Read more
A Most Unusual Adventure | Facebook event page
Follow Margit on Facebook and Instagram Margit Kirss (@margitkirss)
While in Australia, Margit will also take a traditional Estonian cooking workshop to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, teaching participants how to make familiar favourites. Read more here: Estonian cooking secrets whispered in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne | HEIA
Thank you
HEIA thanks Ave Nukki for organising the tour and facilitating this interview, and Margit Kirss-Elsayed for opening her hand luggage and allowing us a peek inside.
