Sailor turns sea-trip flavors into unusual sandwiches

Cruising sailor and sandwich maker Merilin Piirsalu uses flavors from her voyages in her creations, she told ERR’s morning programme Terevisioon.

In the studio, Piirsalu made toast with a famous mustard from the Åland Islands, as well as a rice cake topped with peanut butter, cottage cheese and banana slices.

Piirsalu said she took up sailing after her husband became interested in it. In 2017, they watched an episode of ETV’s Pealtnägija about Britt and Viljar Tulit, who had returned from a round-the-world voyage. The couple’s account of managing in cramped conditions and dealing with constant breakages intrigued Piirsalu’s husband. He later invited her to see a sailboat in Finland and, a few weeks after that, sailed it back to Tallinn.

Her interest in making sandwiches began on their first sailing trip, when they planned to visit Prangli Island for their wedding anniversary. They turned back to Pirita because the waves made Piirsalu feel ill. Her husband made her a sandwich with rye bread, cream cheese, ham, cheese, tomato, salt and pepper. She still remembers how good it tasted.

For her toast in the studio, Piirsalu spread on mustard from the Åland Islands. She liked it so much that she tracked down its maker, Olle. He has since won gold and silver awards and a grand prix with his mustard at a world championship in the United States. Piirsalu said he had known nothing about mustard before his wife gave him a mustard-making workshop as a gift, but became interested and began experimenting. One of the mustard’s ingredients, honey, comes from Estonia.

Piirsalu topped the mustard with mashed avocado seasoned with a little salt, adding that ham and sprouts could also be used. For a morning snack, she recommended a rice cake with peanut butter, cottage cheese, banana slices, cinnamon and berries.