Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Kama
Toasted grain-and-pea flour stirred into kefir or buttermilk with a little honey, a uniquely Estonian breakfast.
Estonian · easy · serves 2
prep 5 min · cook 0 min
~278 cal · 11g protein · 54g carbs · 3g fat · 1g fiber · 29g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Kama is a distinctly Estonian food with genuinely ancient roots: a finely milled flour blend of roasted barley, rye, oats, and peas, sometimes with other grains, that keeps almost indefinitely in the cupboard. It began as practical, non-perishable travel and field food, toasted grains ground fine so they needed no further cooking.
To eat it, the powder is simply stirred into kefir, buttermilk, soured milk, or plain milk until it thickens into a smooth, nutty porridge-drink, ready in moments. Its toasty, slightly earthy flavour is unlike anything else, and to Estonians it is instantly, nostalgically familiar.
Lightly sweetened with honey or sugar and topped with fresh berries, it makes an instant, wholesome breakfast, and it also flavours modern desserts and ice creams. Old peasant food turned everyday staple, kama is one of the flavours Estonians hold as uniquely their own.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 2
1/2 cup kama flour (toasted barley/rye/oat/pea mix)
Hard to find? barley, rye and oat flours toasted in a dry pan until nutty, with a spoonful of pea flour - a good homemade approximation; commercial kama is milled finer, so sift out any coarse bits
2 cups kefir or buttermilk
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup fresh berries
1 pinch pinch of salt
Instructions
1
Pour the kefir or buttermilk into a bowl and add the pinch of salt.
2
Add the kama flour a spoonful at a time, whisking constantly so it works in smoothly.
✎ Chef’s note
Adding the flour gradually and whisking as you go is what keeps kama lump-free. Dumping it in all at once will clump.
3
Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth and thick enough to coat the spoon.
4
Stir in the honey and taste, adding a little more if you like it sweeter.
5
Let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes so the flour hydrates fully and the texture turns silky.
6
Spoon into bowls, top with fresh berries, and eat with a spoon (or drink it looser, from a glass).
Tartu tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Tartu. Verivorst is Christmas food and is made properly: pork blood mixed with barley groats, onion and marjoram, filled into casings, baked, and served with soured cream and lingonberry jam. Rye bread is not seasonal at all, for the simple reason that it is never off the table.
🗺️
Estonia. Estonian food is Nordic-Baltic and seasonal, dark rye bread, pork, potatoes, herring, and forest berries and mushrooms. Curd cheese, black bread, and a strong preserving tradition anchor the table.
🌍
Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Estonia
MulgikapsadSauerkraut braised with pork and pearl barley until soft, sweet, and deeply savory, southern Estonia's pride.
KiluvõileibAn open rye sandwich of salty Baltic sprats with egg and onion, a classic Estonian and Baltic bite.
KringelA twisted, braided sweet bread swirled with cinnamon, the celebratory loaf of the Estonian coffee table.
Browse all Estonia recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Thickens as it sits. Reheat with extra water or milk to loosen, and keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated.
Make it a Estonia meal
KringelDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Kama?
Toasted grain-and-pea flour stirred into kefir or buttermilk with a little honey, a uniquely Estonian breakfast.
Where does Kama come from?
Kama is a Estonian dish from Tartu, Estonia.
Can Kama be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kama recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Kama safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Kama take to make?
About 5 minutes total (5 minutes prep, 0 minutes cooking), serving 2.
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