Under the watchful eye of head chef Taigo Lepik, the over 17,000 canapés were handed out at the reception, ERR's Menu portal, rather appropriately, reports.

This was the second year running that the Estonia Theater in Tallinn had been hired out as the venue for the reception. The number of savory finger food items (a total of 14,200) on offer outnumbered sweet varieties (3,200) by over four-to-one.

Chef Lepik, taking part in his ninth presidential reception, said: "This year we will have a total of 34 different savory canape varieties and seven sweet options. Most of the offerings are made from Estonian ingredients," adding that at the same time he had not balked at imported ingredients being used in some instances.

Preparations for the event had included a full tasting session in January; one of the parameters included the requirement that a canapé could be fully consumed in no more than two bites, while the first mouthful should not be accompanied by the creation breaking up into pieces or splattering expensive clothes.

Also important is avoiding repetition from previous years, Lepik said; the preparation process in fact had been going on almost since the previous Independence Day, last year.

Ingredients this year (see gallery above) Lepik noted included both Baltic standbys such as herring, along with one of this year's motifs, flowering quince (Estonian: Ebaküdoonia).

In addition to the professional chefs, 30 young student chefs at a variety of colleges in Tallinn, Tartu, Kuressaare, Vana-Vigala, Ida-Viru County and Haapsalu were working on the night, and Lepik spoke highly of them. "The goal is to give students the opportunity to get to know professionals in their field, each of whom has a different way of doing things. What someone takes from that later in their career and life is up to them. But every year the students' interest is increasing," he said.

"The work environment is also important, and the young people get to see how work is carried out in real-life situations."

As for the more humble fare that ordinary people might consume at home on February 24, Lepik recommended sticking with old standbys, but paying more attention to presentation than on an ordinary day.

"Don't eat potato salad from a big plate as usual, place it in a wine glass or some other small container, this already makes it much more festive and aesthetic," he said, adding that at the same time a major holiday was not the time to try out something new only to potentially face the disappointment of it not working out.

"Cooking together and enjoying food together is the greatest experience. It is important that no one is left alone in the kitchen. And there is nothing to be done, fish has been on the Estonian table since time immemorial," he went on.

With that in mind, even Lepik's daughter, of her own volition, helped out at the big event on Saturday. "She's assembling the appetizers on the spot, at the Estonian Theater."

The presidential reception gallery, or at least the arrival of the long list of guests, is here.

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