Jeremy here, and boy are my wings sore from flapping. I just flew back from Finland for an academic conference. I spent five days in lovely Joensuu, the capital city of North Karelia in eastern Finland. Here are some of my thoughts about the local cuisine…
The first thing I noticed when I took my first bite was the lack of seasoning in the food. In some ways, this was nice as it allowed the natural flavors to come out. We tend to over-season foods over here in the states. Instead of tasting potatoes or peppers, I taste a shaker of salt and even more black pepper. However, if done right, a little pinch of this and a dash of that can bring out those flavors which are otherwise very mild and hard to taste. I can’t imagine biting into a hard-boiled egg with absolutely no spice, or cooking cauliflower with no garlic or pepper.
It was a very surreal experience. According to Wikipedia, since the winters tend to be very long and dark, historically people would hunt and fish for their proteins. Like in Alaska, there are days where there is no light and in the summer, there is no night. As such, hunting would be the way to go. Finnish food involved a lot of gamy-type meats and fish – none of the traditional beef, pork, and chicken we are used to here, at least not in the traditional way we have it, from what I observed. It is mostly found in sausages (makkara), which they are fond of. Almost every meal I had over there had some sausage in it. On my second-to-last night there, we had a meal of grillimakkara, what I would liken to a mix between hot-dog and bratwurst.
What struck me was the large amount of salads that were presented. From what I read online (see Food of Finland and this Quora board), I was prepared for a dearth of vegetables. My professor was recounting to me a story when he was visiting Poland. There, the daylight hours are not as extreme, but he told me that most of the dishes consisted of beef and cabbage. So I was prepared with my soluble fiber when going over. But it turns out that many of the dishes were green, as explain in this USA today article. While none of the green leafy vegetables were there, there was a wide array of tomatoes, cucumbers, turnips, beets, etc. – a notable cornucopia of root vegetables to be sure. To count, it seemed that there was at least one root vegetable present in every dist. There was this one dish, I likened it to a cauliflower casserole, but it had mixed in beets – a nice mix of orange, white, and purple. Also present was the wide array of mushrooms, much to my delight – especially the chanterelles. They had a distinct meaty taste with hints of creaminess.
The one notable thing about Finland was their propensity for alcohol. Around every corner there was a bar. Even the hotel I was staying at and the school where the conference was served alcohol. I am not one to drink too much, due to health reasons, but even I got carried along by the tide. I don’t really have much of a taste for alcohol, but I noted the amount of American brands available. If I were to pick one that stood out the most was the hard cider I had on my outing. It had strong apple notes without the bitter after note that comes with alcohol. What is more on my level is coffee and tea and Europe is known for their coffee. Any coffee joint or tea house and you will find me there. There were several cafes in town, but unfortunately I was not very impressed. Nine times out of ten it tasted burnt and I found myself needing to add cream and sugar to it. The espresso though, when I could get some was slightly earthy and dark with slight acid notes – not exactly my “cup of tea”, but it was better than being burnt. Plus they served pieces of dark chocolate to go with it – can’t beet that!
All-in-all, I would gladly recommend anyone to travel to Finland. The people are friendly, the climate is wonderful, and the view is something that can only be experienced first hand. The food was really good, but no strange stories like the ones from China though – which may or may not be a good thing. My one wish was that I could remember more of the names of the dishes I had while there, maybe a picture or two. See you next week!