Culinary surprises

There are countries you travel to that are famous for their cuisine. Travelling to Italy, for instance, you probably expect great food even in the most unsuspecting pub by the side of an obscure road in the middle of nowhere. And this expectation is universally fulfilled, it appears: I have yet to meet a person who has travelled to Italy and been disappointed in the food.

In other countries, you expect great food but may end up disappointed. Julia Child was probably the last person in history to experience nothing but lovingly prepared dishes, made with only the freshest local produce, at every truck stop and roadside bistro she visited in France; since then, the food at French truck stops been just as awful as anywhere else in the world.

Then there’s countries where you expect to be underwhelmed by the cuisine, such as the UK. Although I will always speak up in defense of British cooking – who doesn’t love a shepherd’s pie, Sunday roast or a scone with clotted cream and fresh, home-made strawberry jam?! At the latest when Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson entered the British culinary scene, it was time to re-think your expectations of British culinary delights.

Another country with an under-appreciated cuisine is Lapland – you’d be surprised at the treats you are served here! Lapland is pretty far up north, it’s cold, the growing season is extremely short and soils are generally not nutrient-rich: There isn’t a huge variety of herbs, fruits and vegetable that thrive in such harsh conditions, so I, admittedly, expected bland and uninspired dishes. Turns out, I underestimated Finnish cuisine.

Apples, peaches or pineapples may not be persuaded to grow here, but berries thrive. The strawberries here are said to be particularly delicious; but there’s also blueberries, red and black currants, and cloudberries. Cloudberries are a species that’s only found in cold sub-arctic and arctic regions, slightly sour in taste and rich in Vitamin C. They make a delicious jam served with the local „squeaky“ cheese, but they also taste delicious with ice cream. Lingonberries are served with Poronkäristys (sautéed reindeer); reindeer meat is extremely lean, and while it is considered game and has a slightly sweetish taste, it’s not all game-y, and the slightly acidic berries round off its taste perfectly.

In a country that has almost 200,000 lakes and a decent amount of coastlines, I also expected plenty of fish to be served. I don’t really like fish, but I do regularly make an exception for salmon. Now, if you love fish, I recommend eating ALL the fish they serve here. More often than not, it will come from one of the local lakes. Lapland’s lakes are among the cleanest in the world, and the freshwater fish accordingly delicious. And the Finns know how to prepare them.

If you’re like me and generally don’t love fish, I recommend eating Finnish salmon soup, Lohikeittö, regardless. Have it at every possible occasion – it is absolutely delicious and soul-warming.

However, the culinary delight I truly didn’t expect was the cream bun. The Nordic countries know a thing or two about baking, too – they practically invented the Korpvapuusti (cinnamon roll), and the Voisilmäpulla (butter-eye bun) must be one of the best uses butter can be put to. But the Laskiaispulla easily takes the cake (pun intended). I came across it by pure luck: I had ordered a salmon soup for lunch, and opted for the menu – a soup, a salad, and a dessert. But I had come in pretty late, and by the time I had finished off the last drop of soup and was on my way to get my piece of blueberry cake, it had already been cleared away. „Am I too late for dessert?“, I asked, and must have looked very sad indeed when the waiter quietly nodded. „Would you like a cream bun with jam inside instead?“, his colleague asked. „We have a secret stash in the kitchen, if you don’t tell anyone, I’ll let you have one“.

If this ever happens to you, it is important you say Yes. Expect to have your mind blown. Not just by the Finnish kindness and generosity, which are incredible. But also by a Finnish cream bun.