A Cavalcade of Four Gastronomic Seasons

Finland, land of lakes, endless forests, long winters, and light summer nights, is situated between Sweden and Russia, and Finnish cuisine re­flects its location. It draws upon the local traditions of manor kitchens, and from the culinary styles of neighbouring cultures, as well as from modern Europeanism.

Those in search of Finnish cuisine make their way to the market halls and market squares, which can be found in al­most every locality. In Helsinki, the Market Square, is much used by the city's residents, and many statesmen have savoured smoked Baltic herring bought fresh from fish­ing boats moored along the picturesque waterfront, or enjoyed their morning coffee with a fritter or a meat pie from a market stall.

The four seasons and local specialities create a colourful dis­play across the markets of Finland. In Tampere, for example, they sell hot black sausages in Finnish lingonberry sauce; in Turku raisin sausages, while in Pori in the autumn, fresh grilled river lampreys are sold in the market square. Also it is possible to try an unleavened bread.

The traditions of pasty-making in Finland come from the east. In Savo, for instance, a Finnish fish pasty is a well-known traditional dish, best bought fresh from the mar­ket squares in Kuopio. This pasty is a plump round loaf of rye bread crust filled with slices of fish and pork, and baked slowly in an oven. Another popular variety of pasty is the Karelian rice pasty, which originates in North­ern Karelia. Although people eat these pasties all over Finland, in Joensuu market square they are a genuine speciality. A thin rye dough crust is filled with rice pudding, and served warm with butter. The shape of the pasty, as a tourist once pointed out, resembles a moccasin!

As many Finns will say, rye bread is for the locals. Rye bread, whether a loaf of bread or a circu­lar-shaped one with a hole in the middle, is made of sourdough to which only water, salt and flour are added.

Incidentally, the reason for the hole in the middle of some loaves is that people used to hang them to dry on poles that stretched across the ceil­ing.

The mild sour tang typical of Finnish rye bread results from lactic fermentation and it has been used to flavour Finnish crisps, now a successful export product.

In southwestern Finland and in the archipelago offshore, sour-sweet breads and malted breads are a speciality. There is also a black bread; it is also found in northern parts of Finland, where blood may be added to pro­duce a local variety of the recipe.

Some Finnish breads are more like cakes. Pulla, a very popular Finnish bun, is usually enjoyed with coffee. Then there are cin­namon cakes, twists and rings. And pies too filled with seasonal produce: in winter with curd cheese, in spring with rhubarb, in summer with strawberries and blackberries, and in autumn with lingonberries and apples.

A survey of a Finnish buffet table will give a fair impres­sion of the variety and range of Finnish cuisine. The Finnish buffet has its own traditions, an important part of which is salted fish, includ­ing lightly salted whitefish and salmon, along with herring and Baltic herring in different kinds of sauces. Fish in aspic beats the finest international aspic dishes, and the roe of whitefish and burbot is Finnish caviar at its best. Finns eat fish with boiled potatoes.

Ex. 1. Answer the questions:

1. Where is Finland situated?

2. What food is a local specialty in Tampere?

3. How is rye bread made?

4. What is Pulla?

5. What food is a part of the Finnish traditional buffet?

Ex. 2. Remember the following words and word combinations:

cuisine; smoked Baltic herring; a meat pie; local specialities; fresh grilled river lampreys; pasty-making; a rye dough crust; rice pudding; malted breads; bun; curd cheese; rhubarb; the variety and range of Finnish cuisine; Finnish buffet; lightly salted whitefish and salmon; aspic beats; caviar; boiled potatoes.

Ex. 3. Make-up sentences using the following words. The first word is underlined.

1. Tampere, sausages, they, black, hot, sell, In.

2. Finns, with, eat, potatoes, fish, boiled.

3. breads, Finnish, more, cakes, Some, are, like.

4. very, is, popular, bun, a, Finnish, Pulla.

5. locals, is, for, Rye bread, the.

Literature

1. Mysteries of the Unknown. Barnes @ Noble Publishing, New York, 2006.

2. Knossos. The Palace of Minos. A Survey of the Minoan Civilization and a Guide to the Museum of Herakleon. Copyright CHR.Z.Mathioulakis Publisher, Athens, 2006.

3. Franco Figari. Finland. The Land of Lakes. White Star Publishers, 2002.

4. Discover Helsinki. PrePress @ printing by Frenckell, Espoo 2008.

5. USA newspaper USA TODAY.

6. Diana Zafeiropoulou. The Archaeological museum of Rhodes.

Archaeological receipts Fund. Athens, 2006.

7. Valley of Butterflies. Municipality of Petalourdes. Rhodes-Greece. 2006.

8. Nora Anastasoglou. Rhodes. The island of the sun. Michael Toubis publications S.A. Attiki, 2007.

9. Vicky Theophilopoulou. Rhodes from the 4^th c. AD to its Capture by the Ottoman Turks (1552). Palace of the grand master. Archaeological receipts Fund. Athens. 2005.

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