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A subtle warning
Baltic herring with horseradish
services to keep the more remote islands inhabited year round. First stop is Örö, part of a former military zone. Since 2015 the island has been open to the public and the tourists have embraced this new destination in the archipelago with enthusiasm. From the charming little harbour the island can easily be explored on foot. Most of the cobblestone streets and army barracks date from the Russian period in the early 20th century. Many of the buildings have recently been redeveloped into restaurants and even a hotel. One impressive piece of military heritage is a 12inch artillery canon. It is a scary battery beast which eats shells weighing 500 kilograms, and can easily shoot them 45 kilometres away. Originally there were four canons, but only one remains in place today. On the far horizon, you can see the lonely Bengtskär lighthouse, constructed on a small stony island. Standing at 52 metres, it is the tallest lighthouse of the archipelago. In 1906, 34 men, women, and children lived there. In 1941 the lighthouse was the scene of a fierce battle, when the Russians unsuccessfully tried to invade it.
A few words on Finnish Cuisine Let’s be honest. When thinking of haute cuisine, Finland is not the first country that springs to mind. For many centuries, due to the harsh, unforgiving Finnish climate and the short growing season, food was often more about quantity than quality. Taste buds were still undeveloped and culinary efforts concentrated more on how to safely preserve food to last through winter. However, in recent years dedicated foodies have not only rediscovered and reinvented old traditional recipes, they have also reinvigorated the culinary industry. Their passion has not only spread to the restaurants of cities such as Helsinki, Espoo and Turku, but also to the countryside, where many restored heritage buildings have now found a new future as restaurant. Finland has four Michelin star restaurants and everywhere you go, you can find magnificent food, firmly rooted in Finland’s culinary heritage. The Turku archipelago is deliciously famous for its organically grown fresh food directly harvested from the sea or the countryside. From Baltic herring to Karelian pasties, muikku, lörtsy or kalakukko, Finnish food has a lot of tasty surprises on offer. The first mention of Karelian pasties, or as they are known in Finnish, karjalanpiirakka, dates from 1686. The filling could be made of a large variety of ingredients from rice to barley, carrots, mushroom or turnip. The dough is usually made from rye, water and a pinch of salt. The pasties are so special they have received a ‘certificate of specific character’ from the European Union.
Typical archipelago food
Muikku (photograph wiki commons)
Kalakukko
Muikku comes in many varieties, but is usually a deep-fried collection of small fish in a special spiced batter. Kalakukko is a perfectly formed rye bread with a big surprise of white fish and sometimes bacon waiting inside. Lörtsy is pastry folded in the form of a half moon and mostly filled with apple or meat. It is a pure delight to watch the quiet, slow summer sunsets from one of the archipelago island villages, in the company of some thinly crusted karjalanpiirakka or Baltic herring sushi. www.tasteoffinland.fi
Karjalanpiirakka