Freshly baked traditional rye bread (ruislimppu) at Leipomo Väyrynen. Below: The dynamic duo behind Leipomo Väyrynen: Mika and Nina Väyrynen.
confirms that it offers numerous health benefits. “There is something special about rye. We academics call it the ‘rye factor’,” explains Maria Lankinen, a researcher at the Institute of Public Health and C linical Nutrition at the University of Eastern Finland. Rye contains a much greater amount of fibre and magnesium than white bread. It possibly also lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes and prevents both cancer and cardiovascular diseases, explains Lankinen. “Rye bread definitely deserves to be called a true Finnish superfood,” Lankinen says. BAKERS IN FOUR GENERATIONS Another team of pioneering rye bakers are plying their trade in the Helsinki foodie cluster known as Teurastamo ( The Abbatoir). Mika Väyrynen has a baker gene blended into his DNA: his family used to own Primula, the renowned bakery known especially for its first-rate rye bread. When Primula’s story came to an end in 2012, Mika and his wife Nina Väyrynen, MAY–JUNE 2017
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