Meet Finland's Wild Food Experts

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Meet some of the local wild food experts

Meet Finland's Wild Food Experts

Finland is a treasure land for wild food enthusiasts. Every year, when the winter season turns into spring all the chefs go crazy exploring the nearby forests, fields and seashores that fill with greenery of herbs and plants fit for the Northern climate. Wild food – berries, mushrooms, wild herbs and vegetables as well as fish, game and reindeer – is derived straight from Arctic Finnish nature.

It is truly hard to find a Finn who has not ever been gathering some wild food. Finland has a strong tradition of picking berries and mushrooms, supported by the Everyman’s Right of public access to the wilderness. Fishing is of great interest in the land of thousands of lakes and islands. Finland’s hunting culture is based on active members and hunting communities. Wild foods leave a very small ecological foot print. Their taste is unique. Wild foods are often considered superfoods.

Chef and forager Sami Tallberg is one of Finland’s wild food ambassadors. For Sami, wild food is not only game, rather everything that grows in nature you can eat. He uses wild herbs, plants and vegetables for creative decoration and for preparing entire menus and dishes. Sami’s most recent love affair is with elm fruits with a taste of apricots and a fragrance of jasmine. Also light green and sleek spring season leaves of maple are perfect to make your own spring rolls! Sami’s tips for Finnish wild food restaurants are Grön and Cargo in Helsinki and Kaskis in Turku.
Another wild food specialist Ilkka Isotalo from Restaurant C in Tampere has always been inspired by Tallberg’s work. He has realized, that food is becoming an important kick off (reason) for traveling. Ilkka is happy to finally notice a growing boom of wild food restaurants in Finland. “Even I have served wild food in my restaurant for years now, the kitchen of the nature still teaches something new every year.” Ilkka’s favorite wild food is resin that is a perfect cure for the body, not only for the stomach. He eats also lots of fermented foods that are good for the soul.

In Restaurant C food is never from far away – surrounded by two fresh water lakes, clean forests and farming land. Common polypody root is a tastemaker for their homemade ice cream and vinaigrettes whereas lovage is used for both sweet and salty treats. Sweet vernal grass is used for its taste similar to cinnamon. Ilkka Isotalo hosts also a seasonal pop up restaurant for one week in August at Rekola biodynamic garden. The restaurant has only 25 seats offering fresh, local and seasonal produce from the region.
Ossi Paloneva talks about the future of food. He runs a newly established fast food restaurant EGG in Helsinki and hosted a wild food summer pop up restaurant Villd in Vaasa on the Western coast of Finland. For Ossi the future food is most of all wild, vegetarian and vegan. “You can make cheese of yellow peas and sunflower seeds, and you find both here in Finland.” He also thinks we should grow more food in the middle of the urban areas.
Ossi is inspired of the way of the wild – “Wild foods are the core of life, they teach us how to respect the nature, our roots and origins and eat according to seasons.” We Finns have been a bit too shy about our food culture. Ossi thinks a facelift for Finnish mushrooms such as sheep polypore is needed. “It is the coolest fleshy tasting meat substitute of all times!” The best thing about wild food is the never-ending season; you can collect and eat endlessly from the same plant or veggie – starting with gemmas, moving on to leaves, then berries and last but not the least, the seeds. The wild food season is every season.
Restaurant Grön in Helsinki was chosen the restaurant of the year in 2016. Toni Kostian, the owner and forager, is the chef of the year in Finland in 2015. The dishes are simple but elegant, beautifully detailed and pure in taste. Here you can also try many fermented wild foods, learn about cooking methods and pairing of wild foods.
Birch sap is collected early in the spring before the new leaves blossom. It is considered as a local super food – a healthy drink and cure for the stomach, it even makes a lovely souvenir. Birch leaves are good for herbal teas and other warm drinks mixed with nettle or wild mint.
Lingonberry grows throughout Finland. The best time to pick lingonberries is from late August to early October. These berries contain a significant amount of vitamin E. Lingonberries can be used as an ingredient in berry soups, porridge, casseroles, baked goods and juice or as garnish for any type of wild meats, vegetarian dishes and they also look good on smoothie bowls.

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Article

Meet some of the local wild food experts

Meet Finland's Wild Food Experts

Related Links

Kaskis

Restaurant Grön

Cargo

Restaurant C

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