Being vegetarian in Finland

[Rosamunda]

Basically I've gone back to eating fish for protein that isn't dairy -- and let me say, if there's one country in the world where the fish is really damn good, it's Finland.

Examples?

The choice of fish in the supermarkets here is really pathetic compared to all the other countries I have lived in (excepting Hungary) and I just do not agree that the quality is better. Seafood as in molluscs and crab etc is almost non-existant. OK so there is Salmon, but most of it is intensively farmed and a recent EU report suggested that toxin levels in Norweigan salmon were so high, you should only eat it once every three months (or something like that). Which is why Finnish salmon costs 4-5 times more than the Norweigan stuff.

But then I just came back from a month in France and Spain... anyone here tasted fresh anchovies from Collioure.... wow! they are fantastic (and I thought I hated anchovies)

[PeterF]

Basically I've gone back to eating fish for protein that isn't dairy -- and let me say, if there's one country in the world where the fish is really damn good, it's Finland.

Examples?

Kuha... and Kampela...if you shop around and pick the right days.when it is tuore..fresh....if you have kids try them with Katkarapukampela which is available from some supper markets that prepare their own fish..(we are lucky in Myyrmäki two of them do this)..It is fillet of bread-crumbed kampela (flounder) stuffed with shrimps ..you can either bake them or fry them. Quick easy and kids love these Big Fish fingers with chips .
Kuha is a bit expensive but....in a creamy kanterele kastike

[Mook]

They are the real meat replacers

What is it with vegetarians wanting to eat food that has the same form as meat? (I had once had a girlfriend that made mince and tatties out of tofu)

I also have a feeling that one doesn't need that much protein in ones diet... (some once or twice a week?)

Aren't vegetables, fruit, nuts and grain/pulses enough?

[Rosamunda]

if you have kids try them with Katkarapukampela....

That sounds good... I'll have to practice saying it though before I head off to Sesto Trouble is the Middle One has a severe milk-protein allergy so I usually avoid prepared foods. What is kampela in English (I'm too lazy to look it up) ?

Stockmann does jumbo-size salmon balls which the kids like (and they are dairy free) but we are all sick of salmon.

Also, do you know where I can find smoked eel? Last year I bought some on the harbour but didn't see any yesterday when I looked. Those kind of things are never in the supermarkets.

[PeterF]

if you have kids try them with Katkarapukampela....

That sounds good... I'll have to practice saying it though before I head off . What is kampela in English (I'm too lazy to look it up) ?


Also, do you know where I can find smoked eel? Last year I bought some on the harbour but didn't see any yesterday when I looked. Those kind of things are never in the supermarkets.

Katka rapu kamp ela = flounder stuffed with shrimps.
They are always for sale in Yköshalli Myyrmäki and on Fridays in City Market Myyrmäki..In Espoo try the big super market in Siinimäentie Mankaa...or of course Stockmanns Tapiola...but they are on the delicacy counter there for some on reason not on the fish desk.

Eels..
In the market hall towards the Silja line terminal opposite that expensive restaurant with the Swedish name...daah ..cant remember its name..

[Majava]

They are the real meat replacers

What is it with vegetarians wanting to eat food that has the same form as meat? (I had once had a girlfriend that made mince and tatties out of tofu)

It's for the not-really-but-am-trying-to-be vegatarians like me. I cut back from eating meat every other day to perhaps once a week in the form of 6 meat balls or the odd slice of salami on my pizza. There's also lots of real vegetarians that used to eat meat and this is how they feel they have the same variety I guess. My girlfriend doesn't give a damn about soja that looks like a burger or meatball. It makes her even suspicious!

There's one product line I really love, the Hans Kok line of soy "meatballs" and such. Very tasty, VERY expensive.

Hans Kok? I assume you mean Hälsans Kök (...) They are the ones that I meant, when I said "Tivall". I buy the burgers. They are least expensive from their choice. So that is three products. I remember in Holland there were tens of these kind of products. And because of custumer preferences ALL eggs for sale at any supermarket are free range there! (for a lower price than the industry egss here)

[Caroline]

What is it with vegetarians wanting to eat food that has the same form as meat? (I had once had a girlfriend that made mince and tatties out of tofu)

I make those often. I have a soy-based diet and couldn't live without those kinds of choices.

It's hard to explain, but being vegetarian is an identity for many. For some it's about health issues, for others environmentalism/green living (using resources most efficiently), and animal rights. For some of us it's a combination of all 3, meaning that even if we used to like the taste of meat before we changed our diets, we still wouldn't start eating it again. I guess the notion of having "meat-like" substitutes is that you get a similar taste, while proving that there are more options than just an ordinary diet.

Isn't it sort of like "egg substitute"....people want the taste and versatility of egg without the cholesterol.

Majava put it well

this is how they feel they have the same variety

[Caroline]

There's one product line I really love, the Hälsans Kök line of soy "meatballs" and such. Very tasty, VERY expensive.

Those are my favorites too. "meatballs" and sauce and a plate of good Italian pasta= heavenly!

If you hear of a way to buy those wholesale, let me know!

[simakun]

I personally avoid the mock meat stuff cos the only way to get wheat gluten or a soy derivative to taste like chicken or pork is if it undergoes some serious chemical adulteration plus lotsa msg. the chinese restaurants have made such mutations an art form. their kitchens probably resemble a laboratory. even in helsinki some supermarkets and practically all the asian grocery stores will sell canned mock meat and they all come from east asia.

[Rosamunda]

And explains why so many vegetarians are overweight... too much carb and too much salt.

[happeningfish]

I like the meat-esque stuff because it makes cooking easier -- I used to use ground beef, now I use the soy stuff as a replacement in similar recipes. I like veggie cold cuts 'cause they're great in sandwiches. It's not really that I have bought into meat culture or any such thing.

I have the same problem with my vegetarian cooking as Anthony Bourdain does -- it's much more difficult to make a really delicious meal without animal products and requires a lot of know-how about flavours and vegetables, which I don't have (yet). My vegetarian borscht is very rockin', but my stir-fry still kinda sucks. And I can't -- no, I just won't -- live on seven types of bland a week.

And Hank, not all veggies are in it just for the eco-friendly. And there are lots of options for vegetarians here, they're just not nearly as good as they are in North America at the moment. I just wonder why it costs so much less when you hire someone to raise and kill a big ol' animal.

[gavin]

We have incosors for a reason.

Grrr.

[happeningfish]

We have large brains and the ability to make informed choices for a reason, too.

Sorry, I've heard that argument sooooooooooooooooooooo many times, it's just not working for me anymore! Besides, the question isn't whether or not one should be a vegetarian, but how easy/difficult it is to be one in Finland.

[Mai]

I can see it can be hard to be vegetarian here if you are not ready to change your eating habbits from what it was back 'home'. It just is the fact that this is not the land of fresh exotic fruit and veggies, and no whining will change the fact that those things don't grow here. Lack of pre-made veggies dishes also is true, it probably is because most vegetarians here like to cook their own food and ready made stuff just doesn't sell well enough. Maybe you want to write to shops about it, there might be possibility to change it if many enough write and ask.

I have lot of vegetarian friends, and they all cook their own food. With some imagination and using fresh seasons vegetables you can make incredible yummy and healthy food.

Being vegetarian here is as difficult as you want to make it.

[Caroline]

I can see it can be hard to be vegetarian here if you are not ready to change your eating habbits from what it was back 'home'. It just is the fact that this is not the land of fresh exotic fruit and veggies, and no whining will change the fact that those things don't grow here.

I'm not sure that it's an issue of what grows here, but rather what consumer demand is, combined with what people are willing to pay for expensive imported produce. Where I'm from the climate isn't favorable for growing a lot of foods either, but they are all available because consumers want them, and there is no tax on food, so it keeps the prices reasonable. It is hard to convince the average Finn, for whom a bowl of porridge, a slice of black bread coated with butter and a slice of ham, and a cup of coffee is a meal fit for a king. However, in the few years that I've been here, I've noticed more diversity of products, both grown produce and prepared or processed foods.