What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

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nunutoj
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Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:52 am

What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by nunutoj » Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:09 am

Hello,

planning to experience northern Lapland next month.
Will visit Sami museums and will ski in Saariselkä.

I'd like to read suggestions about what I could buy once there.
I like salmiakki and salted dried meat (similar to jerky) very much, so I thought that even if I never tasted reindeer meat, kuivaliha would be a good choice.

I also saw pictures of traditional reindeer fur shoes and I think they are very nice.

What else would you recommend?

Thank you



What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

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wolf80
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Location: Helsinki

Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by wolf80 » Tue Feb 05, 2019 5:23 pm

So you are going for the full tourist trap? Good for you!

nunutoj
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Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by nunutoj » Sun Feb 10, 2019 3:38 pm

What do you mean? Could you please tell me more?
Thank you

heretostay
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Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by heretostay » Mon Feb 11, 2019 1:11 am

Go to SIIDA the Sami museum in Imari which is not far from Ivalo. They also have a gift shop. That way you can avoid a lot of the tourist trap stuff.

nunutoj
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Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by nunutoj » Mon Feb 11, 2019 9:10 pm

Ok I will do as you suggest.
Is it the same shop or better than Näkkäläjärvi shop?

Thank you

heretostay
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Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by heretostay » Mon Feb 11, 2019 10:32 pm

Näkkäläjärvi Is good. More variety than the museum shop but be careful because they will also have a lot of touristy mass produced stuff there mixed in.

nunutoj
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Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by nunutoj » Mon Feb 11, 2019 11:02 pm

I see, thank you.
Is the food (dried meat, jams) legit or should I look somewhere else in the area? Or for the dried meat it's better to contact reindeer herders directly?
How can I tell the mass produced stuff from the real stuff?

heretostay
Posts: 637
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 12:54 pm

Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by heretostay » Tue Feb 12, 2019 4:19 am

The food should be fine and not mass produced. Also try the grocery store next door. They might have the foods cheaper.

FinnGuyHelsinki
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Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by FinnGuyHelsinki » Tue Feb 12, 2019 7:48 am

nunutoj wrote:
Mon Feb 11, 2019 11:02 pm
How can I tell the mass produced stuff from the real stuff?
What do you mean by "real"? Not just anyone can e.g. produce food items for commercial sales, one has to have approved facilities and whatever else in order to do that. To an extent, it will have to be mass produced so that it can be sold in a shop. Check the label for manufacturer/producer if you want something that has been made locally. As for reindeer, in Finland (and the Nordics), they exist only in Lapland (mostly roaming free, they're not farm animals), so if it says "reindeer meat" on the label, you can be quite certain you're getting the "real stuff".

nunutoj
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Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:52 am

Re: What are truly Sami food or items/art I could buy once in Lapland?

Post by nunutoj » Sun Feb 17, 2019 10:05 pm

heretostay wrote:
Tue Feb 12, 2019 4:19 am
The food should be fine and not mass produced. Also try the grocery store next door. They might have the foods cheaper.
Which one is the grocery store next door? Is it near Näkkäläjärvi shop?
Which products would you recommend more and how can I spot mass produced tourist traps?
FinnGuyHelsinki wrote:
Tue Feb 12, 2019 7:48 am
nunutoj wrote:
Mon Feb 11, 2019 11:02 pm
How can I tell the mass produced stuff from the real stuff?
What do you mean by "real"? Not just anyone can e.g. produce food items for commercial sales, one has to have approved facilities and whatever else in order to do that. To an extent, it will have to be mass produced so that it can be sold in a shop. Check the label for manufacturer/producer if you want something that has been made locally. As for reindeer, in Finland (and the Nordics), they exist only in Lapland (mostly roaming free, they're not farm animals), so if it says "reindeer meat" on the label, you can be quite certain you're getting the "real stuff".
Please let me explain. I meant things that are truly part of the tradition of Lapland and that have been made there.

I apologize for the entertaining and silly example, but for example I would prefer avoiding buying kuivaliha which is made of beef or pork meat or carved items made in China or contemporary cartoon characters carved out of antlers, since I assume that they have never been part of either Sami or Finnish culture.

Thank you


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