US ingredients not found in Finland

stannseniors · Post by **stannseniors** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:51 pm

I would like to send some US ingredients hard to find in Finland to someone who is studying cooking there. Anyone here that is in the US or has been there and knows some things that are different? I know peanut butter is something she had never tasted until recently and I will be sending peanut butter chips for cookies...anything else like herbs or other ingredients not used/bought there? thank you for any suggestions...
patty

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Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:08 pm

Jebus ridin on dinosaurs?

Wait a few for smilesalot to come back from the boonies, he's also got a fair list of "what to substitute" though I guess karen,raamv,mcowboy and a few others can give you a "what to send" and "what to substitute for what when you cannot get XYZ brand"... yoou can tell your mate to join in, as if you look down we do a lot of "cooking nights"...

And some of the s* is illegal as in foodstuffs if "imported directly" vs. licewnced via EU, so "stuff can be found". Believe me it is not "cheaper" you spend half a work day going up to the customs post office, queue up, and then need to have your care package eviscerated... We got http://www.behnfords.fi ... foreign luxus-luxus western lifestyle products...

stannseniors · Post by **stannseniors** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:09 am

thanks, I'll wait a few days to see if the others can give me some ideas. On my post office's web site the only things that were mentioned that were not allowed were; arms and weapons, human remains, live plants and animals, meat and meat products, radioactive materials and anything considered drugs or medications. Will customs really go through everything?

karen · Post by **karen** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:22 am

Most of the things are available in some form. If you're sending PB chips, you could also send some chocolate chips. I still haven't found a good substitute for chocolate chips and continue to import them. Poultry seasoning from the US is not the same as the stuff labeled as seasoning for poultry here, so I import that. I bring Mission corn tortillas and freeze them, but their normal shelf life is too short for mailing. There are corn tortillas here, but they are thick and just

. Good salsa like Pace. If you're in Texas, you can send HEB brand. That's what I always bring. However, things like that are heavy and it will cost a fortune to ship them now that you don't have the surface option. You should check into the flat rate boxes from the USPS.

What does your friend want to cook? What nationality is your friend?

stannseniors · Post by **stannseniors** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:41 am

thanks, this girl is a Fin. I belong to a snack swap blog and we partnered up so she sends me things and I send some to her. It's fun and I learn so much about different countries. I found it lucky to find this forum so I could ask...she doesn't know things that the US has and they don't and Vice-a-versa. I will definitely send peanut butter chips and Ghiradelli chocolate chips (yummy). I figured since she is studying cooking it would be good to get things like poultry seasoning (great idea) but I was unsure what things Finland has. What about things like Marjoram, sage, rosemary and other herbs etc.? Since they are dried i would think they are sold there but if they are not used much in cooking I don't know.

Karhunkoski · Post by **Karhunkoski** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:05 am

stannseniors wrote: What about things like Marjoram, sage, rosemary and other herbs etc.? Since they are dried i would think they are sold there .

Yup they are. You can check out one herb manufacturer here, whose products are stocked in the supermarkets:

http://www.meira.fi/

CLick Tuotteet

then

Mausteet

then

Maista

You will see alphabetical list of what they sell

If you need to translate anything, go here:

http://www.ilmainensanakirja.fi/dictionary.html

and choose "suomi-englanti" from the drop down box.

Sage is Salvia (not saliva

) in Finnish and is wide available here, as is rosemary.

karen · Post by **karen** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:26 am

I think all of the dried herbs are found here. The mixes are typically not found here. Like the poultry seasoning or Mrs. Dash. There is a mix called pizza seasoning, but it's not the same as Italian Seasoning. Oh, salad dressing mixes would be good. Especially Ranch and GS Italian. There is Italian dressing in bottles, but again it's not the same as the American version.

I'm getting low on my Ghirardelli chips, but my brother will be here with more in 4 weeks.

mCowboy · Post by **mCowboy** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:10 pm

I bought Valley's Own Ranch dressing from K-Kamppi.

karen · Post by **karen** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:34 pm

mCowboy wrote:I bought Valley's Own Ranch dressing from K-Kamppi.

Never heard of it. Where is it made? How does it compare to HVR?

mCowboy · Post by **mCowboy** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:39 pm

karen wrote:
mCowboy wrote:I bought Valley's Own Ranch dressing from K-Kamppi.
Never heard of it. Where is it made? How does it compare to HVR?

Well I'm no connoisseur of dressings, but tastes like Ranch dressing to me... Valley's Own was a sponsor in the recent Top Chef series that aired in SubTV, so I guess it can't be that bad. Also Benhfords sells Paul Newman's dressings incl. Ranch...

EP · Post by EP » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:05 pm

Don´t send herbs, they are all found here, and usually both dried and fresh, still growing in little pots.

How about recipies instead? And then if there is some ingredient that she cannot find she can ask for it.

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:10 pm

Texan or CA 6-pepper blend
If you are somehow able to pack a 3-cheese mix, then ..but then I doubt it ll arrive without being spoilt.
you get A1 Steak sauce but its 9Euros (14$) a bottle.

A Good Taco sauce ( apart from picante ). Heck, Even Taco bell's sachets will be worth its trip in the mail!!
seasonings of any form ll be good as its pretty pricey and most of us tend to make our own compared to the sh*t they sell in the gorcers here...
Other items of interest could be specialty coffee and items that you get in the stores like whole foods.

henryh · Post by **henryh** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:26 pm

If someone is 'studying' cooking in Finland, the last thing they would need are all the US 'processed' crapola which is basically a sub-set of anti-cooking. The question is one of just simple 'ingredients'

Had you asked this question 20-25 years ago the list would be as long as your arm or both arms. Now one can get almost anything with some effort/knowledge except save some special Latin American herbs (Mexican oregano, eg) or some Asian items - but Hämeentie has taken care of much of the latter.

Pure peanut butter is hard to find (without sugar, corn syrup, etc.) but fairly easy to make with just extra-roasting some good peanuts you have rinsed the salt off- basically rinse off salt and then roast in low oven for maybe an hour or so-and put in blender. (In actual fact one has to often hunt in US for pure PB.)

stannseniors · Post by **stannseniors** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:30 pm

You have all given me some great ideas. You told me exactly what I wanted to know about the herbs...just didn't know if they were all available. I was going to send a community cookbook so she could see what kinds of things we make from my area of the US. I will definitely include some mixes and packets of things that were suggested. Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix is actually my favorite (much better than the bottle) and I would not have thought about that. She said she has never had M&Ms so those, Reeses and chips for baking as well as anything peanut butter will be something she will enjoy. thank you all!!!
Patty

smilesalot · Post by **smilesalot** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 6:04 pm

I just saw your message of things to send, have you already sent or do you need more Ideas. One that comes to mind and even hard to find in the states is almond m&m's.
If you want more Ideas just ask

smilesalot

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