Alan and Alex's Food Adventures in Finland

Photo from caliparisien's photostream on Flickr.com of a goose berry martini

My friends, Alan and Alex, from the infamous "international club" recently returned from a trip to the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Sweden and Norway. Although I have never been there myself, I hope to make a trip sometime. Meanwhile, the boys were so thoughtful to send me pics and point out some food and drink highlights from their trip.

First up is the delicious and interesting twist on the Bloody Mary, using beet root juice, aptly named the "Beet Root Mary". They had this in Helsinki in a restaurant called Juuri. (click here to see their menu in English). Juuri's speciality is "sapas," a Finnish version of tapas.

Here they are snacking on some "carrot butter" with some amazing looking hearty bread.

Here is a photo that has samples of what the restaurant offers for the "sapas".

Included above are dishes like: Smoked vendace from Pielinen and egg sauce, Beetroot and nut stew and small mushrooms, Roasted swede with cauliflower purée, Crayfish- cottage cheese filled cabbage leaves with melted dill butter, Lingonberry marinated salmon on maltbread with tarragon-garlic oil, Egg cheese spiced with oregano baked on top of straws, Turnip bread and garlic butter seasoned with lovage, Freshly salted whitefish with confit made of tomatoes...... to name a few.

(Now the guys didn't order all of this! I found this picture on Flickr.com and just wanted to share with you a few of the other sapas that are available at this restaurant!)

Alan said that it was berry season and I quote, ".... at the market we found it was deFINetely berry season, every type of berry: sea-buck thorns, lingon, cloud, goose, red, black and white currants- besides the more common - 'Farm Out'." Guess we will have to ask Alan what the last one is! Not sure if that is a pun or a real berry! If I know him, he made it up! Too many berries on his brain!


Thanks guys for sharing all of this with us! Looking forward to your next food adventure!