On the belly menu today,the man who invented the menu, the rudest chef in the world and the one with the cutest little boy smile, reindeer week in Helsinki, peach Melba and the Kylie Minogue mango.  To celebrate the return of sister Bernadette (of the Canonised Casserole this week) we finally took off to weird and wonderful Finland, and the magnificent Lilith the belly astrogourmet will be cooking with the stars for those sexy troublemakers, Scorpio.  Seasoned with plenty of tango, which just seems right for Scorpio.
Well that was the plan…. Then we talked about elves just a bit too much, always a dangerous thing to do in Byron Bay.  I swear mischievous gods and creatures of all kinds keep a close eye on the rainbow region – too much teasing and your day goes banana shaped.  Anyway the lovely Lilith was mugged by elves as she stepped into the studio and all her fabulous scorpio info disappeared.  She looked under various toadstools and in the car, no good, so for all those predictably fascinating Scorpio chefs please tune in next week.  Revolutionary Auguste Escoffier (he got his chefs to drink barley water while working rather than booze for a start), bad boy Gordon Ramsay and cute boy Curtis Stone will definitely feature.  The bonus is that next week’s guest, Nancy-Jo, and Lilith are old friends and larger than life, so it should be fun.
We did manage to bring you lots of news and talk about Finland before the elves stepped in.

One of the most popular Finnish foods - cheese!

THE BELLY BULLETIN

The Tenth Biodiversity conference finished late last Friday in Nagoya, Japan.  It covered many issues aimed at stopping the current rapid loss of species, and brought together countries with very different priorities.  The most difficult discussion was aimed at fighting biopiracy, the unauthorised use of genetic material.  Several cases have involved traditional foods which have also been used for their medical benefits for many generations, like South African rooibos tea or turmeric in India.  Many food seeds have also been “collected” without compensation to the traditional owners.  Unexpectedly, the conference managed to come up with an agreed protocol on how to handle access and benefit sharing of genetic materials, although commentators are already saying key sections are very vague and subject to the future interpretation and goodwill of participants.  But the protocol is at least a start on a very  contentious area, and also includes compounds that are derived from the original genetic materials.
Lots more info at :
http://www.unep.org/Themes/Biodiversity/Information_materials/cop10.asp
http://ictsd.org/i/news/bridgesweekly/92903/#respond
or search for “access and benefit sharing ”

If your parents were born overseas in a country where most people are svelte and slender like most of Asia, you might think that your genes protect you from becoming a chubby Australian.  Professor Bruce Hollingworth from Monash University has just conducted a study that proves you’d better watch out and eat your greens.  In just one generation, Australian children of migrants are catching up with the obesity rates of their peers – getting a whole lot tubbier in the case of children of Asian migrants, and a little thinner for the kids of migrants from Suthern Europe.  The Professor thinks this is either due to giving up traditional diet and exercise, or  that “overweight and obesity become normalised by peers”.  Nearly 33% of Australian adults are overweight.

US researchers from the University of North Carolina say they have found a “tipsy” gene that explains why some people feel the effects of alcohol quicker than others.
The 10 to 20 % of people who have the “tipsy” version of the gene break down alcohol more readily, so they feel the effects of alcohol much faster.The gene may offer some protection against alcoholism, as people who react strongly to alcohol are less likely to become addicted.  Meantime in Lebanon, organisers of a wine festival in Beirut poured around 100 bottles of Lebanese wine into a giant glass, 2.4 metres high and 1.65 metres wide, to successfully break the world record for the biggest wine glass.

Mango season is hotting up, and you could soon be slurping into a ripe juicy Kylie Minogue. The ABC reports that three new varieties of mango have been developed in the Northern Territory, and Primary Industry Minister Kon Vatskalis wants one of them named after our Kylie.  “I think Kylie should be so lucky to have this mango variety named after her,” Mr Vatskalis said.
The mangoes have been developed over 16 years under the National Mango Breeding Program, a joint venture between the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and the CSIRO.

Are you inspired by food and are you an artist or is the thought of food enough to drive you to become an artist right now this minute?  Then submit an artwork in any medium to Still at the Centre Gallery on the Byron arts and industry estate by November 27.  Details of the Eat/Paint/Love exhibition are on the web at www.the-centre.com.au.  The opening on December 10 sounds like it will be fun too if you just want to look at the foodie art.

FABULOUS FINLAND

There’s a wild, underpopulated country, about as  far away from Australia as you can get – not in outer Khazakstan, but in much visited Europe – it’s called Finland, and if you’re thinking of taking your very valuable Aussie dollars for a spin, I strongly recommend it – maybe even for some of the food.  After all, Scandinavia is the new Spain among foodies.
Finland is the size of  Germany, but only has 5.3 million inhabitants, only 2%foreign born, and has been veryisolated for most of its history, so many Finns look similar – like smiley, well fed elves.  They live among 200 thousand lakes, 70% of the dry land is covered with forest.

They are the world’s no. 1 coffee consumers, 10kg a head, almost 6 cups a day,
friendly, welcoming, English speaking (they have one of the world’s most obscure languages, only similar to that popular lingua franca, Estonian). They like a drink – so there are many good bars, but apparently in winter many people only go out after a few too many drinks at home, so the bars get a bit rowdy)
They invented the sauna and there is 1 for every 2 people – cos  Finland is cooold – all year round apart from the occasional heat wave.  Winter is long and dark, we went in June, early summer, and it was colder than our North Coast winter, but light almost 24 hours a day.  It is really the place to  experience the seasons – in summer Finns are out in the streets, at open air markets, summer restaurants on lakes, or out to lake or seaside holiday houses, almost all Finn families have one – each with a sauna.
Until very recently there was little choice of foods, because of the short growing season, so there are lots of traditional pickles,preserves, rather than fresh veg, although root vegetables, especially spuds, are popular.  One reason for the Vikings to sack Europe – get food supplies!
The government is trying hard to get Finns to eat a healthier diet – butter is still sold in minimum 1 kilo packs, and there is lots of cheese in the diet, but they now have a ‘vegetable of the year’.
Finland is a good place to experience real seasonality in food, even these days when most of our food is shipped all over the world. Even in the capital, Helsinki, you will see a lot of the same basic ingredients depending on the season, with the provenance very proudly and prominently displayed when locally grown/made, and usually much more expensive.  If something is Suomi – Finn for Finn – you will know.
Our early summer visit was the season of  salmon and strawberries, although in restaurants there were still many meaty casseroles, often stodgy and heavy.
Smogasbord rules and is often a good option – for breakfast in hotels, lunch in restaurants, it includes many salads, and breads,smoked

lunchtime smogasbord on Finnish design crockery - simple and satisfying

fish – all sorts and sizes – even smoked small prawns, which were great.
We also tried a bit of Rudolph – smoked reindeer. You can also get reindeer salami and dried meat, lean,dark red,intense. Right now is the time to get fresh reindeer, it is all sold in October/November when the herds come back from roaming the tundra.  Helsinki restaurants have 6 week “reindeer weeks”, at other times it is mostly only available frozen.
Helsinki has some highly regarded fusion restaurants.  The best known is the Michelin starred Chez Dominique.  Others are part of a Scandinavia-wide rediscovery of food traditions, and serve a  locally focused “Helsinki menu”, local food from reputable local producers.
We found the most interesting food was at markets. In summer, all year covered market halls sprout open market stalls which are lively meeting spots.   Kauppahalli and kauppatori are in various parts of town and offer fresh veg and meats, pies, soups, pastries, cheese, including the very traditional ‘bread cheese’- like a big round paneer,baked on an open fire.

leipa juusto-bread cheese or squeaky cheese

There is also a strong coffee and pastry culture, most times of day are good occasions for a coffee and sticky bun – or pulla, cardamom scented yeast temptations that come in many varieties.  The breads are so good that I went looking for a Scandinavian bread cookbook (I didn’t find one by the way, if you know a good one).  Fabulous shapes,huge loaves, loaves with holes to store on a rod,small and square, different grains, textures, crispbreads. And often really healthy tasting but delicious.  Rye is so popular that apparently there is even a  Mcrye under Finnish golden arches.

And finally, the food was occasionally a bit basic but  Finnish glassware, crockery, cloth,furniture will always make it taste better – clean but quirky, designs several decades old that still look cutting edge but often fun, playful, colourful but stylish.  Famous Finn design names like Iittala, Marimekko,  Arabia,  have both fancy stores and outlets in Helsinki. Flea markets are also very popular and cheap,and part of a really strong commitment to reusing and recycling.  If you think a red bin and a yellow bin is hard, try about a dozen types of bins!

Here are a few links that will tell you more – there are tons of websites with information about Finland.

http://eat.fi/helsinki – this is an amazing site with real time indications of which restaurants are open – I’ve never seen one like this in Australia, very useful, also links to reviews

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/travel/travel_to_eat/food_in_finland_quiet_culinary_revolution.shtml – a good summary of the current Finnish food scene

http://www.finlandforthought.net/2010/06/21/which-finnish-grocery-store-should-i-choose/ – a funny discussion on Finnish food that starts in the supermarkets and ends up commenting on the whole social structure

http://www.finlandinsider.com/finnish-food-attraction.html – a description of a Finnish market hall

http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/eat-and-drink/13128-gourmet-touch-brings-out-subtleties-of-reindeer.html – all about reindeer on your plate, and lots of other articles from the Helsinki English language paper

And here is sister T’s favourite recipe.   I am pretty sure I ate these rolls and they
are delicious.

OAT FLAKE BREAD

600 mL        (rolled oat flakes)
250 mL         (dark wheat flour)
1½ tsp             salt
1 tsp                 baking soda
600 mL       sour milk
50 grams (2 oz.)   melted butter
Mix the dry ingredients. Add the sour milk and the melted butter; make a smooth batter. Allow the batter to swell up for approximately thirty minutes. Spread the batter on a greased baking paper placed on an oven tray and bake at 250 degrees Celsius (480 F) in the middle of the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Cut into pieces and eat while warm with butter or cheese.

www.foodfromfinland.com

SOUR MILK – In recipes, soured milk created by the addition of an acid or by bacterial fermentation can often be used interchangeably. For example, 1 cup of cultured buttermilk, a soured milk produced by bacterial fermentation, can be replaced by 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup. The chemically soured milk can be used after standing for 5 minutes.

And this one is sister B’s.  You’ll need somewhere to make an open fire, just right for outdoor-loving Finns.

GLOW FRIED SALMON

from “Under the Midnight Sun” by Liisa Rasimus
Ajatus Kirjat 2005
A lovely cookbook that follows the Finnish Seasons

serves 6

a whole 1.5 Kg salmon
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper
100mL/7 tbsp melted butter

Open up the fish on the belly side and carefully remove the backbone without damaging the skin, so that the two fillets remain joined on the dorsal side.  Sprinkle the inner flesh with salt, sugar and pepper and leave for a few hours in a cold place.  Fasten the salmon, skin side down, onto a wooden board by means of wooden nails.
Prop the board up against an outdoor open fire so that the glow of the fire heats and cooks the fish.  Brush the fish several times during the cooking process, which will take 1-2 hours depending on the size of the fish and the distance from the fire.

Sister T

EDIBLE QUOTE

NICK BARLOW in the Helsinki Times reviewing reindeer tenderloin
“if I closed my eyes when eating I could taste the Arctic tundra and the Northern winds on my tongue, smell the scent of fresh lingonberries and hear the lowing of the reindeer themselves.”

…  wonder if Rudolph the red nosed reindeer is a popular carol in Finland : “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, had a very tasty sauce…” But seriously, it is a local, sustainable ingredient, lean and healthy, ticks all the boxes.