My Helsinki Culinary Adventure

On Thursday night I had a traditional Lapland dinner with Jari (a salesman for the company I work for), Anders and Thomas (two gentlemen I worked with while in Helsinki) at a place called Saaga. I’ll admit it, I was a little hesitant at first, but it was really, really good. Jari ordered appetizers: “A selection of nine Lappish delicacies” which included cold smoked salmon, halibut prepared in a traditional manner (read: I don’t know how it was prepared), reindeer sausage, potatoes, and a mushroom salad thingy (kind of like a potato salad) that was really yummy!

For my main course, I had “sautéed reindeer served with mashed potatoes, lingonberries and pickled cucumber.” Although I never really wanted to eat reindeer, I figured “what the heck, when in Rome” (or Helsinki as the case may be). I actually liked it.

At the beginning of the meal, the gents each had a “traditional Lappish liqueur.” When I asked what it was, they were describing the type of berry that the drink was made from. They kept saying “cloudberry” but since I wasn’t familiar with the word, they weren’t sure if they were translating it correctly. We consulted the English menu – sure enough, cloudberry. Am I the only one who has never heard of it? Please tell me it’s not just me. Props to Jari, Anders and Thomas, though, because it’s difficult enough to explain something in your native language to a person who literally doesn’t know what you’re talking about, let alone in foreign language. I felt like Veruca Salt in the Gene Wilder Willy Wonka movie: Cloudberries? Who’s ever heard of a cloudberry? (Of course, I wasn’t snotty about it) Anywho, when we looked at desserts and I saw “Lappish cheese on a cast iron pan served in cinnamon cream with cloudberry jam,” I knew there was no other option (unless, of course, there had been something chocolate).

found a picture of a cloudberry online - I LOVE the internet

Jari was really cute during dinner – even if I had wanted to order an alcoholic drink (which, of course, I didn’t), there’s no way I could have. Jari, who knows I’m a Mormon, made sure the wait staff knew that I needed non-alcoholic drinks. It was very nice that he was taking care of me.

It was a great evening – the company and the conversation was as good as the food – even better, actually. The service was a little slow so we ended up being at the restaurant for 3 ½ hours, but it worked out.

Just a side note in reference to “Do you speak English?” I ordered a water. The waiter – whose native language is NOT English – asked if I wanted it fizzy or still. Hmmm…