International Markets in Finland

Pizza with rucola - delicious too.

I spend most of the Friday at International Market with my brother. It was a wonderful day with lots of  food experiences and the atmosphere at the market area was great. I am much looking forward the next year.

They were lots of things to buy and see. Sausages from several different countries, bakery products from Greece, Italy and France, pizzas, biscuits, woodwork, toys, dishes and lots of another things!

Here are some photos of the area. We went there first thing in the  morning so it was not totally crowded yet. It was nicer like that. Later during the day there started to be much more people and going around the area was not that easy anymore but still all right. It was much fun to visit there.

I especially loved the Italian pizza. They made several different types pizza. My favorite was pizza Margherita and it was simply awesome! The crust was heavenly, the tomato sauce was the best tomato sauce I have ever tasted! Simple ingredients made such  awesome result!

Neulamuikku

There was also Finnish small vendace called Neulamuikku (Needle vendace). Most people  like them a lot. You can buy them in most outdoor market places and usually they are pretty popular thing to eat. I am not a huge fan of them even though I do like most of the fishes I have eaten. But they are a nice experience though and they do smell sort of nice when being cooked.

Asante Koru

One of the most interesting was Asante Koru's (Asante jewellery) booth. They sold jewellery made by women in Kenya. Asante Koru buys the jewellery the women make and that way the women and their families will have better income and they are able to school their children. I always like things that are fairly made and paid. 

There were quite a few sausages and cheeses in the market area. At least France, Germany and Spain had they sausages and I think that Holland had too. There were so many that is was hard to keep track of them all. 

Spanish Chorizo

Sausages from France

I think these were from Holland

Italian cheese

Cheeses were quite popular too. especially Italian cheese booths were quite crowded and in times you needed to line up to get the sample for tasting. Holland did not have that much people in front of their booth. 

I love Mediterranean food! Actually my family eats much of that and mostly Cretan. Once a week, usually on Fridays we have Meze table. Our children love that and when I was sick for a long time about a year ago, that is what they missed from our everyday life. Meze table was and still is the one that we all wait all week. So if we are not cooking Finnish food, we most likely are cooking Cretan or Greek food. But I like to test new recipes from all over the world so new recipes are always welcome.  At the market I especially enjoyed the colorful Mediterranean table which had lots of olives, onions, loukumi, baklava and much much more.

Wooden toys were really pretty and most of the wooden toys were such that inspired the imagination and developed problem solving skills. That's always great. And wood is always nicer than plastic - too bad that they can't make Legos out of wood! :D

Italian biscuits were also great. I bought a couple of different kids of them and they were really sweet. Tasty but really sweet - one biscuit at a time was enough. The children seemed to love them a lot and they asked if I could buy them next year too. The biscuits were like a work of art!

The same place sold also Italian chocolates but those I had to skip this year. Couldn't really buy all the things I saw. Sadly.

The Italian booths were wonderful. Those reminded me of my trip to Italy about 20 years ago. I visited Verona and Venice while staying in one of the small village by the Lake Garda. It was beautiful place with lots of kind, helpful people and good food. I also loved the historical sights like medieval castles and such. I wish I could see all those places again and those I missed since week just wasn't enough to see all that I would have wanted to see.

Travelling is wonderful but it does cost awfully much if you have to pack the whole family with you. So since I can't go to see the world I am being happy when the world comes to see me! International markets is the very best thing for that. :)

I very much enjoyed the busker. Inca music is beautiful and so are the instruments which are used for playing it. It was pure pleasure to observe the skillful playing. I am glad that this music can be heard in other times too when visiting the cities - especially during the summer time.

Candy Fruits. I think I could have eaten them all! They looked so wonderfully colorful and tasted fresh. There were chocolate covered apples and grapes too. And all of them looked lovely. One stomach was simply not enough while going around the market area and seeing all that inviting food which waited to be tasted.

What I was happy about was that I found Åland's Black Bread which  is simply delicious bread. One of the very best. Now I got it again. Of course I could also make it myself at some point... a thought that should be made into reality. Someday I guess.

The ciders were an interesting find. They are made in a small island, in Kökar which is in the middle of the Sea of Åland. There used to be a convent. Now the ciders are prepared there by using the traditional methods of the Franciscan Friars. All ingredients are from the nature. Sadly I couldn't try this one this year but next year I sure will! I just hope they have this then too!

There were a couple of Greek booths too. One sold bread, halva and small pies. The other one sold food to be eaten on the market place. We ate there and we chose Chicken Gyros. That was quite nice. I also have a weakness for Greek feta spinach pies. They are so lovely!

In one point I found this small little selling table with Finnish handcraft from Lappland. The things on the table reminded me a lot of the time I spent in Rovaniemi where my grandparents lived.

The whole market area was full of wasps this year. They flew here and there. Ate all the sweet things like dried fruits, jams, baklavas...But for some reason they did not touch on the things that were sold on the The British Fudge Company. I am not sure but maybe the wasps favored  more natural products. Looks that fudges were soaked in food colorings - but they sure did look pretty though!

I have always loved native american jewellery. This time, however, I bought nothing from the booth even though I did want to. The necklaces looked really beautiful but I was about to blow up my budget already.

Next thing I ran into was Prezels. There  were many different kinds but I prefer the salty one. It's nice to taste the dough and not hide it under all the cheese or ham. But cheese can be good on it too so does the pumpkin seeds and such. Variety is great so that everyone can choose the one they like the most.

Watching for the baker at work was nice too. Maybe I managed to learn a few trick for the time when I try to make Pretzels on my own! 

Different sorts of Strudels seemed quite popular too. I have once made a strudel before. It had apples and raisins inside and since I am not such a big fan of raisins which are used like that I did not care much of it. The apple part was delicious though! The booth at the market carried lots of different sorts of strudels - even blueberry-quark strudel which seemed rather interesting but my stomach was starting to be quite full already so I decided that after tasting pizzas, gyros, sausages and heaven knows what else, I couldn't really eat a thing!

After all the delicious bakery products it was nice to see fresh berries and veggies. It is still  blueberry season. But soon it will change into a mushroom season and lingonberry season.

All in all the day at the International Market was absolutely marvelous and I can't wait for the next year. I think I will see some of these booths before that, since I know that a few of them like to visit at the Helsinki Christmas Markets and I think the whole family will  head there once the time comes. Christmas markets are wonderful!

Beetroot Sourdough Bread

I still have dried beetroot in the pantry. Now I really have to use them quite fast since new harvest is on the way. I think I also need to check do I still have dried courgettes and carrots too. Those can be easily used in breads.

Yesterday I decided to use some of it in the bread I was making. It turned out really good. The children said it was the best bread ever. I was supposed to grind it into a powder but the pieces were so hard that my little machine could not handle it so I decided to mix some powdered beetroot and beetroot pieces which got soft after I soaked them for awhile. The end result was really good. I used about 50 grams into the bread in the picture. made the second one with about 100 grams and I think that was better one even though the smaller amount of beetroot was quite nice too. I guess it depends do you want lots of beetroot or little less. The beetroot also creates a little reddish color. It was quite pretty that way.

I like using vegetables in breads since that way you eat more veggies and don't even notice it. They also make a great difference in the dough. I highly recommend using them.

300 grams (10.582 oz) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)
600 g ( 1.323 lb) lukewarm water
900-1000 grams (1.984 - 2.205 lb) all purpose flour
3 tsp salt
50-100 grams ( 1.764 - 3.527 oz) dried beetroot (you can use small pieces or grounded)
some olive oil ( I never measure this)

The Taika mug by Iittala

Mix the sourdough, water, and salt. Mix well and add the flour. Mix and add the oil. Knead for a while, lett the dough rest for about 30 minutes and then knead some more to get that viscosity. Once the dough feels right shape the dough into a bread and tuck it in to sleep on a papered baking tray for about 6-8 hours. Bake in the 200 °C (400°F) for about an hour or so.

Beetroot gave a nice taste for the bread. It is probably one of the best root vegetables to be used in dough.

Sourdough Carrot Buns

It really is hot in Finland. The heat wave has been upon us for some time now and my family thinks it could already go away. Warm is nice but hot is not.  Makes me wish winter would already be here. But that's how it is. You are never happy with what you have and you always think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Well, since it is so hot baking is pure pain when the oven spreads more warm air around the house. So, now I bake only what we really need and that is the daily bread. And today is time to make some delicious carrot buns by using the sourdough starter - which is probably the only one who loves the warm climate we now have. It's constantly hungry and demanding more food. Seems that our sweet little pet has turned into a monster! :D


300 g (10.582 oz) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)
appr. 300 grams (10.582 oz) grated carrots
600 g ( 1.323 lb) lukewarm water
appr. 1000-1200 grams (2.205 - 2.646 lb) all purpose flour
3 tsp salt
3 tbsp honey
some olive oil ( I never measure this)

1. Peel and grade the carrots.
2. Mix the sourdough starter, lukewarm water, graded carrots and salt.
3. Add the flour. Mix and knead. Add more flour if needed. Add the oil.
4. Let the dough rest about 15-30 minutes.
5. Knead some more and make about 25 buns.
6. Leaven them on the papered baking tray for about 4 hours or so.

7. Bake in the 225°C (450°F) for about 20 minutes.

These were quite nice but I think I want more carrot in them so next time I am going to add more of it. This is similar amount of carrot I have seen in a bread that was sold at the stores a couple of years ago. But now that I think of it, it was nice bread and I liked it but I remember complaining then too that it had too little carrot in it. So maybe tomorrow our buns will have double amount of carrot. But to you all who don't wish to eat bread with that much carrot, this amount I used today will probably be just perfect.

Sourdough Courgette Buns

The last couple of days have been very interesting ones. We had a thunder storm during which we lost one of our pine trees and today another one needed to be cut down since it wouldn't have lasted the next storm. It was a close call that the tree did not fell on our house. Today I managed to somehow bake some buns between the normal chores and the tree disaster.

Today's buns are delicious. I decided to add about 4 cups of courgettes in it since well I have lots of courgettes and I hate throwing food away so if we are not going to eat them in salads or dishes we need to use them on baking! So that's why I ended up making these today.

Buns are usually always a bit more tastier than bread. There is more of that delicious crust and somehow it seems to taste sweeter on buns. And it's also nice to have that nice size little bun in your hand. And it's all yours to enjoy!

After working outside it's nice to have fresh buns straight from the oven. Butter them, let it melt on the bun and eat. After all the wood chopping and carrying these buns disappeared in no time!

300 g (10.582 oz) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)
appr. 1 liter (appr. 4-5 cups) graded courgettes 600 g (1.323 lb) lukewarm water

1000-1200 grams (2.205 - 2.646 lb) all purpose flour2-3 tsp salt
some olive oil ( I never measure this)

1. Grade the courgettes and salt them lightly in a bowl. Wait about 30 minutes and remove the liquid from the courgettes but don't throw it away. Substitute part of the water with it.
2. Mix the sourdough starter, lukewarm water,  graded courgettes and salt.
3. Add the flour. Mix and knead. Add more flour if needed. Add the oil.
4. Let the dough rest about 15-30 minutes.
5. Knead some more and make about 25 buns.
6. Leaven them on the papered baking tray for about 4 hours or so.
7. Bake in the 225°C (450°F) for about 20 minutes.

Serina biscuits - Serinakakut

Vase by Muurla

Serina biscuits are great. (Serina = Serina is a woman's name, kakut=cakes)  The demerara sugar gives it a bit more deeper taste and those little almond pieces on the top really crown the whole beauty.

My husband's grandmother liked these a lot. And today when I baked these one of the children said that these are awfully good and I have to keep baking these more often. So I guess I will bake these more often then!

I found the Serina biscuit recipe from my grandmother's old cookbook. It was printed in a time when cookbooks had hardly any pictures. For some reason the lack of pictures does not matter when you read a really old cookbook but modern cookbooks seem somehow less interesting if they have very little photos. When baking and cooking photos are essential. It's nice to know how things are supposed to look like. At least I like to know. But in the end it's the recipe that really counts.

I am simply love old cookbooks. I have found a few from a antiquarian bookshop and a few I have found as a new editions. Those are great too but I do prefer the ones I can find from a antiquarian bookshops. They feel nicer, they have stories to tell and it's nice to give an old book a new home. Books are like good friends - they listen to you when you need an ear and they never abandon you - and in real good occasions they even give you a priceless advice.

Makes about 45 biscuits:

100g (3.527 oz) demerara sugar
200g (7.055 oz)  butter

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla sugar

225-250 grams (7.937 - 8.818 oz) all purpose flour

-----

egg

nib sugar

crushed almonds

1. Mix the butter and sugar into a foam.
2. Add the egg and mix well
3. Mix the dry ingredients and add them to the dough.
4. Take small pieces of the dough and shape them in to balls and put on the papered baking tray.
5. Brush with egg and sprinkle with chopped almonds and  nib sugar.
6. Bake them in the center of the oven appr. 10 minutes in 200°C (400°F).

And like always remember to enjoy!

Finnish Skillet Oven Pancake - Pannukakku

Finnish Oven pancake - Pannukakku (pannu = pan, kakku = cake) is a quick and nice treat to make. You can easily make a savory version as well and add some meat, mushrooms and/or veggies in it.  Almost everything goes!

This is a sweet version and made just like my grandmother made it. And for that you need an oven proof skillet. Big or small - add the batter accordingly. The skillet I am using today is my mother's old one. It has served us well for a long time and looks like it will continue to do so.

My grandmother made pancakes in a skillet and it tasted so much different than the ones people usually make in baking trays. Not sure where the taste comes from - maybe it's the skillet or maybe because she made it with love. However, my mom makes the  skillet pancake too and she manages to do the same so maybe it's the combination of skillet and love. Who knows but it sure is good!


500 grams milk  (1.1023 lb) (you can use some other liquid as well)
195 grams (0.429 lb ) all-purpose flour
appr. 200 grams (0.440 lb)  sugar
1-1,5 tsp baking powder
0,5 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla sugar

1. Add the dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Add milk and eggs.
3. Mix and let the batter rest for about 15-30 minutes.

The Moomin bowls mabe by Arabia :
The Hattifatteners and The Groke.

4. Heat the skillet on the stove and melt some butter in it. Be sure to use enough butter. Too little butter will change the taste of the skillet pancake. When the skillet is still hot pour the batter in it and bake in 200°C (400°F) for about  40-45 minutes  if you are using 24 cm skillet.

Finnish pancakes taste wonderful with fresh berries or with ice cream and berries. Whipped cream and berries are delicious too! Even honey goes well.  Enjoy this summery treat!