Investing in Finnish food culture

A seminar on the theme of food culture as part of Finnish culture concluded that the national cuisine has become stronger and the time is right to establish a professorship in the subject.

Silvio Berlusconi’s infamous remarks about the supposedly poor quality of Finnish cooking have in fact promoted open, positive and public discussion about the country’s true tradition of tasty healthy, foods.

Rising interest in Finnish food

Finns increasingly feel that our food culture is growing stronger, said Tiina Lampisjärvi, Executive Director of Finfood – Finnish Food Information, referring to a consumer survey indicating a 39% response to that effect in 2007 as against 25 per cent in 2005.

Merja Merasto, Executive Director of the Martha Organization, also reported that the organisation’s advisers have observed that people of different ages are taking an increasing interest in the national cuisine.

Defining food culture is complicated

Jaakko Nuutila, appointed Expert on Food Culture for the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) in August 2007, explained that the very term culture originated in part from agriculture, and the cultivation of ingredients still has a special influence. 85 per cent of the food eaten in Finland is produced in Finland.

Food culture is not a static phenomenon but is transformed over time, said Ulla Rauramo, Executive Director of Ruokakulttuurikeskus Ruukku. What is now considered traditional was once a novelty and even Finnish eating habits, for example, are a cultural loan from the courts of Europe.

While the increasing popularity of ready-made food in Finland may be a threat to domestic cooking skills, the food industry is producing traditional items that few of us has the time to prepare from scratch anymore, said Anni-Mari Syväniemi, Executive Director of the Federation of Home Economics Teachers.

Building of food culture begins at early childhood

“Food culture begins at home and powerful, lifelong memories linked to taste influence how and what we choose to eat as adults,” Ms Syväniemi continued. Education also plays a key role and home economics teaching and good school lunches provide excellent opportunities to improve our appreciation of food.

Finnish education measured for instance by the OECD’s PISA assessment is the best in the world, and the time is right to establish a professorship in food culture and learn to respect what we have, said Jouni Ahonen, Education Unit Director at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences.

(Finfood)

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