This is a quote from Finland's ice hockey team's coach Mr. Jalonen when he described his team in the ice hockey world championships last week. Finns were really made from "dilkött": our team took the gold medal to Finland. All of us who ate school lunches in the 70s and 80s remember "dilkött" as a chewy meat which was almost inedible. But "dilkött" is in actuality a really good traditional Finnish meat dish, if it is well-made.
These days I have been proud of being a Finn and Nordic also for several other reasons. Nordic Kitchen has really conquered the world in many arenas. Rene Rezepi and Noma didn't get the third Michelin star but got the title of the world best restaurant again. What a spectacular achievement!
Finland got a new Michelin star restaurant, when Restaurant Olo got its first star. Olo is my own favourite, it serves excellent food that follows the Nordic ideology and is tasty, and service is always top quality. Olo really deserves its star.
Bocuse d´Or competition in Lyon in January was truly a big celebration for Nordic countries. All medals and 5th and 7th place went to the Nordic countries. I was personally very proud of our competitor Matti Jämsen, who was there for the first time and finished in the 5th position. Matti's performance with its circus theme combined music with moving plates - this was something that has never been seen before in the history of the competition. By the way, Nordic countries have won over half of all the medals in the history of Bocuse d´Or.
Also the new era of the New Nordic Food program kicked off in Lyon and the SirHa fair really fantastically. The joint Nordic pavilion and show kitchen got well-earned attention. Nordic embassies of Paris had done a huge job for the pavilion. The concept was fine and managed to present Nordic food culture in a lively way. The concept is definitely worth continuing in the future.
The Finnish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers has committed itself also on food issues as well. In the spring the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our New Nordic Food ambassador Kim Palhus made regulations for the food and catering during the presidency. The goal is that in all official meetings and gatherings, the food served should follow the New Nordic Food ideology. How we can "teach" others if we don't do this first ourselves?
New Nordic kitchen has a lot to give to the world. I am part of the European CORPUS project, where we think about how to feed Europeans sustainably. At its best, New Nordic Food is very climate friendly and sustainable and at the same time very healthy. Nordic and Finnish guidelines for healthy eating are being developed at the moment. I really hope that the new guidelines take climate aspects seriously; we have no alternatives to sustainable eating anymore.
Have a tasty summer!
Yours
Marja Innanen, chairman of the steering committé, New Nordic Food II
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