For F we find ourselves back up in the Nordic countries to Finland (which is considered Nordic but NOT considered Scandinavia, by the way.) I really like learning about this  very interesting and unique country . It seems when the Russians weren’t attempting to take over their land, the Finns were drinking coffee, basking in saunas, playing hockey or making up ridiculous sports.

Finland has loads of lakes (55,000) and natural forests (timber is its major industries) and has also been on the forefront of social reform, including women’s rights and public education. Consequently, Finland is typically rated as one of the happiest countries in the world

Here are some more interesting facts about Finland:

• Finnish has its own language group – Finno-Ugric language group. (The only other languages included in it are Hungarian and Estonian)
• The sauna was invented in Finland and you can find them anywhere – including a Burger King in Helsinki! In fact, in Finland there are more saunas than cars.
• Despite having the population of Minnesota, Finland has 49 players in the National Hockey League, the fourth most behind Russia and Canada.
• Speeding fines in Finland are calculated based on the drivers income. So you can pay up to $100,00 USD for driving over the speed limit!

For more information on Finland you can read here: Finland Info

FOOD

Finish food is what you would expect from Nordic cuisine. Lots of of hearty food like potatoes and rye bread, sausage and smoked fish. Not very many spices are used by the are heavy on the butter!

Breakfast

 

Korvapusti (Finnish cinnamon rolls) – These were so delicious! Slightly different from their Swedish cousins – cut on an angle and topped with sugar and not icing. (Also a hint of cardamon flavoring!)

Blueberries – We couldn’t find Finnish bilberries, so we decided to eat their American counterpart

Coffee and Milk – Because, well, the Finnish drink the more cups of both of these than any other country in the world!!!

Dinner

 

Karjalanpiirakka – These pastries originated in Karelia, the mythical birthplace of Kalevala, the epic 19th century poem that is classic in Finnish culture. And they were surprisingly yummy! I was skeptical of the egg an butter topping and baked rice but it all worked nicely together. (And BTW, we could not find rye flour so we used buckwheat flour and crushed caraway seeds and it worked great!)

Grillimakkara (Finnish sausage) – Delicious as expected! We couldn’t actually find real Finnish sausages so we relied on a German variety!

Uudet Pernau (New potatoes) – These are apparently a sign of spring in Finland and loved all over the country. They are served with various toppings but we just chose a simple salt, butter and dill.

Pickled Beets – One of the more popular (and locally grown) vegetables in Finland.

CULTURE

The Finns are known for inventing some crazy sports and competitions. They have official air guitar competitions (as they do love their heavy metal) and swamp football games. But what they are probably most known for is wife-carrying races! Apparently We learned about the RULES and what a VIDEO or two. Then decided to try it ourselves. (Err, rather brother/sister/child carrying races.)

Apparently the course has to be 831 feet long and have three obstacles (one water-based) But due to a limited back yard space and cold weather we modified it a bit. Here is are the results of Isaac carrying Eve (he attempted carrying Andrew but it didn’t last long!): Sister Carrying. Andrew carried Eve and I also carried Isaac as well.

Everyone concluded it was lots of fun – especially being the one carried – so long as your partner didn’t jump too much!

Next up for G we move back to as Isaac’s puts it “another random African country,” can you guess which one?