A short piece about a cookbook and its historic look at the food,
lifestyle and war in Finland between 1939 and 1945. Reviewed by Chris
Yli-Luoma.
When
I was last in Thunder Bay I stopped at a local bookstore and picked up a copy
of Raili Garth and Kaarina Brooks spiral bound, 154-page book titled “Rooting
for Food” – Nutritious Finnish Vegetable Recipes from the Lean War Years. I
have dozens of cookbooks. Yet, I’m always happy to add in new ones.
It is a cookbook, but it is also a historic look at what life
was like during the turbulent war years, 1939 – 1945, for the Finns. The
authors used excerpts from letters, biographies, and memoirs, combined with
visuals from the war. They created a very vivid picture of the difficult and
challenging life faced by the Finns during those years. The notes, scattered
throughout the book, spoke of rations, travel approvals, the importance of
mail, and making do with so very little.
The
overlaying and crisscrossing of war moments and its impact on the lives of
individuals and families, along with practival recipes and the commentary about
the normal everyday activities had a sobering effect on me. You can see why sisu
is at the heart and soul of the Finnish DNA.
The first war reference is on Nov 30, 1939. The Soviet Union
attacked Finland, without a declaration of war with 450,00 men vs fewer than
200,000 Finns. And the final note, April 27, 1945: Last shots of WW II on
Finnish side are fired. By then, the Lapland War and the Finnish participation
in WW II are over.
There are over 60 recipes ranging from bone soup to breads made
using potato, carrots, nettle and vegetable-based recipes using cabbage, beets,
mushrooms, onions, and other vegetables. A recipe is presented first in
Finnish, then translated to English and finally, with the help of many recipe
testers, a tried-and-true recipe, adapted to our current kitchens.
What
I find fascinating is how some of these items resonate with many of us today.
Let’s look at bone broth. Health, wellness, and fitness communities have been
making a fuss about bone broth for years. Many claim it has made them feel
healthier. Meanwhile, during the Finnish wars, bone broth was an essential part
of their diet.
Plus, no part of the animal was wasted - from tripe to the
intestines to the bones, they all ended up being utilized. Food waste was a hot
issue then and now.
There is a recipe for nettle bread with yeast, salt, caraway seeds
and rye flour and rosehip soup – these are the only two recipes that were not
tested.
As more people explore plant-based foods in their diet, recipes
like the Oven-baked carrot pancake and Carrot pudding might be worthy dishes to
try out. Given the limited ingredients that were available, and the lack of
spices, there was a wide range of stomach filling recipes created.
If you are watching your budget, these recipes do show you want
can be made with very few ingredients. Take the under-rated cabbage. Recipes include browned cabbage soup, mention
of cabbage milk, delicious cabbage (an entrée dish), mushroom and cabbage rolls
and oven-baked cabbage.
Mail was essential during the war. It helped to keep up the morale
of the soldiers and connected those left behind. There are many letters mentioning items
ranging from baloney to cheese, being mailed. Travel bans were in place as well
as ration coupons. The rationing of food and various goods (for example, shoes
and clothing) started on October 7, 1939 and lasted until 1949. That is 10
years. You could be jailed for bypassing
the ration rules and acquiring goods on the black market.
Liisa: I won’t mail you the pillow yet, because I will try to add
some cloudberries, that you can preserve. Now if I could just figure out a way
so that they won’t leak into the pillow during the trip.
Children also helped during the war efforts and there was a group
know as the Pikkulotat or the Little Lottas which were girls from the
age of 8-17. I’m curious to know more about the Lotta Sward Organization which
was disbanded in 1944 as specified in the terms of the peace agreement with
Russia.
Here are some examples of comments that are sprinkled throughout
the book.
Taimi: Lottas made soup for members of the National Guard. We also
knit socks, scarves, shawls and mittens, which had a special finger for the
trigger.
Sirkka: I was 8 years old when I became a Pikkulotta. During the
winter we piled wood in the forest and in the fall we picked potatoes and
collected heads of grain that had fallen to the floor. We sang patriotic songs
and were taught to honor our parents and love our country.
Liisa: Tytti, who is 4, sleeps well through the night now and
during the day is busy picking mushrooms and berries. Tytti loves to pick
mushrooms and I am so glad that she enjoys picking them by herself and she even
brings the right kind home.
Other items highlighted include reindeer with a sleigh used by the
Finnish army in Lapland, direct blood donations to soldiers, and instructions
on how to make a haybox cooker.
It certainly makes me very aware, that while we are facing higher
food prices in Canada, our lives are so much easier. And it saddens me to think
about what is happening in the Ukraine and Russia right now as history gets
repeated. If you are interested in the
book, please contact Kaarina Brooks brooks.kaarina @ gmail.com (remove spaces)The cost is $20.00 including shipping and handling.
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