Welcome to a new episode of My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki podcast. My guest today is Swedish-speaking Finnish chef Christian Tikkanen, the founder and secretary of Finlands Svenska Måltidsakademi aka Finlands Swedish Food Academy. Christian and I talked about the food culture of Swedish speaking population in Finland and the factors that affect it. We also talked about signature dishes and recipes and discussed whether the culture of the Swedish-speaking population in Finland is in danger of being lost. Christian introduced Finlands Svenska Måltidsakademi and their activities. At the end of the episode, Christian has a question for you, and we hope to see your answers as a comment on social media. Hope you enjoy our discussion.

My guest on the podcast today is Jenni Lares, a historian currently based at Tampere University. Jenni and I talked about the history and meaning of drinking in Finland in the 17th century, which was her doctoral research topic. We talked about drinking and its relationship with different aspects of life and society at that time: criminal acts, social gatherings and joyful occasions, the effect of religion and the health aspect of the drinks at the time. We also discussed what records about drinking show us about society in general in 17th century Finland and finalized with the similarities and differences today. At the end of the episode, Jenni asked you a question that would make you think about your habits. We look forward to reading your analysis as a comment on social media platforms. (Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)

My guest on the podcast today is Mariana Núñez Sánchez, a designer who works with and on food. Mariana graduated from Aalto University with a Master of Arts degree in late 2020. Her thesis titled “Cooking Through Illustration” was about analogies between cooking and making, and she designed tools using this analogy to help people get more comfortable in the kitchen without being in the kitchen. In this episode, Mariana and I talked about her personal relationship with food and cooking, and how this led to her thesis topic. We also talked about her thesis and the wooden tools that she designed that she used to “cook with ink” and to explore the analogies between cooking and making. At the end of the episode, Mariana invites to a different experience in the kitchen than you are used to. We look forward to reading your experiences as a comment on social media channels. (Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)

My guest on the podcast today is Carlos Henriques, one of the three founders of Restaurant Nolla, Finland’s first zero-waste restaurant. Carlos and I talked about the story of Nolla, where Nolla is today and what the future holds for them. We also talked about food sustainability, food waste, using local and seasonal food products and personal relationships food brings in Nolla and more broadly. At the end of the episode, Carlos has a question that will challenge your behaviour regarding food waste. We look forward to reading your answers as a comment on social media channels. (Sound editing by my dear friend Ufuk Evcimen. Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)

My guest on the podcast today is Minna Kaljonen, a research professor at the Finnish Environment Institute. She also works with the “Just Food” project carried out in Finland. In this episode, Minna and I talked about the just sustainability transition of the food system, and we discussed the injustices in the current food system in the world. We also discussed sustainable diets and sustainable eating, the problems of the food system and the communities marginalised by the food system in Finland. The issues of the food systems and the actors in them are diverse and complex. Thinking about this complexity, we also talked about the future of sustainable food system research and action. As usual, at the end of the episode, Minna has a question for you. We look forward to reading your answers as a comment on social media channels. (Sound editing by my dear friend Ufuk Evcimen. Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)

My guest on the podcast today is Bettina Lindfors, a project manager for the New Nordic Food Programme. In this episode, Bettina and I talked about the New Nordic Food Manifesto, published in 2004 and signed by chefs from all the Nordic countries. We discussed how the manifesto contributes to the sustainability transition of the food system, what its social and political impacts are, and how it changed the food scene in Finland and other Nordic countries. In the second part of the interview, we also talked about the food system problems in general and specifically in Finland. At the end of the episode, Bettina has a question that will make you think about your role in tackling the food system issues. We look forward to reading your answers as a comment on social media channels. (Sound editing by my dear friend Ufuk Evcimen. Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)

My guest on the podcast today is Piia Jallinoja, professor of health sociology at the University of Tampere. In the episode, we talked about how veganism/vegetarianism is increasing in the world and Finland and the changing cultural position of meat-eating. We also talked about an exciting Facebook group based in Finland, “sipsikaljavegaanit” (crisp and beer vegans) and how a new wave of veganism is changing the common perceptions of veganism and vegans. At the end of the episode, Piia asked you two interesting and challenging questions, and we look forward to reading your answers as a comment in social media channels. (Sound editing by my dear friend Ufuk Evcimen. Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)

My guest on the podcast today is Amanda Hajnal representing Slow Food Helsinki, one of the five local chapters of Slow Food International in Finland. In the episode, we first talked about the definition, the aims and the brief history of the slow food movement. Afterwards, we moved on to slow food Helsinki, and we spoke about their purposes, activities and members. In this part of the interview, we also talked about the local food system and the problems related to the food and food system in Finland and how slow food Helsinki approaches these issues. In the final part of the interview, we went back to the slow food movement in more detail. As usual, at the end of the episode, Amanda asked you, the listeners, a question! (Sound editing by my dear friend Ufuk Evcimen. Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)

My guests on the podcast today are Roosa Heinilä and Annika Hannus, founders of Mettä Nordic brand. Roosa and Annika introduce flavours from the Finnish forest and the Nordic diet globally and in Finland through their brand. In the episode, we talked about how and why they started the Mettä Nordic brand, its place in the local food system in Finland and how it contributes to food sustainability. We also discussed the Nordic diet, its different benefits and ingredients and the threats it’s facing due to climate change. Hope you like our discussion. (Sound editing by my dear friend Ufuk Evcimen. Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)

My guest today is Anna Nyman, a wild food foraging enthusiast who shares her knowledge on foraging through workshops, webinars and books. I met Anna when I joined her wild herb foraging walk in Mustikkamaa (Helsinki) about a month ago. In the episode, we talked about Anna’s foraging related activities and services, foraging in Finland and Finnish cuisine, sustainable ways of foraging and the community building aspect of foraging. Hope you like our discussion. (Sound editing by my dear friend Ufuk Evcimen. Licensed music by Luca Palumbo.)