Sauerkraut. Pickled fermented white cabbage, usually cooked in pork or goose fat with onion and juniper berries, white whine or kirsch. It is crunchy and slightly acidic and can be eaten hot or cold. The singular partitive form 'hapankaalia' is often seen.
This is the most traditional bread of Finland, where the loaves were strung on poles which hung from the ceiling, having been cooked in huge batches. The loaves have a hole in the middle, have a long life and are thin, almost crisp. The bread is made with a sour starter. A starter for bread is nugget of dough with yeast and lactic acid bacteria all interacting. It is carried forward from bake to bake, developing increasing complexity over time This is mixed with rye flour or meal and oatmeal with a little yeast. In Finland, where few people have access to a starter, dark Finn Crisp crackers are ground into crumbs and used instead.
Sirloin of beef marinated for a week in red wine, vinegar and oil with thyme, bay and juniper berries, cloves, sugar and seasoning. It is then dried off, larded and roasted slowly.
Russula. Around 750 worldwide species of mushrooms compose the genus Russula and by no means are all of them edible. They are typically common, fairly large, and brightly coloured - making them one of the most recognizable genera among mycologists and mushroom collectors. Their distinguishing characteristics include a white to dark yellow spore print, brittle free white gills, and an absence of partial veil or volva tissue on the stem. Members of the related Lactarius genus have similar characteristics but emit a milky latex when their gills are broken.
