SLOW - VisitFinland.com · FinRelax growth programme financed by the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy is to make Finland the leading country in wellbeing tourism

SLOW Finland 4

SLOWFINLAND | Wellbeing from Finland’s nature

SLO

W F

INLA

ND

| Wellb

eing

from

Finland’s nature

2017

ISSUE 1 2017

”Aesthetic experiences and the relaxing effect of a green environment lift your mood and help recovery from stress.”

Visit Finland, Katja Hagelstam-Tanttu

“Finland has the largest certified organic collection area in the world, 11.6 million hectares.”

Editor in chief: Kiti Häkkinen | Visit FinlandEditing and layout: Ari Turunen and Paula Winter | Up-to-Point Ltd.

Cover photo: Eeva MäkinenPrint: Libris Ltd. 2017 Paper: Munken Polar

“Nature tourists appreciate the clean nature, unbuilt landscapes and the quiet of the forests in Finland.”

Visit Finland

SLOW Finland 3

SLOWFINLAND 2017

SLOW FINLAND magazine is a part of the series of publications on nature and wellbeing by Visit Finland and its partners.

THE OBJECTIVE of the FinRelax growth programme financed by the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy is to make Finland the leading country in wellbeing tourism.

www.visitfinland.com/finrelax ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Kiti Häkkinen, Programme ManagerFinRelax programme, Visit FinlandTel. +358 (0)50 453 4720 [email protected]

Vis

it F

inla

nd, A

sko

Kui

ttin

enV

isit

Fin

land

Vis

it F

inla

nd, P

lug

i Pho

tos

Vis

it F

inla

nd, T

aip

ale

Bro

ther

s

Vis

it F

inla

nd, A

sko

Kui

ttin

en

Vis

it F

inla

nd

2 SLOW Finland

CONTENTSEditorial: Finnish nature has a healing power ........................ 4Finland is the world’s cleanest and greenest country .................................................................... 6Purity and quietness ................................................ 10The healing power of forests .................................. 16Helsinki, the world’s nature capital ......................... 20Traditional sauna relaxes the body and the mind ... 24The Lumo Nordic Sauna: Nordic Relaxation Experience ............................... 28

Metsäkyly: sauna bathing under the Northern Lights and starlight . ......................... 30With the goal of being the best sauna experience in Finland ........................... 31The 11th generation of the family as tavern keepers . .......................................... 32

Saunayoga International: Developer of licensed forms of sauna yoga ....... 34

World Travel Ski Awards: Finland’s best Chalet destination ............................ 35Wild berries of the north are real superfood ........... 36Food directly from wild nature ................................ 40The wild flavours of Helsinki ................................... 44Healthy and clean wild food ................................... 50

4 SLOW Finland SLOW Finland 5

Finnish nature has a healing power

LONELY PLANET, which publishes the world’s most highly regarded travel guides, has selected the best travel destination countries for 2017. Finland is third on the list, after Canada and Colombia, as the only European nation.

According to Lonely Planet, travellers can expect a vast variety of entertain-ment in Finland, from outdoor concerts and collective eating experiences to evenings spent in sauna baths. As further grounds for the selection of Finland, Lonely Planet mentions the new Hossa National Park, as well as many events which have been planned in connection with the centennial celebration year of Finland’s independence.

The expectations of travellers planning a trip to Finland are usually connected with its unique nature and experiences in nature. For Finns, nature is a basic value. Forests are protected and the cleanliness of water systems is treas-ured. The air quality is excellent. The air that people breathe in Lapland has been studied and found to be the cleanest in the world. So it’s no wonder that according to the EPI index (Environmental Performance Index) of 2016 prepared by Yale and Columbia Universities, Finland is the world’s cleanest and greenest country.

Nature has a healing power. This publication is all about Finnish well-being services developed around nature. Restaurant entrepreneurs can offer wild and clean food in Finland, directly from the wild. Finland has the largest cer-tified organic collection area in the world, with no chemical fertilisers or pes-ticides having been used, with a total of 11.6 million hectares. Clean berries, self-picked from the forests, are a real superfood.

The various languages of the world have adopted the Finnish word “sauna”. The Finnish sauna has been used for thousands of years as a place to care for the body and the mind. For many Finns, the sauna is still a place of calmness and silence. The Finnish way of relaxing amid nature is peaceful, unhurried and being respectful of silence. This, if anything, is what the term “mindful-ness” refers to.

PAAVO VIRKKUNEN HEAD OF TOURISM, VISIT FINLAND

LEADER

“More than 80% of Finland’s surface area has been classified as completely or relatively quiet areas.”

Visit Finland, Juho Kuva

“Finland is one of the most forested countries in the world, with a 70 % surface area being composed of forests.”

Visit Finland, Ia Ahonen/Vastavalo

Vis

it F

inla

nd, A

nnel

i Hon

gis

toV

isit

Fin

land

Vis

it F

inla

nd, J

ussi

Hel

lsté

n

Vis

it F

inla

nd, H

arri

Tar

vain

en

Vis

it F

inla

nd, M

ikko

Kar

jala

inen

Ari

Tur

unen

SLOW Finland 7 6 SLOW Finland

Finland is the world’s cleanest and greenest countryAccording to the EPI index (Environmental Performance Index) prepared by Yale and Columbia Universities, Finland is the world’s cleanest and greenest country.

The index compares how ecosystems and peo-ple’s health are protected in different countries. The index takes into account how states take care of air quality,

clean water and their water resources and how they manage agriculture, forests and fish stocks.

The index score is also influenced by energy solutions and the states’ attitude to the diversity of nature and climate change.

Finland’s air, forests, lakes and drink-ing water are exceptionally clean by global standards. More than 80% of Finland’s lakes are either good or excellent in quality. More than 70% of Finland’s land area is forest, which makes Finland one of the most forested countries in

the world. The air quality in Finland is good, because Finland is situated far from big sources of emis-

sions and because Finland’s own emissions have been successfully curtailed. According

to WHO, Finland has the cleanest air of the EU countries and the third cleanest air in the world after Canada and Iceland.

The score justifying Finland’s number one position in the EPI index is 90.68. After Finland came Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia. The EPI report

praises many of Finland’s environmental-ly friendly objectives. Finland intends to

create a carbon-neutral society by 2050, in which nature’s capacity is no longer exceeded.Finland has also passed a decree according ▶

Finland 90,68

points

Vis

it F

inla

nd, R

aim

o Vo

utila

inen

/Vas

tava

lo

8 SLOW Finland

to which as much as 38% of Finnish energy production will be renewable in 2020.

Already now most electricity is produced in an environmen-tally-friendly manner in Finland.

According to the EPI report, great global concerns are dete-riorating air quality and decreasing fish stocks.

There are 550 million people living without clean water in the world. As much as a half of the world’s population is exposed to dangerous respiratory air. Almost every fourth state does not treat its waste water at all. The EPI index includes 180 states.

“Finland has the opportunity to develop into a gem of nature tourism. We have clean and exuberant nature all over the country in the vicinity of good connections and services. Holistic nature experiences can be built for tourists, for admiring the silent wil-derness landscape, picking berries and mushrooms for food on an excursion, going to the sauna next to clean waters and waiting in a hide-out for the majestic bear to arrive from the shade of the forest as the night falls,” says biodiversity expert Riku Lumiaro of the Finnish Environment Institute.

ARI TURUNEN

EPI TOP-10 20161 Finland .............................................. 90.682 Iceland .............................................. 90.513 Sweden ............................................. 90.434 Denmark ........................................... 89.215 Slovenia ............................................ 88.986 Spain ................................................. 88.917 Portugal ............................................ 88.638 Estonia .............................................. 88.599 Malta ................................................ 88.4810 France ............................................... 88.20 epi.yale.edu

FINLAND• Surface area 338,440 km2

• Population 5.5 million• Population density 18.1 persons/km2

• 71.6 % of Finland’s surface area is forest• 10.2 % of Finland’s surface area is lakes• 188,887 lakes• 178,947 islands• 314,000 km of shoreline THE FINNISH ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE is a national research organisation which produces information on the environment and the devel-opment of its state and the factors affecting it and creates solutions for promoting sustainable development. www.syke.fi

“Finland has the opportunity

to develop into a gem of nature

tourism. We have clean and

exuberant nature all over the

country in the vicinity of good

connections and services.”

SLOW Finland 9

Vis

itFi

nlan

d, T

eem

u Tr

etja

kov

“Holistic nature experiences can be built for tourists, for admiring the silent wilderness landscape, picking berries and mushrooms for food on an excursion and going to the sauna next to clean waters.”

Visit Finland, Aleksi Koskinen

Vis

it F

inla

nd, A

ku P

öllä

nen

10 SLOW Finland

Purity and quietnessSearching for health and well-being in nature is a global megatrend. Continuous urbanisation makes many people look for peace, found in nature. Nature tourists appreciate clean nature, unbuilt landscapes and quietness.

SLOW Finland 11

Professor Liisa Tyrväinen of Natural Resources Institute Finland has studied nature tourists’ valuations. A grow-ing number of tourists demand that nature remain clean and that their visit in a national park, for example, does

not contaminate or burden nature.“This is a very important thing for nature tourists. There-

fore we need tourist services that fulfil certain criteria and products that tell that the nature destination is managed in a sustainable manner.”

Parks & Wildlife Finland is a pioneer in the creation of a model of sustainable nature tourism. Principles of sustainable tourism for entrepreneurs operating in national parks were created back in 2004.

“Entrepreneurs must review these principles carefully. High- quality protection of nature values and tourism have been ac-commodated well in Finnish national parks and hiking areas.”

Parks & Wildlife Finland concludes co-operation agree-ments requiring commitment to the principles of sustaina-ble nature tourism with all enterprises operating in national parks and other protected and hiking areas. The co-operation

agreement also states that the enterprises are responsible for the compliance of the products offered by them with the leg-islation in force.

Nature tourism plans have been prepared for all these are-as. Muscle power is principally all that is allowed with moving in these areas. Snowmobiles and quad bikes are prohibited. Quietness is valued along with clean nature.

ONE OF THE QUIETEST COUNTRIES IN EUROPE As much as over a half of European urban areas suffer from noise produced by traffic, which hampers learning and raises blood pressure. According to WHO, the World Health Organ-isation, as much as 40% of Europeans are exposed to noise of over 55 decibels. In Finland, 15% are exposed to such high noise. Only half a per cent of Finns are exposed to air traffic noise.

Noise of over 55 decibels is defined as the risk limit of health effects. Our organs understand loud sound as a warning sig-nal, which causes a stress reaction in us. Loud noise increases stress hormones and raises blood pressure. 55 decibels corre-sponds to the noise level of a classroom. ▶

Vis

it F

inla

nd, K

iki K

olen

bet


The European areas according

to the EEA silence index, the greener,

the quieter.

Quietness index (Quietness Suitability index)

High: 1

Low: 0

Europe according to the Quietness Suitability index (QSI) of the European Environment Agency (EEA). The greener, the quieter. In 2014, Finland and Sweden recorded as having the quietest and least noisy areas of the European Union countries. www.eea.europa.eu/publications/noise-in-europe-2014

According to a report by the European Environment Agen-cy (EEA), in 2014 Finland and Sweden had the quietest and least noisy areas of the European Union countries. Over 80% of Finland’s surface area was completely or relatively quiet. There are nearly 35,000 square kilometres of areas classified as completely quiet in Finland. This area is bigger than Bel-gium and Luxembourg together.

“When you ask tourists what they want from nature tour-ism, foremost come quiet and peace, clean nature and a beau-tiful and unbuilt landscape,” emphasises Ms. Tyrväinen.

These experiences can be offered to all stressed city dwellers by means of good planning and services of natural reserves. Con-gestion of visitors can be prevented by planning routes and ser-vices well. For example, visitors can be directed to national parks from different places.

“You can fish, walk in snow shoes or even meditate in peace in national parks. Through directed services offered to tour-ists, all who wish can experience clean nature and the peace provided by it.” ▶

Vis

it F

inla

nd, H

arri

Tar

vain

en

14 SLOW Finland

The largest surface area of excellent water in Finland is Saimaa. Saimaa is Europe’s largest lake region. Nowhere else in the world is there as much shoreline (15,000 km) in pro-portion to the surface area as in the Saimaa region. There are more islands than in Indonesia (over 14,000). There are over 3,000 kilometres of water routes and 70 marinas in the Saimaa lake region.

As much as a half of the inhabitants of the Saimaa region fish. About 30 different species of fish swim in Greater Saimaa. The most desired are vendace and trout, the salmonoids of the region. All salmonoids thrive only in clear and clean waters.

ARI TURUNEN

CLEAN WATER SYSTEMS10% of Finland’s surface area is lakes, over 30,000 square kilo-metres. Elsewhere in Europe, lakes do not represent such a large portion of the total surface area. In addition, 80% of the waters of Finnish lakes are of excellent or good quality. Lim-nologist Sari Mitikka of the Finnish Environment Institute regards this figure as exceptionally good.

“We have an enormous quantity of good-quality surface water in this country and plenty of big and small lakes in good condition.”

Compared to the situation in the whole of Europe, the quality of the water in Finnish lakes is also exceptionally good. According to the report of the European Environment Agency

published in 2015, the quality of the inland (fresh) waters has improved in the past few years, but still, about a half of Eu-rope’s inland waters are not in an ecologically good condition.

Sari Mitikka studies the state of Finnish water systems and reports on changes in water quality. The cleaning of the lake region in the near waters of industrial and populated areas since the 1960s has been clearly observable.

The majority of public beaches are in good condition in Fin-land. Municipal health authorities monitor the quality of their water in accordance with the instructions of the National Super-visory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira). The National Institute for Health and Welfare reports annually on the condi-tion of bathing waters to the European Environment Agency.

SLOW Finland 15

80% of the waters

in Finnish lakes are of excellent or

good quality.

Excellent Good Satisfactory Passable Poor Not known

Published 02/10/2013

The Finnish Environment Institute

Vis

it F

inla

nd, A

nne

Saar

inen

/Vas

tava

lo

Vis

it F

inla

nd, J

uha

Mää

ttä/

Vast

aval

o

ECOLOGICAL STATE OF FINNISH SURFACE WATERS IN 2013

METSÄHALLITUS PARKS & WILDLIFE FINLAND is responsible for almost all of Finland’s protected areas and for the management of their natural and cultural environments. Parks & Wildlife Finland man-ages all of Finland’s national parks, strict nature reserves and nation-al hiking areas as well as 12 extensive wilderness areas in Lapland. Parks & Wildlife Finland is a state enterprise that manages Finland’s state-owned lands and waters on one third of Finland’s total area.www.metsa.fi/web/en/nature-conservation www.nationalparks.fi


The healing power of forestsThose suffering from noise and stress can find an escape in forests. It is proven that sylvan na-ture reduces stress and blood pressure. Finland offers an excellent opportunity for a change in lifestyle, and its path leads to the forest.

Only five per cent of Finland’s surface area is built.

More than 70% of the surface area is forest and 10% water systems. No wonder that enjoying na-ture is great on a global scale in Finland: more than

half of Finns visit summer houses regularly.

As much as 70% of the inhabitants of northern Finland annually visit the nation’s forests to trek or pick berries or mushrooms.

In principle, every Finn has access to a silent forest and a strip of shore where one can be in peace. Foreigners too

Canada

Russia

Finland

Sweden

Brazil

United States

Mexico

France

Japan

China

Germany

Britain

World

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Natural Resources, Canada, 2016

FOREST HECTARES PER INHABITANT IN THE WORLD

Vis

it F

inla

nd, V

icto

r E

ngst

röm

have noticed this. Tourists seek a counterbalance to their everyday life in Finnish nature destinations. They want peace, quiet and opportunities for nature and aesthetic experiences.

This is difficult in the built urban environment. For ex-ample, as much as 75% of Europeans live in an urban envi-ronment. Tourists value original nature, clean environment and local culture.

“Aesthetic experiences and the relaxing effect of a green en-vironment lift your mood and help recover from stress,” claims Professor Liisa Tyrväinen of Natural Resources Institute Finland.

Ms. Liisa Tyrväinen has long studied the significance of forests as a producer of well-being. Forests have a great effect on people as a mental, cultural and experiential environment.

Air pollution and exposure to noise, in this order, are the biggest environmental problems for human health according to WHO, the World Health Organisation.

Insufficient recovery from stress raises the blood pressure and increases the risk of diabetes.

Ms. Tyrväinen emphasises that par-ticularly nature areas must be seen as a

resource of health care for city dwellers. According to many studies, forests promote both

physical and mental well-being.Large nature areas muffle noise and improve air quality by

removing dust and other impurities and by binding ozone and monoxide gases.

It is also proven that an outing in nature and just being there lift the mood. Forests have a great therapeutic significance.

On the basis of studies, one can influence one’s state of health by being and moving in a nature environment. Especially in one’s favourite spot in nature, it is possible to regulate one’s condition towards promoting health.

“According to studies, people experience stronger recov-ery from stress on pleasant exercise routes often situated in the forest and in larger outdoor exercise areas than in the street and outdoor spaces of city centres mentioned as fa-vourite places.” ▶

Visit Finland, Tiina Törmänen

“Aesthetic experiences and the relaxing effect of a green environment lift your mood and help recover from stress.”

The parasympathetic nervous system is most active in rest. From the effect of a parasympathet-ic impulse, the heart rate slows down and respiratory frequen-cy is reduced. Being in the forest has a similar effect on the organs as yoga or meditation. The Finnish forest is a retreat.

People felt more vigorous and even more creative after being in the forest. Ms. Tyrväinen emphasises the aesthetics of nature. Stress is particularly removed by the experience of nature, an unbuilt, beautiful scenery and silence.

Ms. Tyrväinen recommends consciously combining nature experiences and moving in nature with a holiday trip.

It helps recovery from the strains of everyday life. “One na-ture trip is not enough to heal, but it can be an impetus for a change in lifestyle.”

A nature trip to the Finnish forest offers a holistic health package. It includes multisensory nature experiences, a clean and beautiful environment, outings in nature, accommodation and sauna close to nature, silence and healthy forest products, such as berries, mushrooms, wild vegetables and game.

ARI TURUNEN


BLOOD PRESSURE FALLS AND THE ORGANS RECOVER IN THE FORESTTyrväinen’s research group has results measured with heart rate monitors and blood pressure meters on how quickly a nature environment and particularly the forest help recovery from stress.

The measurements and surveys were made with a test group of almost a hundred persons.

“The health benefits of a green environment are evident.A stressed person recovers quickly in nature. Recovery in a

green zone is apparent after just 15 minutes!”“The results of joint studies made with the Japanese are in-

disputable. When people were taken into the forest, a decrease in blood pressure and pulse, a reduction in muscular tension and an increase in the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system were observed in the measurement results.”

FOREST COVER PERCENTAGE

BY COUNTRIES IN 2005.

The most forested countries in the world are Finland, Guyana, Surinam, French Guyana, Gabon, Belize and Gambia.

0–10%10–30%30–50%50–70%70–100%

60 – 70 %

50 – 60 %

40 – 50 %

30 – 40 %

20 – 30 %

10 – 20 %

< 10 %

Ei tietoa

> 70 %

Land area covered by forests in different European countries. Source: Eurostat 2010

> 70%60–70%50–60%40–50%30–40%20–30%10–20%< 70%No information

60 – 70 %

50 – 60 %

40 – 50 %

30 – 40 %

20 – 30 %

10 – 20 %

< 10 %

Ei tietoa

> 70 %

Land area covered by forests in different European countries. Source: Eurostat 2010

NATURAL RESOURCES INSTITUTE FINLAND is a research and expert organisation working to promote the sustainable use of natural resources and bio-economy. www.luke.fi

FOREST COVER PERCENTAGE IN EUROPE 2010Eurostat

FAO

Vis

it F

inla

nd, M

icha

el M

atti

Vis

it F

inla

nd, S

epp

o R

inta

-Kau

pp

ila

Finland is one of the most forested

countries in the world.

Over70%

of the country’s surface area is forest.


Helsinki is the only capital in the world where one can in one day wake up in a good hotel, go to the opera and go to the forest to pick ceps. In half an hour, one can get from Hel-sinki Airport to the wilderness.

Helsinki, the world’s nature capital

There is no other capital region of over a million inhab-itants in the world with so much surrounding nature. Helsinki is surrounded by Sipoonkorpi, Nuuksio, the recreational forests of Petikko, Vantaa, and the outer

archipelago of the Gulf of Finland in Porkkala. Of these, Sipoonkorpi and Nuuksio are national parks and Porkkalan-niemi (Porkkala Cape) and the archipelago natural reserves.

These hundreds of protected and recreational areas surround-ing Helsinki in a radius of 40 kilometres are called Viherkehä (Green Ring). Several strips, the most central of which is the Helsinki Central Park, reach into the Viherkehä from Helsinki and Espoo. The Helsinki Central Park is a unique, enormous green zone where hawks, foxes and deer have been sighted. The Helsinki Central Park covers a total of 2,200 hectares of land area and 4,000 hectares of water areas.

“You can put on a backpack in the courtyard of the Helsinki Opera House and walk along the park into the wilderness,” explains Tom Selänniemi, Director of Finnish Nature Centre Haltia.

Finnish Nature Centre Haltia was one of the six winners in the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) contest in 2015. Haltia is also the first museum in Europe to receive the award for sustainable development.

According to Mr Selänniemi, the wilderness areas of the Helsinki region are diverse, and you can hike from one area to another without suffering from traffic.

“Nuuksio has marsh, lake nature, versatile wilderness na-ture and good trail networks. Sipoonkorpi offers deep forest and wilderness. From Sipoonkorpi, you can walk or ski as far as Porkkala along the Viherkehä. You only have to pass ▶

An image of the ALOS satellite of Helsinki in June 2009 shows the greenness of the Helsinki region. The capital re-gion of a million inhabitants is sparsely populated in com-parison to other European capitals. The ten-kilometre-long Central Park starts from the city centre and connects with the green ring circling the city. The Nuuksio National Park shows in dark green at the bottom of the image.

In the quality of life index of The Economist magazine in 2016, Helsinki rated among the ten best great cities ac-cording to the quality of life they offer. Helsinki was ranked ninth. The criteria used include infrastructure, safety and the environment.

Kuv

a: E

SA

”You can put on a backpack

in the courtyard of the

Helsinki Opera House and walk along the

park into the wilderness.”


LUUKKI

NUUKSIO

VITTRÄSK

HUMALJÄRVI

MEIKO

RUOTSINKYLÄ

SIPOONKORPI

MUSTAVUORI

underneath big roads via under-passes.”

The nature areas surrounding the city clean the air and bind impurities.

The vegetation also reduces noise impact. Finland is one of the world’s top countries in the purity of air and quietness. This is also true of the capital region.

Mr Selänniemi says foreign visitors appreciate being able to be in peace.

“In the Central Park you get to experience quiet very easily. You can be in touch with nature without any filter in between. At the same time, you get directly into your own private space where nobody comes to disturb.”

Finnish Nature Centre Haltia, located in Nuuksio, has re-ceived international recognition for environmental education that encourages the young to go into the nature and to envi-ronmentally-friendly action.

“The Chinese are interested in sending their children to Nuuksio’s nature camp schools. Breathing clean air and ease of access to the national park are important to the Chi-nese. There are no gates and no passes required in Nuuksio or any other Finnish parks. Finnish national parks do not have borders between the park or the surrounding private forests, either.”

Mr Selänniemi considers it important that the national parks are state-owned. The areas remain well-protected, and the services are of high quality.

“The national parks have signposted campfire and accom-modation places.

Cabins and unlocked huts in the wilderness with toilets are available for free. Chopped and dry wood is brought ready for visitors. The good trail network ensures that visitors stay on ready-trodden tracks.

ARI TURUNEN

THERE ARE 39 national parks in Finland in total, visited annually by two million people. www.nationalparks.fi

The national parks have signposted routes, nature paths and camp-fire places. You can also stay overnight in the national parks. They have camping sites or structures intended for staying overnight. All Finnish national parks are managed by the Parks & Wildlife Finland. About 9% of Finland’s surface area is protected by virtue of Nature Conservation and Wilderness Acts.

METSÄHALLITUS PARKS & WILDLIFE FINLAND and its partners promote the well-being effects of moving in nature and provides vis-itors with good services, such as routes, stopovers, sign-posts, maps and information on Finland’s most magnificent nature destinations. www.metsa.fi/web/en/healthbenefitsfromnature

“There are no gates and no

passes are required in Nuuksio or any

other Finnish parks.”

FINNISH NATIONAL PARKS

Map: Susanne Suvanto and Juha Oksanen, Finnish Geospatial

Research Institute. Materials: Maastotietokanta, DEM and

National Land Survey of Finland.

FINNISH NATURE CENTRE HALTIA is a wooden exhibition and event centre snuggled next to the Nuuksio National Park, only 40 minutes from downtown Helsinki. The exhibi-tion of the ecological Nature Centre displays all of Finland’s national parks and hiking destinations. www.haltia.com

“The Viherkehä (Green Ring)

combines different natural reserves in an unbroken chain around Helsinki.”

Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland

Vis

it F

inla

nd, A

ku P

öllä

nen

National parkNature Reserve


Traditional sauna relaxes the body and the mindThe Finnish sauna has been used for thousands of years as a place to care for the body and the mind. We can still learn from the ancient folk traditions and the different treatments and enjoy them.

Vis

it F

inla

nd, E

lina

Sirp

aran

ta

which a curative whisk can be made. Whisks made of trees are used fresh. Depending on the species of tree, they can also be dried. Herbal whisks are always used fresh.”

Whisking in the sauna has been proven to improve blood circulation. Because the pores open in the sauna, the bundles made of leaves and twigs effectively combine massage and aro-matherapy. Different species of plants have different active in-gredients, such as tanning agents, saponins, disinfectants and aromatic oils. Birch treats and cleanses the skin. The saponins of birch together with water act as soap. In cosmetics, birch has traditionally been used in hair care. Birch leaves strengthen the scalp, prevent hair loss and make the hair soft and glossy. Pine and juniper open the respiratory tract.

According to Ms Alén, whisking in the sauna is effective thermal massage which can be used to treat physical ailments.

“Whisking can boost muscular recovery, improve the mo-bility of joints, accelerate the metabolism and surface blood circulation and boost lymph circulation.”

ALSO THE MIND RELAXESThe whisking techniques and force used by Ms Alén are based on discussion with the customer. “Some are treated with a light hand, others quite strongly. In these cases the whisks used may also vary. The principle is the same as in massage: you progress from a light surface touch to a deeper one. The heat brings its own particularities and efficiency to the treat-ment. The whisker must constantly follow the formation of the heat and its effect on the customer. One can say that the heat is the most important colleague, not the whisks.

The general health effects of sauna-bathing are natural-ly also combined with the effects of whisking. These include the deep cleansing of the body, positive effects on the heart, blood pressure, the respiratory tract and the quality of sleep.

“Rhythmic whisking movements created with different sauna whisks relax the muscles and activate the parasympa-thetic nervous system. Thanks to the heat and the whisking, the customer’s body warms up and relaxes. An able whisker also consciously aims at creating surroundings in which the secretion of pleasure hormones can pick up, relieving stress.”

According to Ms Alén, sauna and bathing can renew and purify us physically, psychically and mentally.

“One customer said it was consoling in these hectic, sched-uled modern times to be able to experience the sempiternal peace and leisureliness present in a traditional sauna.”

ARI TURUNEN

“Finnish folk tradition is based on the cur-ing and harmonising power of nature, which es-

sentially involves stopping, quietude and listening. For many, the sauna, the forest and the end of a pier have been places for relaxation and quiet. Maaria Alén specialises in sauna treatments and traditional cures based on folk tradition. The sauna has traditionally been at the centre of Finnish folk med-icine. The old folk believed in the curing force of the sauna, and the various forms of Finnish folk medicine, such as cup-ping, massage, limb repair, whisking and the use of different medicinal plants were directly connected with it.

THERE ARE MANY KINDS OF TREATMENT WHISKSMs Alén bathes customers in a way that could be called a kind of combination of massage and phytotherapy or herbalism. Ms Alén whisks. It has long been a forgotten form of treat-ment in Finland.

“In curative bathing, several different kinds of whisks are used to move and direct the heat and apply it on the skin in a manner suitable to each treatment situation. The whisk is, of course, also used for the mechanical treatment of muscles. The birch so familiar in Finland is only one of many plants from

26 SLOW Finland

“In curative bathing, several different kinds of whisks are used to move the heat.”

The use of supplementary treatments alongside of-ficial medicine has increased considerably. The essential values of folk medicine, naturalness, com-prehensiveness, gentleness and care have begun to

interest ever more people.“Organic values, respect for locality and the use of natu-

ral health products are being favoured in Western countries more than before,” says wellness tourism entrepreneur and traditional sauna hostess Maaria Alén.

Ms Alén has established an enterprise providing traditional treatments in Lahti. The idea is to take the customers to the sauna where they are offered various treatment packages. The overall principle is respect for traditions, with focus on relax-ation and quietude.

“For individual people, I give treatments in my wood-heat-ed home sauna in Lahti. I entertain groups, for example, in the saunas of tourist enterprises or in the customer’s own facili-ties. There are over 3,2 million saunas in Finland, but few of them offer genuine content services. “My know-how

includes different traditional cures and sauna programmes based on our folk tradition.”

According to Ms Alén, the curing skills based on old folk-lore live on quite actively in Finland.

“Instead of curses set by malevolent people or supernatu-ral sources, pathogens are nowadays sought from the burden caused by a busy lifestyle,” she points out.

In Western countries, people suffering from hurry and stress now seek help particularly from mindfulness guides which ex-tol a conscious and approving presence and listening to one’s body. This kind of approach has already been known in Asian meditation for thousands of years, but in Western countries these methods became widely known in the 1990s, when the American Jon Kabat Zinn spoke of stress control associated with awareness skills. According to Ms Alén, the sauna and the forest have been doing the same for ages.

Visi

t Finland, Harri Tarvainen

SLOW Finland 27

Vis

it F

inla

nd, H

arri

Tar

vain

en

Vis

it F

inla

nd, S

aara

Kos

tam

a/Va

stav

alo

Tea

Kar

vine

n

Tea

Kar

vine

n


”MY passion has been offering the relaxing experience of the Finnish sauna and ice swimming to people around the world. I like sauna and ice swimming, travel, architecture, design, nature and sports. My relationship with the sauna started as a young boy, on an island cottage, where my family and I used to spend our summers. Bathing in the sauna and using the vihta (a birch whisk used in the sauna), complete with its intoxicating scent, was the crowning jewel of summer nights at the cottage. While living abroad, and on work trips, I realised what attracted me in the sauna; I began to miss a manner of relaxation, which cleanses the body and mind

completely. Later, I decided to also try ice swimming, which I immediately got hooked on. While search-

ing for opportunities to bathe in saunas and go ice swimming – both for myself as for my foreign guests in my home town, Helsinki – I realised that there weren’t any places, where just any-one could enter in the city centre. Fortunately, we found a spot in Hernesaari.

My relationship with the sauna changed into an almost obsessive goal, to achieve a high-quality,

all-year spot, open to all, next to the waterfront; a living room for city folk – a place to relax. We gathered

an expert team, with whom we developed the “Nordic

relaxation experience” called Lumo Nordic. The name stems from the charming feeling of well-being, which takes over your mind and body after being in the sauna.

It combines the sauna and tasty, healthy Nordic food and drink, forming an experience for many of our senses. The first site, Löyly, which is a sauna and restaurant, was opened in May of 2016. The next sites will be opened in Tampere and Kuopio, and we’re actively searching for new locations in Finland and abroad.

The most important elements of the concept which our team has developed are a real, high-quality Finnish sauna experi-ence, which allows for a refreshing swim in a lake, a hole in the ice, as well as high-quality, healthy and tasty food and drink. Other important items in our concept are an easy-going approachability, an ecological approach and Nordic compo-nents and ingredients in our design, architecture and restau-rant. Chef Sara La Fountain has developed our food and drink concept, which combines natural Nordic flavours with seasonal and local specialties – innovative meals, shareable meals, communal dining in a relaxed environment.”

www.loylyhelsinki.en www.lumonordic.com

Sauna Finlandia

The Lumo Nordic Sauna: Nordic Relaxation ExperienceVILLE IIVONEN | the founder of the Sauna Finlandia

A passion for sauna A passion for sauna

Saun

a Fi

nlan

dia

”JUST the thought of going to the sauna gives me satisfac-tion. I bathe in the sauna several times a week. I usually go alone, or with my family, but I also often invite friends over for a sauna. I also use the sauna a lot for my work. The goal of the Sauna from Finland network is to create the world’s best sauna experience. The network already features 160 member companies, which further this goal with their own products, services and know-how.

Nothing beats my own sauna, however, having a sauna bath takes my mind off of everyday stress and I get some time to myself. This is real steaming therapy.

As the evening grows darker, my own sauna moment starts with my heating up our yard sauna, either with electricity or wood. While waiting for the sauna to heat up, I spread out the linen cloths on the sauna boards, then I fill the water containers and place a lantern in to create the mood. The sauna mood is important to me. Often, my sauna moment also includes body and facial treatments. Cooling off is a significant part of my sauna experience. After bathing in the sauna, I get into my linen bathrobe and sit peacefully, for a long time, enjoying the blissful state which you get after having a sauna bath. The sauna did it again, relaxing the mind and body.

A real Finnish sauna experience, provided in a high-quality manner as a package, creates interest all over the world; there is definitely a high demand for the Finnish sauna experience as a service. In the genuine Finnish sauna experience, all traditional elements of sauna bathing are combined: wood, water, a naked flame and people with their stories. The re-al Finnish sauna experience is easily identified by its quality mark, which has been specifically made for it. The Authentic Finnish Sauna Experience quality mark, granted by Sauna from Finland, can only be applied for by a sauna service company which passes the quality criteria established by Sauna from Finland, for a genuine Finnish sauna experience.”

saunafromfinland.fi/en


With the goal of being the best sauna experience in Finland CARITA HARJU | CEO, Sauna from Finland

“The traditional elements of sauna bathing are wood, water, live fire and people with their stories.”

”TO me, a sauna signifies tradition, authenticity and being Finnish. I could have a sauna bath three times a day. Even when in town, I go to the sauna every day. In the arctic for-est spa, Metsäkyly, guests can enjoy an all-day or even an all-night sauna experience, hopefully under the glow of the Northern Lights. During the wintertime, it’s nice to be in the tub, in sub-zero temperatures. You can see the stars in the sky here. Chinese tourists in particular have been excited about the clear sky, which you cannot see in many Chinese cities.

In our Arctic Treehouse forest hotel, we offer a safe nature experience. From the hotel room windows, you can see how close nature is. We didn’t want to create igloos, but rather, something new. The nature experience can also be frightening, which is when the contrast is easy to create, but nature cannot be too scary. In our glass houses constructed by Kontio, nature is allowed to enter, in a warm and safe manner. Even watching the snow fall can be a pleasant, with a cup of tea in your hand.

At Metsäkyly, local sausages, fish and reindeer meat are avail-able. Naturally, after bathing in the smoke sauna, smoked fish is appealing, and why not catch it yourself, with a guide while angling or ice fishing.

There are four saunas at Metsäkyly, but we also intend to build a floating sauna, a sauna in a tree and a teepee sauna (kota). The floating sauna, naturally, will be on a raft from which you can take a dip in the lake – even straight down through the sauna floor – and the tree sauna will, of course, be located in a tree and heated with wood. The teepee sauna will be built inside a “kota” with tubs beneath the floor and a central hearth. The “kota” sauna, raft sauna and tree saunas can all accommodate 10 peo-ple, and taking a seven-sauna tour is the idea.”

www.metsakyly.fi/en www.arctictreehousehotel.com

”In the arctic forest spa, Metsäkyly, guests can enjoy an all-day or even an all-night sauna experience”


Metsäkyly: sauna bathing under the Northern Lights and starlightILKKA LÄNKINEN | CEO, SantaPark

Sant

aPar

k

Sant

aPar

kSa

ntaP

ark

Vis

it F

inla

nd, H

arri

Tar

vain

en

Saun

a fro

m F

inla

nd

Saun

a fro

m F

inla

nd

32 SLOW Finland

”THE Heiskanen family has been keeping a tavern on the shores of Porosalmi since 1685. The sauna is a sig-nificant part of the well-being of Finns: The refreshing effect of the sauna affects both the mind and body. For us at Järvisydän, bathing in the sauna is a must after spending an activity-filled day by the lake!

At Järvisydän, we have an entire sauna world construct-ed for our guests, since we want to offer the greatest sauna experience in Finland, on the shores of Saimaa. Our various saunas can accommodate up to 70 people. The windows of the spa, which has been carved into a crack in the beachfront bedrock, open up to a view of the lake. In the centre of the spa, there is a circulating water pool which is like a natural pond.”

www.jarvisydan.com

The 11th generation of the family as tavern keepersMARKUS HEISKANEN | Owner Hotel & Spa Resort Järvisydän

Visit Finland, Eero Ahanen

”The sauna is a significant part of the well-being of Finns.”

”We want to offer the greatest sauna experience in Finland, on the shores of Saimaa.”

A passion for sauna A passion for saunaH

ote

l & S

pa

Res

ort

Jär

visy

dän

Ho

tel &

Sp

a R

eso

rt J

ärvi

syd

än

Ho

tel &

Sp

a R

eso

rt J

ärvi

syd

än

Ho

tel &

Sp

a R

eso

rt J

ärvi

syd

än

SLOW Finland 33

Vis

it F

inla

nd, V

asta

valo

34 SLOW Finland

”SAUNA roots run deep in me. I have spent my childhood summers at my father’s cottage, which has a smoke sauna built right on the wa-terfront. Its timber beams are from a building from the 1800s. Already as a child, I was fasci-nated by the dim light, smells and silence of the smoke sauna. The after-heat of the sauna the next morning is still something magical to me.

In the Finnish national epic Kalevala, the sauna is described as an energy source for people, and a healing method for physical and mental ail-ments. For me, my father’s smoke sauna signifies just that. It takes hours to heat it, and being in the sauna is like path to an ancient heat source, which has carressed people through the ages.

In Finland, there are five million people and over three million saunas. I think that the sauna has given birth to an entire people. Just two gener-ations ago, women still gave birth in the sauna. In this modern age, it seems a distant concept, but even my own grandmother gave birth to my father in the sauna. Close to the spot where our smoke sauna has been built. My grandmother has dried linen and smoked meat in it.

To me, the sauna is a simple space, which brings us back to basic values, and bathing in it is a passage to the resting of the body and mind. The sauna has a balancing effect on me. The sau-na creates presence. After the sauna, the mind is at rest and it feels like your body is smiling.

In modern, hectic times, these basic things are easy to forget. Sauna yoga stemmed from the thought that in the centre of the flood of modern stimulants, “silent urban spaces” could be created. I wondered if the sauna, as a quiet space, could have yoga-based move-ments combined with it, which would maintain the health of people, as a whole, creating a presence together with the sauna. There are now more than 450 sauna yoga trainers, and sauna yoga is practised as guided, small-group activities in six countries. We are also creating a new kind of sauna space, as a collaborative project, together with designer Harri Koskinen and sauna stove manufacturer, Harvia. In it, the functional elements and design support calm and well-being.”

www.saunayoga.com

”Sauna yoga

stemmed from the

thought that in the

centre of the flood of

modern stimulants,

“silent urban spaces.”

Saunayoga International: Developer of licensed forms of sauna yogaTIINA VAINIO | CEO, Saunayoga International Oy

World Travel Ski Awards: Finland’s best Chalet destination MARJO MÄÄTTÄ | entrepreneur, Rukan Salonki

”IN the sauna, I have always been attracted by the feeling of it, and the warmth of the sauna. It’s important for me to get in the calm of the sauna, I can just be quiet and enjoy the vapour and steam. The temperature does not need to be high (65–70 degrees C), but there has to be enough humidity. In the winter-time, ice swimming is a very important part of sauna bathing and, luckily for me, I often get to visit a sauna which has a hole in the ice next to it.

The sauna offers me the opportunity to operate a business, as well as to guide our customers into the Finnish sauna experi-ence. I feel lucky, since I get to tell and show our customers what a genuine Finnish sauna experience is. It’s a holistic experience for me, which begins before the sauna, and ends with relaxing cooling off after the sauna.

The Finnish guided sauna experience is an object of interest all over the world. Customers are interested in the stories and his-tory, which are related to the sauna, as well as a certain mystique. The Finnish sauna experience (sauna construction, decor, design, and producing an experience) has an enormous market in the world, when done correctly. Customers must be offered a holis-tic experience, which is designed and built in Finland, topped

off with high-quality Finnish materials, and provides professional guidance. That is Finnish natural luxury.

Our company operates at Ruka. We own a few saunas, two of which have received the Sauna From Finland quality certification. Together with six other companies, we have developed the Sau-naTour concept. SaunaTour saunas are quality-certified saunas around Kuusamo, which always feature a guide. We offer, among other things, an ice sauna. Our company has two wild food res-taurants, Rukan Kuksa and Kultala. We offer high-quality lodging in deadwood villas.”

www.rukansalonki.fi/en

”Customers are interested in the stories and history, which are related to the sauna, as well as a certain mystique.”

SLOW Finland 35


Saun

ayo

ga

Inte

rnat

iona

l Oy

Ruk

an S

alon

ki-p

erhe

yrity

sRu

kan

Salo

nki

Saun

ayo

ga

Inte

rnat

iona

l Oy


IN 2012, the NDL (Nutrient Data Laboratory) labora-tory, researching the nutritional data of the United States, removed the popular ORAC database, dealing with the anti-oxidant contents of foodstuffs, from its web pages.

The reason was that the health effect of polyphenols could not be accounted for in the data collected into the database.

Polyphenols are metabolic products and protective agents of plants whose effect is similar to that of antioxidants. Polyphe-nols protect plants from diseases and the sun’s rays. Wild berries growing in Finland have many protective compounds which also benefit humans.

“Finnish berries and the products manufactured from them have great opportunities as health products. North-ern wild berries have been proven to be healthy, and they have been observed to have numerous health effects.

Wild berries of the north are real superfood

The long summer days and cool temperature increase the aromaticity and pigments of wild berries. The unique aroma and the colours are produced by fla-vonoids and other polyphenols. The antioxidising

efficiency of berries is greater than that of other plants.Over 40 edible berries grow in Finnish forests. Due to the

arctic growing conditions, they contain exceptionally many bioactive compounds, i.e. vitamins and polyphenols.

Free oxygen radicals causing oxidation make holes in cell walls. Foodstuffs containing plenty of antioxidants prevent the involution of the organism.

The antioxidants are vitamins C and E, beta-carotene (vita-min A), selenium, zinc, carnosine and ubiquinone. In addition to these, there are many polyphenolic compounds with similar characteristics protective of the organism. There are a lot of them particularly in wild berries, which grow in the north.

The long summer days and cool temperature increase the aromaticity and pigments of wild berries. The unique aroma and the colours are produced by flavonoids and other polyphe-nols. The antioxidising efficiency of berries is greater than that of other plants.

Visit Finland, Kiki Kolenbet

“Northern wild berries have been proven to be healthy, and they have been observed to have numerous health effects.”

A real superfood is a berry smooth-ie made of wild berries, sweet-ened with honey, for example,” says research director, lecturer Carina Tikkanen-Kaukanen of

Ruralia Institute of the University of Helsinki.According to Ms Tikkanen-Kauka-

nen, the real benefits of the Finnish wild berry are, in addition to its northern location,

clean soil and clean air. The organic berries intended for export are obtained from Finnish certified organic forests.

Ms Tikkanen-Kaukanen has long studied the health effects of wild berries. She is particularly interested in the anti-infec-tive properties of berries.

The health effects of American cranberry have been known for a long time. It was scientifically proven in the 1990s that the proanthocyanidins of American cranber-ry can prevent the adhesion of coliform bacterium to the walls of urinary tracts.

“Now there is interest in Asia and particularly in China in the berries of northern Europe, such as bilberry.” ▶

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

mg/100

ProanthocyanidinsAnthocyaninsPhenolic acidsEllagitanninsFlavonols, flavones and flavanones

Vis

it F

inla

nd, E

lina

Sirp

aran

ta

TOP 20 LIST OF PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS

Chokeberry Cocoa powder Rosehip Bilberry Sweet rowan Blueberry Blackcurrant Crowberry Saskatoon Rowanberry CranberryRye and wheat bran Raspberry Bog bilberry Cloudberry Lingonberry Peanut Chocolate, dark Strawberry Dark plum

Source: Pirjo Mattila, Riitta Törrönen (2006):

www.mtt.fi/koetoiminta/pdf/mtt-kjak-v63n02s11.pdf

38 SLOW Finland

BERRIES PREVENT INFECTIONSAccording to Tikkanen-Kaukanen, particularly the clean wild berries of northern forests have properties which prevent bacterial infections. Researchers regard the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics as a phenome-non as serious as climate change, and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it concerns every person all over the world.

“An additional problem is that not all have access to effective antibiotics. Annually over a million children die from untreated pneumonia and blood poisoning caused by the pneumococcus bacterium.”

The phenolic compounds contained by berries can prevent the adhesion of several different bacteria to the organs.

They repel effectively, for example, the pneumococ-cus bacterium which causes the most common respira-tory infections as well as preventing infection by the meningococcus bacterium which causes meningitis. The polyphenols of bilberry, blackcurrant, crowberry and lingonberry (anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins and flavonols) block the bacteria of the mouth and prevent the formation of caries and plaque in teeth.

“Now it is important to find new ways to fight in-fectious diseases. Ingesting berries as such or as prod-ucts prepared from them, such as berry juice, is an ef-fective way to prevent infections.”

Tikkanen-Kaukanen’s research team tries to dis-cover by means of clinical research whether the occur-rence of nasal-pharyngeal infections can be reduced by means of berry juices.

The research team obtained the best results spe-cifically with berry juices.

ARI TURUNENVisit Finland

BILBERRY: ANTHOCYANIN

Wild bilberry contains 4–5 times more anthocyanins than cultivated blueberry. Anthocyanins accelerate the regeneration of cells and possibly promote eye health.

CLOUDBERRY AND RASPBERRY: ELLAGITANNINS

Ellagitannins prevent the growth of harmful intesti-nal bacteria, such as salmonella, staphylococci and campylobacter.

CRANBERRY AND LINGONBERRY: PROANTHOCYANIDIN

Cranberry and lingonberry contain plenty of proan-thocyanidin. Proanthocyanidin reduces bacterial in-fections of the urinary tract.

LINGONBERRY: RESVERATROL

Lingonberry is a natural source of vitamin E, and contains plenty of resveratrol, a stilbene. It may prevent heart and vascular diseases and diabetes.

SLOW Finland 39

RURALIA INSTITUTE of the University of Helsinki provides re-search information for rural development. The Institute focus-es on local societies, regenerative food chain and the sustain-able exploitation of natural resources. www.helsinki.fi/ruralia/index_eng.htm

Visit Finland, Harri Tarvainen

“Now it is important

to find new ways to fight

infectious diseases. Ingesting

berries as such or as products

prepared from them, such as

berry juice, is an effective way

to prevent infections.”

Vis

it F

inla

nd, K

iki K

olen

bet

Vis

it F

inla

nd, A

sko

Kui

ttin

en

Vis

it F

inla

nd

Vis

it F

inla

nd, H

arri

Tar

vain

en


Organic integrity is a growing trend. Allergies are increasing and the risks of chemicals are known.Consumers want safe raw materials both at the dining table and in the bathroom.

The primary asset of Finnish gifts of nature is purity. The soil contains very little control substances, and the purity of the air and the waters are top-class in the world.

“Wild food is familiar to us Finns. Food obtained from the forest and the lakes has been used since time immemorial,” notes Seija Kurunmäki, Director the ELO Foundation.

Food directly from wild natureWild-grown natural products are sought-after all over the world. According to the statis-tics of the UN and the FAO, the annual sales of these products are worth billions of euros.

“Wild food is familiar to us Finns. Food obtained from the forest and the lakes – has been used since time immemorial.”

The ELO Foundation promotes Finnish food culture and food tourism. The foundation organises competitions in the catering sector and selects the Finnish team for the Bocuse d’Or cooking competitions. In recent years, the foundation has taken an interest in the exploitation of Finnish wild food. Finnish wild food means wild herbs and vegetables, fish, berries, mushroom and game.

Before coming to the ELO Foundation, Seija Kurunmäki worked in the food industry for a long time. She believes that food tourism in wild nature is a growing trend. Now people want to return to the sources of food. ▶

THE ELO FOUNDATION or the Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Food Culture gathers the mak-ers, visionaries and resources of Finnish food culture at the same table. The foundation engages in diverse co-operation to boost the attractiveness of Finnish food culture. The most important forms of activity since the beginning in 2009 have been the international Bocuse d’Or Cooking World Championships and the nation-al Chef of the Year and Waiter of the Year contests. www.elo-saatio.fi/en

V

isit Finland, Miia Sundström

Vis

it F

inla

nd, E

lina

Man

nine

n/K

eksi

t

Vis

it F

inla

nd, E

lina

Man

nine

n/K

eksi

t

Vis

it F

inla

nd, E

lina

Man

nine

n/K

eksi

t


“There’s a wild food boom in Finland which is supported by the Finns’ very strong connection to nature. Fetching food from the forest is a matter of course for Finns. Everyman’s right makes this possible. It allows everyone to camp out temporarily, a reasonable distance from homes, pick wild ber-ries, mushrooms and fish with a rod and line. Foreign chefs have been surprised to see that herbs and berries can be picked almost everywhere,” Ms Kurunmäki says.

The ELO Foundation has organised training in wild food culture for professional cooks. The training is a world-first of its kind. Wild fish, mushrooms, berries and game are brought to the cooks’ chopping boards. Exceptional about the course is the fact that wild food is rarely served in restaurants.

TOP RESTAURANTS PURCHASE WILD FOODAccording to Seija Kurunmäki, the appreciation of food ob-tained from Finnish nature and from nearby has grown. Wild food is a part of this new enthusiasm. A wild herb week is cel-

“Plenty of researched information has been gained recently, confirming that outdoor activity in the forest improves health and well-being.”

Visit Finland, Elina Manninen/Keksit

ebrated in Finland in the early summer. The first buds inspire many people to go wandering in the forests. Also seasonali-ty, the four seasons, is appreciated more than before. In the spring one looks for herbs, in the summer berries and in the autumn mushrooms.

“Finland is teeming with wild food excursions for consum-ers. Plenty of cookbooks on wild food have been published in Finland, which has increased interest in picking mushrooms and berries. Top restaurants in Helsinki also serve wild food. It is quite common these days for the chefs of these restaurants to go and pick wild herbs in the morning.”

There are plenty of fish in Finland’s clean lakes and game in the forests.

“There are no hunting clubs in Finland that charge a fee. Hunting as a hobby has been easily accessible to ordinary citizens. Approximately 300,000 people per year ac-quire a hunting licence in Finland. It is a large number in proportion to the population.”

FINLAND HAS THE WORLD’S LARGEST ORGANIC COLLECTION AREAAccording to the Ruralia Institute of the University of Helsinki, Finland has the largest certified organic collection area in the world, about 11.6 million hectares. That is 30% of the total or-ganic collection area of the world and nearly 38% of Finland’s land area. 99% of Lapland’s forests and swamps are included in organic certification.

According to the Finnish Organic Research Institute, it would be possible to certify as much as 87% of Finland’s en-

V

isit F

inlan

d, Elin

a Manninen/Keksit

tire land area as organic. Organic collection area means that no chemical fertilisers or

control substances have been used there in the preceding three years. Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) and the Finnish Forest Centre supervise the veri-fication of organic collection areas. It has

now been possible to certify wild berries picked in an organic collection area as or-

ganic, so we can speak of organic wild berries. Over 3 million kilogrammes of organic bilberry

and almost 90,000 kilogrammes of organic cloud-berry were collected in 2014.

According to studies, the food safety of raw Finnish wild berries is also top-class. The consumption of these kinds of wild berries without heat treatment is globally exceptional. “Plenty of researched information has been gained recent-ly, confirming that activity in the forest improves health and well-being. Being in the Finnish forest and picking gifts of na-ture is an excellent way of travelling,” notes Seija Kurunmäki.

ARI TURUNEN

”Foreign chefs have been surprised to see that herbs and berries can be picked almost everywhere.”

V

isit Finland, Elina Manninen/Keksit

Vis

it F

inla

nd, J

uho

Kuv

a

Vis

it F

inla

nd, E

lina

Man

nine

n/K

eksi

t

Vis

it F

inla

nd, E

lina

Man

nine

n/K

eksi

t

Vis

it F

inla

nd, J

orm

a Ja

nsen

/Vas

tava

lo

Vis

it F

inla

nd, O

lli O

ilink

i


The wild flavours of Helsinki

“If you want to know what Finnish food tastes like, you should go to the forest,” says Finland’s most famous wild herbs and plants advocate, Sami Tallberg. The flavours of the Finnish forest are strongly on display, even in the top restaurants of Helsinki.

”Finnish food is what grows in the woods. What you pre-pare from it is a whole different matter,” says Finland’s most famous wild foods chef Sami Tallberg.

The man himself has a steadfast vision of what Finnish food means to him.

“I cook as many dishes as possible from wild plants. It’s as-tounding how many good plants can be found for your kitchen, just in your own garden, the Helsinki beach bedrock and even in parks. You don’t have to go looking for everything in the for-

est. Although, it’s a nice aspect of Helsinki, that you can take the local bus to a nature reserve in the Nuuksio primeval forest to forage for mushrooms and berries,” Tallberg says.

FAME THROUGH WILD HERBS Sami Tallberg got his wild food calling in the beginning of the 2000s, while working at the Rivington Grill, in London. The restaurant had its own royal supplier, specialised in wild herbs and plants, named Miles Irving, who taught Tallberg about the

treasures of flavour which nature has to offer, starting in your own back yard. Tallberg moved back to Helsinki in 2008, to become the chef at the Carelia restaurant.

“It was natural to continue the hobby that I had started in London. On my days off, I would go exploring for edible plants in the forests. There were so many of them that I started work-ing on a wild herbs cookbook,” says Tallberg.

Tallberg was at it at just the right time. The “Wild Herbs Cookbok,” published in 2011, became a bestseller, and Tallberg became an immensely popular speaker and performer at food events around the country. Currently, Tallberg has no regular restaurant of his own. Instead, he travels, speaking on the us-age of wild herbs and plants in cooking. You can find Tallberg – nearly anywhere in the world – cooking in star kitchens ▶

Porcini mushrooms, birch sap, nettle lea-ves... In the best restaurants of Helsinki, you can enjoy a varied meal of the bounty of the Finnish forest.

Greetings from the forest

Tommi Anttonen

1. Chef & SommelierTHE 25-seat Chef & Sommelier, which is hardly larger than a living room is the cooking location of chef Sasu Laukko-nen, who collects most of the ingredients from the forest himself. The restaurant also has its own garden and garden-er, who keeps the kitchen stocked with root vegetables, salads and herbs. “Why should we eat Chilean strawberries, when Finnish nature offers everything that a chef needs? We eat the food when it’s at its best in Finland, and then store the rest for the long winter. In this way, the custom-er can get inside the deepest being of Finnish food in a completely different way,” says Laukkonen. Chef & Som-melier’s food has also made an impression on the Michelin inspectors. Proof that they have been impressed is provided by the red sticker of the star club, just next to the door.

Chef & SommelierHuvilakatu 28tel. +358 400 959 440 www.chefetsommelier.fi

Tom

mi A

ntto

nen

Vis

it F

inla

nd, R

iitta

Wei

jola


2. JuuriTHE Spanish have their tapas and the Juuri restaurant has sapas, a small and delicious dish made of Finnish ingredients for sharing. The Juuri sapas have become a phenomenon in Helsinki. Juuri started in 2010, in the Punavuori neighbour-hood in Helsinki, with the idea of offering relaxed Mediter-ranean food culture, but made with Finnish ingredients. The idea was refined to sapas. Word of their deliciousness got out. Little by little, even tourists – wanting to taste the mys-terious-sounding sapas – found out about Juuri. Juuri’s chef de cuisine, Jukka Nykänen wants to pay tribute to Finnish ingredients in his kitchen. “The closer and more organic the food gets, the better. Actually, we use a lot of things in the kitchen which come from the Helsinki city area. There are a few really good gardens here, you can go berry picking on the local bus, and the fishing waters at the city sea front are excellent,” says Nykänen.

Korkeavuorenkatu 27, tel. +358 9 635 732, www.juuri.fi

Tommi Anttonen

“Wild food is familiar to us Finns. Food obtained from the forest and the lakes has been used since time immemorial.”

and in pop-up restaurants. Tallberg’s pioneering work and his in-fectious enthusiasm can be seen and tasted today, in many restau-rants all around Helsinki.

SMALL, BUT INTERNATIONAL The tiny Chef & Sommelier, in Helsinki’s Eira neighbourhood is precisely the restaurant presented in international magazine piec-es, which is characteristic of the food offered in Helsinki. The rea-son for the media attention is the founder and chef, Sasu Laukko-nen’s passionate attitude toward the bounty of the Finnish forests.

“When we opened in 2010, we only wanted to use organic in-gredients, and for our local patrons, that was pretty annoying. After the first year, we realised that we couldn’t limit ourselves to only organic, but rather, that we had to offer food made with ingredients straight from the woods. Organic food isn’t wild, but is grown by people. It was a good decision, because that is when cooking actually became interesting. We have a short summer in Finland, and during it, there are plenty of sun hours per day even in Helsinki. There is an intense aroma in everything which nature produces. It is both a great challenge and an opportunity for a chef,” says Laukkonen.

Laukkonen makes no attempt to explain what Finnish food is today.

“For someone, it’s pizza, meatballs for another, pickled herring for some else. Food culture is always a mixture of proprietary and foreign influences. To me, it’s what the forest and waters in Finland produce. I’m happy when the customer tells me that they have tast-ed being in Finland, not elsewhere,” says Laukkonen.

MIKA REMES

Tom

mi A

ntto

nen

Tom

mi A

ntto

nen

Tom

mi A

ntto

nen

Vis

it F

inla

nd, J

ussi

Hel

lsté

n/V

isit

Hel

sink

i


4. OloRESTAURANT Olo moved to a prime location in Helsinki in 2013, just next to the Kauppatori market square. It’s fitting for a restaurant which food critics consider the best in Finland. Olo is chef Pekka Terävä’s creation, but now, the maestro has moved backstage, to operate his various food productions. Olo’s kitchen is the sole domain of the gifted Jari Vesivalo. Vesivalo is known as an uncompro-mising friend of local food who painstakingly finds the best small-scale produc-ers, fishermen and hunters. Vegetables and wild fish play an increasingly large part in Olo’s kitchen. For meat, Vesivalo favours game, according to the season. “Throughout the years, I have got deeper into what I can get out of freshly har-vested parsnip, for example. Finnish nature offers an unlimited supply of inter-esting flavours. The most significant part is to use them to make natural flavours, and to present them beautifully,” says Vesivalo.

Pohjoisesplanadi 5, tel. +358 10 320 6250, www.olo-restaurant.fi

5. SpisDECAYED stone walls, simple wooden tables, 18 seats. Sometimes less is more. The Spis restaurant, founded in 2012 by Jani Kinnanen and Antero Aarnivuori, complete with its spartan decor, was selected to be the Restaurant of the Year, 2015 in Finland. Its rise to the position was a natural extension of chef Aarnivuo’s modern food, created from the food produced by small and ambitious produc-ers, which naturally fits in with the definition of the new Nordic kitchen. In focus at Spis are seasonal vegetables, which are taken full advantage of by the skilled technicians in the kitchen. The fish is wild and the meat is always organic.

Kasarmikatu 28, tel. +358 45 305 1211, www.spis.fi

3. AskTHE small and intimate Ask in the Kruununhaka neighbourhood of Helsinki has risen to the very top of restaurant rankings, one step at a time. The Michelin star, received in 2014, accelerated the rise. Ask’s owners, Filip and Linda Langhoff amassed their skills over ten years, in the best restaurants in Oslo, before their return to Helsinki to realise their dream of owning a restaurant. It became a tribute to local Nordic food, without unnecessary stylistic pigeonholing. The Langhoffs define local food loosely to extend to the Nordic countries. Their main point is the cleanliness, freshness and natural flavours of food. Ask is a small, less than 30-seat restaurant, so it can best take ad-vantage of the supply of small producers. “In our kitchen, everything is organic or wild,” says Filip Langhoff.

Vironkatu 8, tel. +358 40 581 8100, www.restaurantask.com

Tommi A

nttonena

Vis

it F

inla

nd, E

lina

Man

nine

n/K

eksi

t


Healthy and clean wild food

Markus Maulavirta trained a few years ago to be a wil-derness guide. Two of Maulavirta’s passions are com-bined in his enterprise offering experiential tours: love for local quality food and nature. He conditions the

menus with produce of the forest, such as lichen and wild herbs.The food is served by the fire deep in the forest. “Forest tour-

ism is constantly growing. We hike with clients in the forest to a hut in the wilderness, warm up the wood sauna, carry the water from the lake and then prepare food on an open fire.”

The menus always consist of some produce of wild nature. Stock made of chaga mushroom is added to mushroom-onion

soup. The salmon is flamed and served with lingonberry may-onnaise and ember root vegetables. Everything is spiced with spruce nuts. For dessert, there is bark pancakes with dandelion syrup. Splints and genuine Lappish guksis are used as cutlery.

“Such experiential dining requires special arrangements. If necessary, we carry the benches and tables into the terrain.”

FOUR SEASONS GUARANTEE QUALITYOnly about ten million people in the world live north of the 60th parallel. Over a half of them are Finns. Finland is, in fact, the world’s northernmost grain-growing country. Although the

The Northern location, light summer nights and clean soil give aromas to Finnish food. A top chef who has worked at Michelin restaurants takes the nearby environment into account in his menus. He often goes to the forest to pick ingredients for the dinner.

ters knew already in the 19th century the effect of Finnish soil, for example, on the quality of dairy products. Swiss cheese masters who had heard of well-structured milk came to Finland. The casein content of Finnish milk was in a class of its own. The Finnish forest cow, or eastern Finncattle, ate a diverse range of nutrition which gave a good taste to cheeses. Free-range cow’s milk is still prepared. Its taste is due to the cow eating different foods, not only animal feed.”

WILD TASTESMaulavirta has experience of over 30 years with wild forest products. He goes to the forest a couple of times a week. Maulavirta organises forest tourism for enterprises and tour-ists. His Arctic Aihki enterprise organises experiential tours to the forest. Cooking tours have been done in the Sipoon-korpi National Park and in Lapland where Maulavirta runs a wilderness hotel.

“Last I served the guests Cetraria islandica soup, hare cas-serole with boletus powder and juniper berries. All self-picked or self-made.”

Lichen is the object of Maulavirta’s passion. Be-cause lichen has no roots, it takes all its nutrients from the

air and rainwater. It has no protective layer on the surface, so it is constantly exposed to pollutants. The presence of lichen, for example, on the trunk of a tree, is a sign of the purity of the environment.

Maulavirta’s favourite, Cetraria islandica, is one of Fin-land’s most common lichen. “Cetraria islandica contains a lot of starch, and spirits were made of it in old times. It is a real survival product, but also delicious. It has a strong taste of umami.”

Maulavirta also picks chaga mushroom, a decay fungus that grows on birch trunks. “The aromatic chaga contains plenty of antioxidants. I drink it as morning tea and use as an addi-tion to mushroom soups.”

ARI TURUNEN

Arctic Aihki

ARCTIC AIHKI, piloted by Markus Maulavirta, organ-ises tours into the Salla wilderness. At Aihki, nature and peace surround the visitor. Aihki is a unique place to visit and relax in northern nature. In addition to accommodation facilities, Arctic Aihki offers a large sauna with showers, a fireplace room, a dining room, a spacious kitchen and a modern goahti (Sámi tee-pee) for passing time and cooking. www.arcticaihki.fi

season is short, the climate also has advantages for the quality, purity and aromaticity of the ingredients.

“The quality of ultraviolet radiation is good in the north, and there is proportionately more light time in the summer than in Central Europe. Long summer nights and an inten-sive growing period give a unique aroma to the ingredients.” The cool climate kills vermin and plant diseases effectively, so the use of pesticides is low in Finland, compared to Cen-tral and Southern Europe. Winter frosts are a good disin-fectant. Because of this, Finnish soil is particularly clean,” Maulavirta notes.

Maulavirta thinks that Finland’s extensive surface area per inhabitant also affects the soil.

“Because there is a lot of unbuilt land in Finland, the soil has remained diverse. Finnish root vegetables and dairy prod-ucts are of good quality thanks to the soil. Swiss cheese mas-

Vis

it F

inla

nd, A

sko

Kui

ttin

en

Arctic Aihki

SLO

W F

INLA

ND

| Wellb

eing

from

Finland’s nature

2017

“Tourists seek a counterbalance to

their everyday life in Finnish nature destinations.

They are looking for peace, quiet and opportunities for

nature and aesthetic experiences.”

Documents

SLOW - VisitFinland.com · FinRelax growth programme financed by the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy is to make Finland the leading country in wellbeing tourism