Gordon Ramsay tastes traditional Finnish food

The defining moment that tells you entered your adulthood is – along filling your first tax report – watching cooking shows. And when I stumbled upon Gordon Ramsay trying traditional Finnish food I couldn’t help but share it.

I got to know about Gordon Ramsay through the fantastic Master Chef USA, a TV program that I follow each and every year. It has excellent production values and its design as a television program is impeccable.

Ramsay, recording a cooking show. Source (CC: by)

Gordon Ramsay: Who is he and what does he do

Since I first saw Master Chef I also started watching some others’ Gordon Ramsay programs when I am in the mood for some TV program about food. Kitchen Nightmares USA or Gordon’s Great Escape (where he travels to other countries to learn traditional techniques, and where he changes his usual harsh critiques towards a more benevolent approach) are programs that are well done and that I like.

If you don’t know who Ramsay is, he is the 2nd chef with the most Michelin Stars in the world. Because of that, and his TV programs, he’s one of the world’s most known chefs. He also had a stellar appearance in The Simpsons (Season 23, chapter 5, when the Simpsons become foodies – by the way, don’t trust anyone who calls him or herself a “foodie” – and food bloggers).

Ramsay working in a kitchen. Source (CC: by)

If you like the person – or the persona – he’s got a fantastic YouTube channel where he shows how to make basic yet delicious recipes at home. with a better taste. I learned a couple of tricks with these videos.

Gordon Ramsay tastes traditional Finnish food

Perhaps it is because I saw some videos of him on Youtube, the video appeared as a suggestion when I was looking for a video of Finland for another post. The title of the video didn’t leave me indifferent: Gordon Ramsay tastes traditional Finnish food.

After watching him and hearing his opinion on traditional Finnish food, I had to share it here. He’s merciless. You can watch it here:

What you see him tasting in the video is Karelian pies (karjalanpiirakka), then he continues with leipäjuusto with cloudberry jam, and finishes with the dish we talked about in our last post: Mämmi, that dessert that everyone in Finland eats during Easter.

His comments are anything but nice, since he uses the word “disgusting” in all of them.

Finnish food that I liked and where to eat it in Helsinki

A reindeer dish. Source (CC: by)

There are several Finnish dishes that I recommend trying when you are in Finland.

For example, I really love the texture and flavor of reindeer, something that you can get in many places in Finland. Also, bear meat is an exotic ingredient that tastes quite nice. Both ingredients are pricy, but worth trying when you are in Finland.

For the über-fine-diners, there are 6 restaurants in Finland with Michelin Stars (one each): Ask, Chef & Sommelier (the newest additions to the list), Demo, Luomo, Olo and Postres, all of them in Helsinki. If you want go for high class Finnish cuisine with some reinventions of traditional Finnish food, this is your restaurant list.

And if you’re not in Helsinki but it the rest of Finland (although it is also happening in the Finnish capital) you should try the street food on one of the Restaurant Days, where anyone can set up a restaurant for a day.

What’s the Finnish dish that you like the most? And what do you think about the traditional Finnish food (for instance, the one that Ramsay tried: Karelian pies, leipäjuusto or mämmi)?

Topics: Finnish food | 3 comments |  Print This Post