Foraging for food in Finland

In Finland you can find edible, wild, naturally growing food everywhere, from national parks and to green public urban areas — even people's backyards, reported EPA-EFE.

Wild food includes but is not limited to herbs, vegetables, fish, berries or mushrooms. Foraging for berries and mushrooms is deeply rooted in Finnish culture.

A central aspect of this culture is 'everyman's right', which refers to the right of everyone in Finland to enjoy outdoor pursuits — including nature's nutritious yields — regardless of who owns or occupies a given area. Eating freshly-picked wild blueberries from a forest is a unique experience in itself!

Food tourism and visits to wild nature inspire people, both in Finland and around the world.

There are already a few restaurants in Finland that serve dishes and even entire menus that are prepared using only ingredients sourced from nearby forests, which can be treasure troves of nutritional gems, providing unique flavors from wild vegetables and herbs such as nettles, dandelions, horseradish, clovers, birch leaves and pine or spruce cones.

Jyrki Tsutsunen is one of the leading advocates of wild food in Finland.

Tsutsunen, who prefers not to call himself a chef, employs a rather unconventional approach to food culture.

He prioritizes and promotes responsibility and ecology in modern gastronomy.

For years, Tsutsunen worked as a chef in the kitchen of the St. Petersburg Consulate, and has had a strong influence on Helsinki's fine dining scene.

Today, he works as a freelancer, organizing unique and memorable culinary and cultural events. In addition to tasting experiences, Tsutsunen wants to bring other senses, memories and emotional states to the table.

Nearly all the food he serves and prepares for the events is made of ingredients he collected himself from nature.