Mammi Tasting

Finnish rye pudding, or Mammi is a tradition Easter dessert in Finland. I’m not really sure how to describe it without sounding insulting. The thing you have to know is that it’s not that bad. The problem is that it looks pretty bad and the ingredient list isn’t something that sounds very appealing. It’s primarily rye flour, syrup, spices and dried Seville orange zest. It doesn’t appear to be baked at all, but is instead a very dark brown blob of goo, almost like eating a bitter cake batter. Again, while this is an accurate description, it’s not really a representation of how it tastes.

From what I can tell, from the internet as well as the selection of Mammi I was given, it’s most common to have Mammi with custard or something sweet and creamy. Of the three that we (Allison, myself and two Finnish friends) tasted, two of them came with some kind of sweet cream, one of them was on its own. while I appreciated tasting it on its own, it’s not something I would do again or recommend. However tasting it on it’s own gives me the opportunity to tell you how Mammi tastes without anything added.

The flavour of Mammi is fairly bitter, almost licorice like. I might have been projecting as most of the time anyone Finnish seems to offer me something it has licorice. However in this case I think the astringent flavour came from the Seville orange zest. For those unaware, Seville oranges are super bitter and most often used to make jam, when mixed with lots of sugar. Mammi on its own however doesn’t seem like there’s much or any sugar added. The texture is actually much better than you might think. It’s a little gritty, but actually kind of smooth. There’s also an aftertaste of the rye, so at least the gritty texture makes sense.

As for the toppings, apparently the tradition is to simply add a vanilla custard. One of the Mammis we had was just that, and it was by far the best one. The vanilla custard sweetens and smooths out the astringent flavour of the Seville orange a bit, but not so much as you still can’t taste it. It’s not like this custard covers everything up, instead it just makes it a bit more palatable.

The other Mammi we had was a little less conventional, in panna cotta form. I would say that this was far less successful than the classic vanilla cream, but I appreciated that the Finnish dessert manufacturers were willing to play with their classic Easter dessert a bit. I’ve been told there are a few other methods/versions of Mammi out there as well.

I would suggest that you try Mammi if you have the means. I’m pretty sure it’s an acquired taste and works much better if you grow up with it, but it was at the very least very unique and interesting.

Toffee For Christmas

This candy made me think about traditional candies all over the world. I wonder what sweet treats people in Australia eat for Christmas. I know about the barbeque and the various desserts, but what about the sweet treats that are put in stockings and such. Also, what about the other parts of the world that celebrate Christmas, what do you give/get this time of year? I really should look into this and maybe write something up, maybe even a book.

Check out my latest review that's apparently traditional, but not for me.

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Christmas Candy In The Media - Making Candy Canes At Disneyland

The folks at Disneyland are candy cane making masters. They've been doing it for a long time, and it's apparently a really popular thing.

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Candy In The Media - Traditional Chocolate

If you want to know how chocolate was traditionally made, this is it. Best of all, it's still made this way in some places.

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Last Minute Ideas If You Wanted To Be My Valentine - Heart Shapped Box Of Chocolates

Who doesn't like a classic? I love the idea of getting a box of chocolates for Valentines Day, sure it takes a little away from the tradition, since I would be a guy receiving the box of chocolates. But we live in the future, and I'm happy to accept a gift of this caliber from any lovely suitor.

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A Sweet Candy Thing

One of my favourite things as a kid was getting a Valentine's Day card that had candy attached to it.  It adds so much more to get something sweet to eat, as well as a fun message.  It's funny, I don't really remember at what grade we stopped giving Valentine's Day cards to our friends, but it must have been pretty early on.  I can't recall ever getting cards in High School for sure.  Every so often though, I head over to the local card or drug store and pick up a box of Valentine's cards.  I fill one out for each one of my friends, and hand them out.  I get a mixed reaction, some are confused, some think it's sweet and nostalgic.  I'm sure more people would like them if I attached some candy as well.

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Candy News

I know Christmas is passed, but I still have more holiday links to post.  Like this one about how to build an indestructible gingerbread house. And this article about one of the greatest Canadian Christmas treats ever.

Got some eggnog left over?  Why not make some ice cream?

Could 2014 be the year of white chocolate? It appears that chocolatiers are finding a use for this confectionery that most people consider faux chocolate.

I always get a kick out of reading articles about people that are taking traditional candies and bringing them back.

If you happened to get any chocolate for Christmas this year, you might want to hang onto it as an investment.

Is the world really a better place when candy fights cavities, instead of causing them?

Disney is well known for some pretty spectacular treats, and now your car can smell like one.

Have you ever tried astronaut ice cream, have any astronauts?

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Sweet Treats Of Turkey

On my recent trip through the Mediterranean I made a stop in Istanbul.  I haven't been to Istanbul since I was a child, and I have only vague recollections of that trip.  The one thing I do remember however is how this trip ruined Turkish delight for me.  When I got back to Canada and sampled other Turkish Delights, they never held up to the stuff I tried in Istanbul.  It wasn't until a recently that I've learned that many Mediterranean and Middle East countries also make a fine "Delight", but for some reason North America gets it all wrong.  So even as a child, this city had a huge impact of my candy taste testing life, it was my first step towards being a candy snob.

The thing that I was most excited about on this return trip was to see if Istanbul still held up as a unique and tasty place to get sweet treats.  As it turns out, it is, in fact I might say that Turkey rivals Japan for unique and tasty treats.  As a Westerner many of the treats, and the way they're delivered are pretty strange, but if you get by your bias you'll discover flavours and textures like nothing you've ever tried before.

Living in Greece and having traveled around this area a lot lately, I found many similar treats in Istanbul, but for some reason there's a bit more authenticity to them.  In many European countries you start to find a great deal of influence from the French, German, and other Western European countries in sweet treats.  In Istanbul it seems like they avoid this, the places I visited didn't offer many Western baked goods at all, they focused almost completely on their own.  Even the grocery stores I visited had very few Western treats, there where several bars available with Pistachios, and other Turkish/Mediterranean ingredients, and very few M& Ms, Twix, or Mars bars.

The treats from the traditional Turkish stores and market stalls were exactly what you might expect.  First of all there where many bulk stores, particularly in the Bazaars, selling candy in bulk.  The candy they sold was nougats, delights, and nut filled baklavas.  There was not a French pastry to be seen anywhere. Even the coffee shops offered some uniquely Turkish drinks (I sampled something called Sahlep that is now favourite hot drink).

I only scratch the surface in my exploration of Turkish treats, so I could be missing something entirely.  I did however find that the treats available truly reflected the Turkish culture, that meant that there was little variety, but it also meant that the local treats where in abundance.  Keep in mind that when I say there's little variety, I don't mean little selection or even evolution in their treats.  I found so many flavours and formats of Turkish delight it would blow your mind.  In particular I came across a really creative way to serve sweet treats, in Donair form (they would shave the candy off a giant hunk of candy on a spit).

This city, and this country, offers unique flavours and a glimpse into the tradition that comes from their culinary history.  It gives you a great example of a culture that hasn't had a Western influence into its sweet treats, and how this sweet treat culture has evolved.  I'm sure I could spend a whole year learning about the many varieties of sweets available, and I'm sure I'll be back to sample again.

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