Mammia

Tony was at the store last week with his work colleague and he said to Tony, "Try this, it's very Finnish. I don't think they make this anywhere else." handing him a brightly colored yellow package with brown sludge in it.

Tony politely said, "What does it taste like? Is it a dessert or is it salty", and his colleague in turn replied, "I can't explain it." Tony then asked, "Aren't you going to buy one for yourself?" He said emphatically, "No, I don't like it, but you eat it."

I asked my friend about this easter Finnish food, and she replied with a smile, saying that she liked it and it's so Finnish that one little bite of it will have me magically speaking Finnish.

My visiting teacher at church said, "Mammia is really good with lots of cream and sugar." Her brother said, "The thing about Mammia is, the more cream and sugar you put on the better it tastes. And what's even better is when you eat the cream and sugar and leave out the Mammia!"

In light of these glowing endorsements we let the Mammia sit in the fridge for two weeks and on the eve of its expiration we reluctantly pulled it out in a half hearted effort to try it. You would think it looks like a nice plate of chocolate brownies, but one whiff of it tells you it's something much worse. Apparently it's main ingredient is fermented wheat. Tony tried it first and said, "it tastes pretty good, but let's throw it out now." I tried it next, and one tiny taste of it sent me running to the sink!

Some of the other Finnish delicacies are blood pancakes and liver casserole. To be fair, they also are known for making delicious cakes. Mammia was definitely a once in a lifetime experience!