This is how two long-time professionals in the restaurant industry think about the possible influx of foreign meat into Finland.
Brasa dairy cattle entrecote on a plate. Tommi Anttonen
Restaurateur and chef Mika Roito believes that the value of domestic meat will only increase in the future.
According to Roito, the possible increase in the import of foreign meat into Finland will divide the market, so that both stores and restaurants will have different levels and different types of meat for sale.
Veljekset Ponteva has several restaurants in Tampere, and according to Roito, only domestic meat is always used in them, such as Ravinteli Huber, which specializes in meat. However, Roito reminds that both domestic and foreign meat varies in quality.
Beef tenderloin is a good example of this. Some have fat, some don’t.
– The mere term beef sirloin does not tell the quality of the meat or what should be done with it. When there is more fat in the meat, its taste develops even more, Roito states.
He laughs that it would be easy if you bought South African or Australian meat. There aren’t many similar pieces of meat in the domestic market.
– But that’s the salt of the matter. We know where the meat comes from and who produced it. We have visited a cutting plant and meat farms. Then the product is valued in a completely different way, says Roito.
There are differences in the characteristics of foreign and domestic meat. For example, meat imported from South Africa does not have marbling, i.e. fat in the tissue.
Roito states that the cold climate and clean diet affect the quality of the meat. Meat from beef raised elsewhere is different.
Olo Collection agrees Pekka Terävä.
– If I compare Australian marble and domestic meat, the consistency of Australian meat is sponge-like. In domestic meat, the texture is more pleasant, it has more mouthfeel. But there are both good and bad in both foreign and domestic meat, says Terävä.
According to Terävä, meat from top domestic producers is used in Olo Collection’s restaurants, such as the meat-specializing restaurant Brassa. Terävä states, however, that if the price of beef rises so high that customers are not ready to pay for it, the matter must be reconsidered.
The steak to be grilled should have fat both on the outside and inside. Mari Moilanen
– There is no need to beautify the matter. Consumers also choose based on price. We cannot externalize ourselves from it.
Terävä hopes for honesty from everyone, because restaurant slogans often speak in favor of domesticity, but the reality may be different.
– None of the beef served in the buffet restaurant is domestic. Domestic meat cannot be sold at a buffet price, Terävä states.
According to both Roito and Terävä, in the current weak economic situation, people are more price conscious than before.
– We don’t come to the restaurant to try it out, we take it for sure. There should always be value for money, but now even more.
Restaurateurs believe that some Finnish restaurants will start using more foreign meat because the price of meat has risen so high.
But some customers still want to pay for domesticity and to know the origin of the meat.