Cheap and tasty meat has been rejected for no reason – The reason is Finns’ prejudice

The fat in the pork makes it tasty and juicy. Eeva Paljakka

– I like pork meat very much. It has good fats, says the chef Risto Mikkola.

He says that he has recently increased his consumption of pork, contrary to many other Finns.

We do eat pig, but mainly at Christmas and summer in sausages. Minced meat also increases pork consumption. But instead, less raw pork is bought than before.

Marketing director of HKScan Finland Mikko Järvinen says that pork is still the most popular type of meat when raw and cooked products are added together.

In the long term, the consumption of pork has decreased, while at the same time the consumption of broiler has grown strongly and the increase in the demand for minced meat has maintained the consumption of beef.

According to Järvinen, last year’s price increases of almost all foodstuffs and types of meat especially affected the decrease in retail trade volumes. The trend of thoughtful consumption has also affected the sales volume of meats.

In sausages and cold cuts, pork has a solid position, especially in cold cuts, however, the biggest growth has been in poultry-based cold cuts.

In raw meat, pork is strong in barbecue season and in Christmas hams.

The challenge of pork as raw meat is everyday consumption, which is dominated by minced meat and chicken meat.

According to Mikkola, the raw pig has been rejected for no reason. He wants to restore the appreciation of the pig.

– Finns are afraid of fat, even though it contains most of the flavor and juiciness, Mikkola gasps.

Järvinen confirms this. The image of pork lags behind other meats specifically in terms of healthiness and low fat content. The visible fat of pork scares the average consumer.

But there is one product made from a pig whose popularity only continues to grow. It’s bacon.

– Bacon’s popularity is an indication that pork has suction, Järvinen points out.

In addition to cold cuts and sausages, the most popular pork products are pork steaks, cuts and strips. It also plays a big role in Karelian roast meats.

Due to consumers’ wishes, the pork has been refined in a leaner and meatier direction. But Järvinen has noticed a slight change.

We have learned how to prepare fattier carcass parts, such as the neck, shoulder, and flank.

– They stay juicier and are a great delicacy when cooked slowly. The pulled pork boom is a good example of this, it’s here to stay. The now emerging BBQ restaurant and grill trend is strengthening the reputation and demand for these pork cuts, Järvinen says and continues that the rib and ribs of pork carcasses are on the rise worldwide, this can also be seen in Finland.

Fattier pig breeds mangalitza and iberico, whose meat is naturally marbled (the fat is marbled between the muscle fibers and makes the meat juicy when cooked), have increased their popularity in restaurants. From there, the trend slowly spreads to home kitchens as well.

– We have predicted that as a relatively inexpensive meat and versatile raw material, “Pig will strike back” both in home cooking and in various restaurants, Järvinen sums up.