The situation of domestic beef raises many concerns.
Pekka Terävä praises the taste of domestic beef as balanced and fresh. Rosa Bröijer
Domestic beef production is currently tight. That’s hardly a surprise to anyone who follows the food conversation.
And there is no quick relief in sight. This is what Olo Collection’s restaurateur and chef thinks Pekka Terävä.
Terävä states that one key reason is the domestic cattle industry’s strong connection to milk production, which is also decreasing. At the same time, production costs have risen sharply. Now the effects are also beginning to be seen in consumer prices.
It has always been clear to Terävä that Finnish beef belongs to the top of the world in terms of cleanliness, animal welfare, responsibility and taste.
– I have always liked the taste of Finnish beef, Terävä states.
He characterizes the taste as clean and balanced.
Terävä reminds that domestic production is needed for that reason alone, in order to maintain meat self-sufficiency and security of supply.
Most of restaurant Brasa’s domestic beef comes from small cattle farms, delivered by Herkkutukku. Meats are cut in the restaurant. Eeva Paljakka
Brasa, a restaurant specializing in meat, mostly cooks domestic beef in its cabinets. It is essential that the meat matures in a dry age cabinet.
Terävä suspects that the age of the meat itself may have an effect, if, in the opinion of someone, foreign meat wins over Finnish meat when comparing store-bought meat.
Foreign meat rests during transport and at the same time ripens raw, in which case the meat is more tender than meat that has not been ripened raw.
– Our strict legislation is the reason why we sell and eat meat far too fresh. Domestic meat does not have time to fall apart, and because of this, foreign meat may taste better.
At Brasa, both meat and fish are cooked over an open fire. Eeva Paljakka
Terävä says directly that the legislation is a big frost factor. You don’t dare to cook meat raw, because people only look at the dates.
Terävä calls for common sense and own thinking, which, according to him, has been lost in the jungle of the EU’s many rules and regulations.
– Domestic meat is sold too young. So are cheeses. Our purchasing method is such that the cheeses and steak meat are sold fresh, but instead the fish is too old, Terävä wonders.
Good and tender beef needs nothing more than finger salt as a seasoning. Eeva Paljakka
Longer ripening, like meat, also gives cheese an intense taste. At the beginning of the year, there has been a lot of discussion about the changed taste of Aura cheese. Terävä throws up the idea that perhaps Aura would benefit from eating it only after the best-before date.
According to Terävä, the nuttiness and nuances of blue cheese can be felt in domestic beef at its best.
He doesn’t think he will ever stop eating meat. Terävä would see good export opportunities in purebred cattle in Finland.
According to Terävä, in Finland it is not worth doing anything other than quality. According to him, we have world-class top products such as butter, cream and potatoes – as well as beef.