The Gustav Wasa restaurant had to make an extraordinary decision because of the Vaasa city authorities.
Gustav Wasa restaurateur Kim Hellman finds the authorities’ decision absurd. Kasper Dalkarl
The authority has prohibited the restaurant from using lake mussels in Gustav Wasa’s restaurant, because according to the EU it is not an official raw material. The restaurant will tell you about it on social media.
According to the restaurant, the situation is very absurd, because the EU has financed the research and cultivation of lake mussels.
– It is not a matter of health or hygiene, but of a single article that prevents the use of Finnish nature in the kitchen, the publication says.
Restaurateur Kim Hellman says in the publication that it is impossible for a single restaurant to start officializing the food status of an entire raw material.
A great opportunity
The lake mussel is a common species in Finland, in contrast to the endangered river pearl mussel. Kasper Dalkarl
Hellman tells Iltalehte that he was able to participate in the same EU-funded research project, which studies the utilization of animals and plants in water bodies as raw materials. The project will last until the end of this year.
Hellman’s task in the project is to try cooking different dishes from lake mussels.
– This has been a really cool thing. The lake mussel is not a new raw material per se, but it is used little because it tastes like the bottom of the water where it lives.
For example, lake mussels living in clean lakes in Lapland have been used in kitchens. But in Ostrobothnia, lake mussels live in a muddy bottom, and thus the muddy taste has stuck to the mussels.
In the project, it was invented to lift the mussels up from the bottom and let them clean for two months in clean water.
The project motivated Hellman to open the doors of his restaurant again. Gustav Wasa closed its operations on New Year’s Eve 2023, but has re-opened its doors to customers during the high season in a pop-up spirit.
The current pop-up restaurant is open from November to December and from the beginning of the year. According to Hellman, a continuation of the operation is not in sight.
Joy of the week
Hellman says that he wanted to cook an approachable dish of lake mussels for Finnish customers. Hellman created a dish in which the lake mussel has been given a chewy feeling with high heat. The dish has flavors familiar to customers, such as roasted garlic, lemon, salt and parsley.
– Through the portion, the customers got to know the new raw material. The portion in question is a small, warm piece that felt nice in the mouth.
The customers received the dish well, but only 50 people had time to enjoy it.
Namely, after just one week, the authorities of the city of Vaasa banned the use of lake mussels.
– I was feeling confused. This one back pack doesn’t ruin the whole thing, because the clam is only a small part of the menu. But it’s sad that I was able to bring a new raw material to the table as a so-called regular chef. It was so cool that I was part of a project that is good for the climate and waterways, Hellman thinks.
– Well, it was cool for a week.
Now the restaurant has to replace the single-serving Finnish lake mussels with Central European ones, which are officially approved in the EU.
– It is ironic that we have to replace the mussel collected from our own beaches and useful for nature with imported raw material, the restaurant’s publication says.
According to Hellman, it’s about the principle, not just the clams. In Finland, the tasting menus of top chefs and restaurants are often based on Finnish nature.
– Finnish food culture is known worldwide for being close to nature. We use spruce bark, birch sap, wild herbs. The lake mussel is in the same category.
However, Hellman also sees a positive side in the situation. The city’s extraordinary decision has brought attention to the topic.
– I have talked to colleagues all over Finland. Everyone is of the opinion that there is a need to make a noise about this issue. It cannot be the case that some EU article prohibits the use of raw materials from one’s own nature, says Hellman.