What do the Saami eat?
A traditional diet is described as being high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates, with reindeer and wild game as main sources of animal protein (4). A century ago, lake and river fish were also impor- tant in the Sami diet, especially compared to other reindeer-herding circumpolar peoples (5).
How do Sami get food?
Staple food Traditionally, the cuisine of Sápmi has been based on local materials, like fish, game, reindeer and berries. These days reindeer is essential for Sami cuisine, but game, fish and wild birds are also important.
What is Lappish food?
LAPPISH GASTRONOMY: INLAND Smoked, tartare, roasted, in stews or as cured sausages, this meat is the equivalent of our beef and is an integral part of Lappish culture. Traditionally it is served with potatoes, a vegetable you’ll often find on your plate here to go with meat and fish.
Do Sami people eat reindeer?
Traditional Sami food can be summed up in two words: meat and fish. The food has been supplemented with herbs and berries when these have been available. In addition, the Sami ate a lot of reindeer meat, either fresh, dried or conserved according to old methods. Elk meat and bear meat were also eaten.
What race is Sami?
Sami are the indigenous people of the northernmost parts of Sweden, Finland, Norway, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. The Sami speak a language belonging to the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic language family with Finns, Karelians, and Estonians as their closest linguistic neighbors.
Where in Finland is Lapland?
Lapland is located in northernmost Finland, deep inside the Arctic Circle. Flights from London to Lapland are around three and a half hours long.
Do the Sami still exist?
Today, a large proportion of the Sami people live outside the traditional Sami areas and have moved into the towns of Northern Norway or to the Oslo area. Even more, they still live in traditional Sami settlement areas but earn their living in the modern service sector, industry, travel and the public sector.
How does reindeer meat taste?
They came out looking like a cross between beef and lamb but the taste was more like liver. They were not bad – a touch chewy, but without the strong aftertaste you get with liver. However the rich, dark sauce was delicious, and went perfectly with the potato gratin served up by my housemate Nicholas.
Are Sami people still around?
Is Lapland worth the money?
Obviously you can’t necessarily cram all of this into a day-trip, when much of your time will be spent travelling to and from Lapland, you need to go for at least three or four days, but if you can afford the time and the not inconsiderable expense, I’d say it’s totally worth it.
How do you know if you are Sami?
To find out if you have Sami heritage, use traditional genealogy resources such as local records to find proof of a family link back to Scandinavian records of families with known Sami heritage. A DNA test can also help discover a familial Sami heritage.
