Mämmi

"Memma" redirects here. For the Japanese condiment, see Menma.
"Mammi" redirects here. For the Italian actress, see Fulvia Mammi.
For the 2011 film with a similar title, see Maami.
Mämmi
Type Dessert
Place of origin Finland
Main ingredients Water, rye flour, powdered malted rye, (molasses), Seville orange zest, salt
Cookbook: Mämmi  Media: Mämmi
Mämmi with cream and sugar

Mämmi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈmæmmi]) is a traditional Finnish Easter dessert. The Swedish name for it is memma.

Mämmi is traditionally made of water, rye flour, and powdered malted rye, seasoned salt, and dried powdered Seville orange zest. The mixture is then allowed to go through a slow natural sweetening process before being baked in an oven until set with Maillard reaction. Preparation takes many hours, and after baking the mämmi is stored chilled for three to four days before being ready to eat.[1] Instead of being allowed to sweeten naturally, traditionally, commercially made mämmi is usually seasoned with dark molasses. Traditional mämmi tastes aromatic sweet, thus it has only less than 2% sugar, but commercial untraditional mämmi can have even 20% sugar and tastes different, not so aromatic sweet. Mämmi has even 10% proteins and is rich of trace elements. Mämmi was traditionally stored in small bowls made of birch bark called tuokkonen or rove. Finnish packaging still prints birch bark-like texture on the carton boxes.

Generally, mämmi is eaten cold with either milk or cream and sugar, and less commonly with vanilla sauce. On old times it was also eaten by some spread on top of a slice of bread. There is a Finnish society for mämmi[2] founded by Ahmed Ladarsi, the former chef at the Italian Embassy in Helsinki, who has developed around fifty recipes containing mämmi.[3] There are a number of websites with recipes using mämmi most of which are in Finnish.[4] Mämmi is also used as a minor ingredient in a mämmi-beer by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas.[5]

History

Mämmi was first mentioned during the 16th century, in a dissertation (in Latin).[6] It is claimed that it has been eaten in the southwestern region of Finland, ever since the 13th century, when Finland was a part of Roman Catholic Sweden.[7]

Originally mämmi was eaten during lent. Its laxative properties were associated with purification and purging. As the dish keeps well for several days, it was also a convenient food for Good Friday, when cooking was against religious custom.

Modern mämmi is mostly mass-produced. Traditional version of mämmi is sold in Finland with labels perinteinen (traditional) or luomu (organic). Nowadays people in Finland very seldom make mämmi at home. Instead they buy commercial mämmi. Some Finnish origin immigrants in North-America still make mämmi at home.

Traditional Persian new year fest Nowruz has sweet paste named Samanu, which is made much the same way as mämmi, but of wheat instead of rye. That's why Persian and Kurdi people from the Middle East tend to like mämmi, because it appears to be similar as samanu. Some say that Guinness beer and mämmi have little same taste, but especially Finns are not so sure about that.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nordic Recipe Archive "Mämmi "
  2. ↑ The Finnish Mämmi Association "Suomen Mämmiseura ry"
  3. ↑ Helsinki Sanomat, 16.3.2005 "Mämmi Maestro. Ahmed Ladarsi is an expert on a Finnish delicacy"
  4. ↑ Suomen Mämmiseura ry "Mämmi Recipes"
  5. ↑ www.imaginer.fi, Imaginer Oy -. "Tervetuloa - Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas". laitilan.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  6. ↑ The Martha organization "History of Mämmi ", "Homepage"
  7. ↑ Nordic Recipe Archive "Origin"
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