The new definition of a low-carb diet doesn’t involve counting carbohydrates, but rather carbon dioxide emissions. The idea of climate-friendly food is expanding to include more than just local and organic foods. Helsinki restaurants haven’t taken up a low-emission menu yet, but change is in the air.

Eco-trends don’t always portray the full picture. The debate about whether to buy a plastic or paper bag is easily solved by looking at the final mile: if you pop by the hypermarket in your car, it doesn’t really matter whether you pack your groceries in paper, plastic or fabric – or if you just carry them in your hands. The most important thing is what’s in your shopping bag – or your plate. As a climate-friendly rule of thumb, eat more vegetables and seasonal food – and empty your plate. A full fifth of Finnish emissions comes directly from food, so it makes sense to combine food politics and the climate debate.

In the restaurant world local food is still a big hit, but local doesn’t always mean climate-friendly. Almost half of all food emissions come from production, but packing and shipping only counts for a seventh of the total amount. Freighter ships can carry food by the ton, and the amount of emissions per mango isn’t much. Compared to that, the green house cucumber from your sympathetic local farm is far more damaging to the climate.

Organic production euthropicates the land less and causes less green house gas emissions, but for example organic poultry production can be more damaging to the environment. Talk about a tough call. The slowdown of the environmental food craze could be caused by the difficulty of exact emissions calculations. However, broad policies can be made. Restaurant giant Fazer Amica, familiar to students and office workers, will try a climate-friendly lunch in the fall. In effect, they will use more local grains, roots, vegetables and berries. Green house vegetables will be used less and rice will be dropped in favor of barley.

The most obvious climate-friendly diet is a low-meat one. Helsinki’s vegetarian restaurant offering isn’t quite vast yet, but lunch times are starting to be hectic at Kasarmitori’s Zucchini and Hakaniemi’s Silvoplee. Finnish ingredients such as root vegetables are held in high regard also at Restaurant Juuri, which opened up a grocery store to compete with market halls for the local food crown.

On the pulse by chance

In Copenhagen, climate-friendly restaurants and other climate change-aware businesses can apply for the city’s climate certificate. The Klima+ network was boosted by the United Nations’ Climate Summit in December, and now has over a hundred members. A climate-friendly restaurant must offer at least one clearly marked climate-friendly menu option. Some take it even further: restaurant Julian has changed their whole way of operation, from kitchen appliances to menu design and logistics. Their location on the top floor of the National Museum has also inspired them to research the history of Danish food, which has also influenced their menu.

In Helsinki, at least Kasarmikatu’s cafe-restaurant Kaartintupa would be a good pick for a climate certificate. However, this small corner cafe’s ideology was born without an extensive network. The menu includes seasonal delicacies and TAPIO RAUTAVAARA’s music fills the air. A ballroom dance-like atmosphere and climate-friendly food in the same place – how 2010! However, owner PIA SAHANEN doesn’t think of it like that. To her it’s just about good food in a good mood.

“To me this kind of thinking comes naturally. I want simple Finnish flavors instead of mozzarella and olives. I just try to offer the best of what I can get at the time. If you want to call it climate-friendly food, so be it. The market for purely climate-friendly food is still a small one,” Sahanen says.

Think seasonal

The idea behind Kaartintupa is simple, but rare.

“I wanted a mix between a bistro and a coffee shop that serves, for example, nice homemade cakes. I’ve seen too many cakes flown in from the US or Belgium. Some of our cakes may be a bit crooked, but at least they’re made right here,” Sahanen claims proudly.

She doesn’t like intensive food production anyway. The most important thing is to make customers happy. “We try to make our service as personal as possible, and I do different variations on our dishes based on special diets. If you’re a vegan, I can replace your brunch yoghurt with an oat milk smoothie, or whatever I can think of. And so what if something isn’t exactly the same every time, or if our recipes aren’t set in stone,” Sahanen asks somewhat rhetorically.

Her unplanned climate-friendly menu includes lots of vegetables, roots and Finnish fish, and less meat. “We don’t have a strict policy, but we tend to value seasonal quality ingredients and prefer vegetables. I don’t understand why you should eat so much meat. By marinating and roasting roots you don’t need tomatoes or cucumbers, and you shouldn’t eat them during the winter. I have to admit that I’m looking forward to the summer and new ingredients, though.”

Market hall, wholesale and small farms

Sahanen gets her ingredients for lunch soups, Saturday brunches and dinners from various places: the market hall, through friends and also from wholesalers. She says wholesalers now even have a nice supply of smoked vendace and Raikastamo’s organic apple juice. A small operator wants to support other small operators, and not least because authentic flavors are more often found where they are so dearly valued. “Small is so much more personal, and the flavors are right. Thursday’s pea soup is made with actual smoked pork side from a small curehouse instead of some ham roll. Alongside the traditional pancake we serve proper jam from a winery in Elimäki instead of processed jelly,” Sahanen clarifies. Kaartintupa is all about nostalgia. This is evident in the choice of music, the table-serving, the old dinnerware, the small-scale produce on offer as well as flavors familiar to older customers. Climate-friendly dining doesn’t mean you have to travel back in time to the 1950s. As Sahanen points out, it can be “just about good food.”†

Kaartintupa, Kasarmikatu 26, 00130 Helsinki, www.kaartintupa.fi Text Simo Vassinen Photos Kaarle Hurtig

Tags:
ecological, ekologinen, food, helsinki, kauppahalli, lähiruoka, local food, luomu, pia sahanen, ravintola juuri, ravintola kaartintupa, restaurant kaartintupa, ruoka, silvoplee, tapio rautavaara, zucchini