Thorrablot

Along with burning calories, I tend to pick up tidbits of information from the multitude of TV channels at the gym. The other day, Canada AM was interviewing a chef associated with a Toronto Icelandic cultural group who was promoting a festival called "Thorrablot". Thorrablot is a winter festival that originated with the Vikings during which food, that was preserved throughout the winter, is eaten up to make way for the bounty of spring. While I had never heard of it before, and had never eaten any of the Scandinavian "delicacies" they were displaying, it did remind me of a pleasant childhood memory.

After my father passed away, my mother and I were on our own living in Timmins, Ontario. We rented an apartment from an elderly Finnish couple who lived upstairs. While my memory of them is not vivid enough to remember what they looked like, a few things do stand out.

Finnish bead just like Mrs. Latasalo's (photo from Tasteofhome.com)

 Finnish braided bread with a shinny glaze was sometimes sitting on the kitchen counter when I came home from school. My mom would inform me that Mrs. Latasalo (not sure if the spelling is correct) had sent down a homemade loaf of her Finnish style bread. It was soooo good! My mom did not make homemade bread so it was a real treat. I also recall being invited to their apartment on special occasions (perhaps Christmas or Easter) to enjoy a spread of traditional Finnish treats of which I particularly enjoyed the cheese. I'm not sure if was truly from Finland, but it was squeeky, like Swiss but much milder .... delicious!
 I also recall, while living near the Latasalos, being thrilled to get a brand new bicycle from my Mom for my birthday which I kept in a shed in the yard. One day I went to get my bike and discovered that Mr. Latasalo had installed a shiny new bell on it! What a lovely old couple they were.

So ... I'm not sure if any of the food our landlords served was similar to the kind served at "Thorrablot" ..... after watching the video below I doubt that I would have indulged in much of it! It was nice, however, to be reminded of these nice neighbors and their Nordic traditions and kindness.


There's More to Thorrablot than Rotten Shark - Chicago Reader

Entertaining Video Explaining Thorrablot