Glögg with Tuna Tar-Tar

Tar is a viscous black slime used to seal rooftops and roads as well as waterproof ships and boats but in Helsinki (as disgusting as this sounds) tar is also a healthy cooking additive in herring, salmon and tuna. Infact, at the Savu Smokehouse we enjoyed an authentic Finnish “Christmas” lunch of appetizers, entrees and drink made with equal parts of this smelly solvent. And before eating our hands were washed in a small basin of warm water with a sudsy bar of tar soap.

The Finns have been using tar from birchbark for almost 300 years. The medicinal qualities include relieving skin problems like psoriasis and dandruff and cancor soars. It's produced from the bark of a tree, first by wounding it with a cut, then, after several years, chopping it down and burning in a tar pit. An old Finnish proverb states that if sauna, vodka and tar won't help, the disease is fatal.

Similar in concept to other theme restaurants like Medieval Times or the Hardrock Cafe, The Savu Smokehouse is still vastly different because it's culturally educational. Waitresses dress in period costume serve up platters of Finnish delicacies in a rugged storehouse setting turned dining room. It boasts that it's the "only restaurant in the world that uses smoke-curing in preparing all the dishes it serves." Indeed, the reindeer meat and accompanying seasoned potatoes were wonderful as was a refreshing glass of Glögg (mulled wine mix) with cloves, cinnamon, peeled almonds and a dash of, you guessed it - tar.