Kalakeitto: Fishy Trip to people of Karelia!

Story of creamy fish soup from Karelian tribes of Russia and Finland

Many of us have never heard of Karelia leave alone a fish soup called Kalakeitto that is one of the main dishes of the people of Karelia. Since this is our first recipe from the Handbook of Healthy Indigenious, we wanted to start from the very heart of the North, a land that geographically belongs to both Russian and Finland.

Before I share the recipe, wanted to give you a little information about the people of Karelia, their lifestyle, and culture.

Karelia is located in between amazing lakes Ladoga and Onega. It is a lovely picturesque land with mountains, rivers, lakes, tons of snow in winter, and lovely wild meadows throughout spring and summer. The main income of Karelians used to come from Marble mining. These mines are not functional anymore. The mining caves once were carved with the sweat and tears of local people to decorate Russian palaces and churches are now filled with water and used by tourists for diving.

Local people mostly speak Russian. Only a few thousand still speak the unique Karelian language that is quite similar to Finnish. The land is vast and people are scattered all around the country. A lot of people still work in paper and wood processing factories. Like many remote places in the North, Karelia is not a very fun place for locals youth. Many have managed to escape to big cities of either Russia or Finland for finding jobs and entertainment.

The younger generation is starting to find enjoyment in helping to organize tours around Karelia taking huge pride in its hospitable and also presentable facilities. In winter, the whole Karelia gets filled with tourists mostly from Russia coming to celebrate New Years' Eve.

Karelia is slowly becoming assimilated either by Russian or by Finnish. It is the local indigenous people who are being affected by the silent territorial wars of both countries. Most of the money for preserving local language and culture is provided by the Finnish government.

Ok, and now about our main dish! There are lots of dishes in Karelia that one can enjoy in local cafes. The most delicious ones are prepared by families hosting tourists which is always the most recommended lodging if you are going there for experiencing the culture.

This particular soup is one of my favorites. It is called Kalakeitto. Could not find the etymology of the word over the internet, hopefully, elders of Karelia know what it means. Apparently, almost every family has a way of cooking it. Depending on what fish that goes in there, the taste can change of course. This delicious and nutritious soup is amazing finding in the cold winters of Karelia which is famous for its bone-shattering cold.

Kalakeitto is quite simple. Fish filet and a couple of vegetables and voila!

Ingredients:

1 L fish broth or water

400 grams of cubed fish filet (any)

1 chopped white onion

2 average chopped potatoes

1 chopped carrots

2 cloves of garlic

Butter (two table spoons)

For seasoning:

bay leaf

black pepper and Salt

150 grams of heavy cream/alternatively you can add sour cream after it is served

Cilantro or Dill

If you are dealing with whole fish with heads and tails, that's the best broth over there. Cut the heads and tails away, wash and place it in a pot, add one bay leaf, half a carrot, one whole small shallot, one clove of garlic, some sea salt, and ungrounded black pepper add one liter of water and bring it to boil. Make sure to clean the foam away. When the meat on the head is soft, its time to take it off the fire and drain with cheesecloth. Your broth is ready!

On the side finely chop the onions, carrots, garlic, and fry with butter. Add the finely chopped fish cubes, potatoes, bay leaves, and fry for a minute before adding the broth. Once the potatoes are soft, its time to add the cream, spices, and chopped cilantro or dill. Let it simmer for another minute and take off the heat. Your Kalakeitto is ready to be served. Usually, this portion serves 4 people.

Karelians eat this soup over the whole winter and fall when the fish is still fresh.

Well, enjoy the dish and let us know how was yours!

Special request: If you are from an indigenous background and have a family recipe that you really enjoy, please, do share with us at healthy.indigenius@gmail.com. We promise to try the recipe and share it with our readers.

Thank you for reading!

Zam and Ayka