We all know it’s cold out there because The Guardian has done a history of snow article and The Telegraph is shocked by an unpredented rise in ‘anti-social snowballing incidents’. However, we know that things have got really serious ‘cos the Record has discovered that dangerous driving conditions are making it difficult for breweries to deliver to pubs. It’s bad enough that the temperature hasn’t risen above freezing for the last week but if we run out of drink then it might turn nasty.
Anyway, following on from yesterday’s ‘Jings, it’s Baltic’ blog, we’ve decided to take a look at what people in really cold countries eat to keep the cold out. We’re not too bad at warming nosh here in Scotland and The Guardian has a piece here showing how to make the perfect porridge. But we are still amateurs compared to countries like Russia where the government has to to issue warnings to its population not to drink anti-freeze as a substitute for vodka.
No matter how cold it gets, I’m not sure I fancy Icelandic hakarl, an aromatic dish of fermented shark which has been buried for several months. The same goes for Swedish surstromming or fermented herring. Apparently, the stench is so overwhelming that even the Swedes tend to eat it outside. The traditional Inuit diet was said to involve warm seal blood. Black pudding? Yes. Bowl of warm seal blood for breakfast? Errh, you’re alright, thanks.
Unless I’ve overlooked them, I couldn’t find any Scandic or Inuit restaurants among the 5pm members but if you want to see how the Russians keep warm in winter then try Glasgow’s Cafe Cossachok. Borscht soup, Siberian ravioli and a couple of shots of vodka should keep the cold at bay.