Calling All Julia Childs,
Frugal Gourmets and Anyone
Else Who Can Cook!

The Jewish News is looking for
fabulous and original Passover recipes
for an upcoming story in our new
family publication, The AppleTree.
We want matzah meals, dairy dishes,
magnificent meats, dessert delights and
every child's favorite, anything with
vegetables like spinach and onions!

Please send your kosher-for-Passover recipes,
along with a photograph of the chef (option-
al), to Passover Delights, c/o The Jewish
News, 27676 Franklin Rd., Southfield, MI
48034, fax (810) 354-6069. Be sure to include
your name and address.
The deadline is Jan. 15.

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THE JEWISH NEWS

Kosher Bites

In probing for the perfect pickle, people partake in a
plentiful peck.

Lapland Foods:
Taste The Tundra

ETHEL HOFMAN

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

W

hen I think of Jewish
food, after bagels and
lox and somewhere be-
fore blintzes, the dill
pickle comes to mind.
Not just any pickle and cer-
tainly not those "I am really a
cucumber fresh off the vine mas-
querading as a pickle" new dills
A "Jewish" pickle is known in
these parts as an old dill. It is
a perfect complement to a deli
sandwich or a tray of veggies.
Jewish pickles are cool and
snappy; their taste, texture and
crunch can wake up even the
most jaded taste bud.
But beware: Not all pickles
are created equal. That accept-
ed as a truth, The Jewish News
staff set out on a perilous task
of picking the perfect pickle.
Found in a local Kroger deli
section, we picked kosher dills
from national brands Best, Vla-
sic and Claussen as well as a lo-
cal pick, Topor's.
All contained less than 5 calo-
ries per one-ounce serving,
boasted 310 to 330 milligrams
of sodium, no fat and one gram
or less of carbohydrates. The
price range was $2.49 for a 24-
ounce jar of Vlasic spears to
$3.29 for a 32-ounce jar of
Claussen spears. The best val-
ue for price per ounce was
Topor's at $2.59 for a 32-ounce
jar.
The Union of Orthodox Jew-
ish Congregations of America's
kashrus division provides su-
pervision for Best, Claussen and
Vlasic; the Council of Orthodox
Rabbis of Metropolitan Detroit
supervises Topor's.

The Ratings:
Of all of the taste tests we
have done so far for this column,
this has been by far the most sci-
entific. Which really doesn't say
much.
We asked the respondents to
judge the pickles on color,
crunch and texture and award
each pickle a forks up or forks
down rating.
Personally, I found Best was
the worst, no one holds a candle
to Claussen's crunch, and
Topor's was, by far and away,
the pick of the pickle pack.
The staff generally agreed:

If you have a suggestion for
a taste test fora new or tra-
ditional product, please call
Jill Davidson Sklar at (810)
354-6060, Ext. 263,

Best Kosher Dill Pickles
"Gross! I spit it out. It doesn't
even resemble a vegetable."
— Kari Horenstein
"Bad, slimy aftertaste."
— Karin Indig
"Gross and nasty. I threw it
out."
— Michelle Weyh

RT

Vlasic Kosher Dill Spears
"Good crunch but too briny
tasting. I didn't like the taste.
Forks down."
— Jill Davidson Sklar
"Too vinegary. Bad news."
— Julie Edgar
"Crunchy but something's not
quite right."
— Lynne Konstantin

Claussen Kosher Dill
Halves
"You can-always tell a good
deli by the pickles it serves.
You'd find these at a really bad
deli."
— Jen Finer
"Crunchy with a peppery
taste. Delicious."
— Jill Davidson Sklar
"A little too salty and not
enough spice."
— Karin Indig

UP" RATI NG

Topor's Natural Barrel
Dill Pickles
"The best from a jar but you
probably never tasted my Bubbe
Ida's."
— Illana Greenberg
"Walupers! Packed with fla-
vor!"
— Lisa Wylin
"Crunch, tangy, sour, flavor-
ful. The best pickle around."
— Kari Horenstein 0

We didn't have to trek to the
northern tundra to taste the
foods of Lapland. Arriving in
Helsinki, Finland, late on a Sun-
day evening, where the mid-
summer sun doesn't dip until
near midnight, we discovered
a tiny restaurant, owned and
run by Lapps, and aptly named
The Lapland.
Lapland is north — way at
the top of the Scandinavian
map. It is the farthest north re-
gions of Norway, Sweden and
Finland and also takes in the
Kola Peninsula of the north-
western part of the former So-
viet Union.
For a large part of the year,
across these almost treeless
plains of the arctic, winter days
are short and dark but summer
days are almost 24 hours long
with only a few minutes of total
darkness.
Reindeer and caribou still roam
the plains and for the indigenous
Sarni people, these hardy animals
were once used for transportation,
milk and food. The skins were
used for tents and clothing; ten-
dons and sinews were used for
sewing. Although now modern
tents are made of durable fabrics,
reindeer skins are still used for
daily items such as clothes and
shoes.
With an abundance of wild
game, venison, fish, and berries,
Lapland cuisine has become re-
spected and has strongly influ-
enced Finnish cooking. It
wouldn't be difficult for a vege-
tarian or for the observant to
dine magnificently on the huge
variety of fish and fruits from
this pristine land.
Salmon and whitefish are
used for soups and chowders,
cooked in a savory potato casse-
role, or as a filling for pastry
turnovers. Rye breads are both
wafer-crisp and hand-shaped
into soft loaves. Herring is salt-
ed, spiced and served with a de-
licious variety of sauces. A
typical Lapland meal is fish,
cooked in many forms, served
with plain boiled or mashed
potatoes.
If we had any doubts about
Lapland food, they were imme-
diately dispelled during an un-
forgettable four-course dinner
in the one-year-old restaurant.
Dishes were authentic, prepared
by the staff of two Lapps.
Woven cloths and napkins
brightened the tables and as we
delved into a divine soup, fra-
grant with fresh dill and stud-
ded with salmon, potatoes and

.

LAPLAND page 100