World Food Gifts 2022

Recycled cardboard suitcase that pays tribute to the knowledge and flavours of the Coimbra region. The suitcase includes:

Cold partridge, Coimbra style – an exaltation of the Lordly Coimbra, and a souvenir of Coimbra, birthplace of 6 Kings of the First Dynasty who had hunting as an activity of choice. The art of escabeche.

Suspiro – Reflects the renown of Coimbra’s convent sweets, and exalts the imagery of academic bohemia in the art of seduction.

Handmade beer biscuits – Promoting industrial tourism, and a reminder of the hard biscuits that used to feed 15th and 16th century ships

Almalaguês Towel – The wisdom of our ancestors translated into the meticulous work of the cotton, transforming it into masterpieces from the looms of Almalaguês.

Coimbra Earthenware dish – the faience of Coimbra elevates its region from the XVIII century onwards, mainly in the national and international context.

Penacova – a tribute to the mastery of the work of ancient and wise hands that carve wood.

Honouring a unique trilogy, we want to offer a concept that unites tradition and innovation, in a case that brings together a palette of flavours: «Cold partridge Coimbra style», «Suspiros» and «Beer biscuits».

This case holds multiple stories, pays homage to and keeps the work of ancient and wise hands that carve the wood, warm the ancestral knowledge of skilled weavers, experienced hands that meticulously work the cotton, transforming it into masterpieces from the looms of Almalaguês. It keeps other memories of the past, displayed by the faience of Coimbra that, from the 18th century on, elevates the region of Coimbra in the national and international context.

Ingredients

Cold partridge: partridges, onion, garlic, bay leaf, zest of lemon, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, white wine, paprika

Suspiro: egg whites, sugar, lemon zest

Handmade beer biscuits: flour, sugar, butter, beer

Ultra-premium gin created by combining two ingredients: gin distilled in wood-fired copper stills, following the traditional Menorcan method; and saffron, grown once more on the island after an interval of almost 300 years, by iSafra, a business run by Omar Zola. The name of the gin as well as the style of the bottle are a tribute to the iconic Maó gin, and to Saffron Island (known nowadays as Pinto Island), which was a key location for the spice trade during the British domination of the island. The resulting blend is wonderfully historical – a fascinating story that begins with an age-old formula for a digestive remedy dating from the late 17th to early 18th century, and ends up with a modern gin that is aromatic and floral, great for drinking straight or with a mixer; a gin which is pleasantly bitter yet at the same time very smooth.

Ingredients

Aloe vera, ginseng, ginger root, cardamom, mate, orange peel, certified top quality saffron and juniper berries

Luomus Koivu is an interior element and a serving plate made of birch. It is entirely handcrafted in Lappeenranta by carpenter and Doctor of Engineering Ville Naumanen. The shape of the plate mimics the movement of a leaf falling from a tree. The light plays on the surface of the dish, creating a great frame for serving.

The plate gets its unique look from birch veneer made from ecologically through-dyed wood, a South Karelian innovation (CWP). All the raw material is sourced from sustainable forests (FSC marked material). A new tree has been planted in place of each harvested birch.

I am FINNA and what I look like corresponds to how I taste, because my taste is full of bubbling joy and celebration. I am real and precious – I come from the forests of the North, grown wild and picked by hand. I’m not explaining but I’m focusing on the essential – creating a festive atmosphere. FINNA Cloudberry is made from the golden treasures of the Nordic swamps, cloudberries. We extract cloudberries using traditional methods, with the 170- year craftsmanship of Lignell & Piispanen family business. FINNA Cloudberry’s taste is lightly bubbly and aromatic with a hint of cloudberry and hint of honey. Also suitable for vegans.

FINNA is a bubbly celebration of flavours, a berry trip into the woods. The picking season for cloudberries begins in the middle of July in southern Finland, while the harvest in northern Finland begins in early August.

Non-alcoholic FINNA can be used in the same way as alcoholic beverages. Best suited for light and fresh food, sweet treats and small edibles. Best enjoyed chilled.

Soft honey is our first product. The life of the bee colony is a great story about strong women that we ourselves represent. A queen bee, our mother started beekeeping alongside a dairy farm 2 years ago, after which we daughters have also trained for a basic and vocational degree in beekeeping. The whole family has been involved in developing the idea of Ilmatar’s product family looking for pleasures in nature. When collecting nectar from long yards, flat fields, bees do an important job of pollinating flower meadows, arable and forest plants. Bees are one of nature’s most important pollinators and maintainers of biodiversity, which Ilmatar also wants to promote through its activities. Brand and labels are self-designed and commissioned in Iisalmi in North Savo. The product has the Produced in Finland brand-label.

For enjoyment as such or on top of food portions for decoration. The toffee-like feel and fresh taste of honey come out best when eaten cold. Honey has e.g. antibacterial properties and its effectiveness is at its best without heating directly from the jar when consumed alongside a warm beverage.

Ilmatar midsummer honey is an unheated, soft-kneaded, 100% natural product.

All the fragrances of the Spring flowers in a jar. The characteristics of this uniquely Greek organic raw honey, its light golden colour, its soft aroma and its delicate taste embody in full the rich flora of the Greek nature and the exceptional biodiversity of the island of Serifos. It is collected in May and the locals call it “Magiatiko.”

The gift box is a small scaled replica of a bee hive crafted by hand and includes details such as the number of the most productive hives (14 & 37) and the beekeeper’s passport number attesting in the most eloquent and playful way the origin and authenticity of the production.

The gift is local food in a wooden box made locally on the Island Hitra by people in inclusive work life. This work gives people a meaningful workday and contributes to a sustainable community. The box is reusable and made solid so it’s not a waste. The products inside are 5 gold award winning products from 5 different small-scale producers that collaborates in the network Taste from the Island Kingdom, with food from Hitra and Frøya. The box contains a gold envelope with information about the award-winning products and its producers.

Ingredients

Beer (Barley) Smoked Trout (fish) Hot smoked Salmon (Fish and spices) Cheese (milk) Hot smoked lamb (no allergens)

D.O. Saimaa delicacies is a ready-made gift package which includes Kenkävero’s bread crisps, Vavesaari’s blueberry marmalade, Heikkilä’s herb farm basil, oregano and tarragon herb spices, and smoked vendace from Järvi-Suomen kalatuote and Kalakontti.

Ingredients

Bread crisps: Lactose-free milk drink, rye flour from the original rye, wheat flour, sesame seeds, yeast and salt (the processing plant has also processed nuts), additive free.

Herbs: Dried basil, oregano and tarragon.

Blueberry marmalade: Sugar, starch syrup, water, blueberry (10%), gelling agent (pectin), acidity regulator citric acid, organically produced.

Smoked Vendace: smoked vendace, rapeseed oil, salt 1.5%, chili ketchup and celery.

Rosette – Svarica is a six-leafed sign representing the Sun and is spread throughout Europe. In our country, the symbol is associated with the Old Slavic belief in the god Svarog. Svarga is a well-known name for a celestial or solar path, and its meaning is close to fire, burning, flame, and smoke. People believed in its protective feature, carving it into stone, wood, cradles, chests, beams, wooden cabinets, or wine barrels to keep the wine from spoiling. It is also often found in older houses, chapels, and churches. Today, the symbol of the rosette is part of our rich cultural heritage, and with the new product, we can bring it closer to a present-day man or woman. The name of the crockery (ROZCA) comes from its basic shape  rosette, and the Slovene word »rožica« (little flower). Bowls are multi-purpose, suitable also for baking. There are three bowls stored in the handmade gift packaging. Between them are three wooden coasters, printed with recipes, for making sweet, savory, and herbal »buhtelj« (special kind of buns). If we divide the rosette into geometric elements, we get a circle and six leaves. The circle is above all a symbol of time and god, both being infinite and all-embracing.

Buhtelj is by no means just a specialty from Ljubljana, as it is prepared all over our country and beyond. Buhtelj is a typical Austro-Hungarian dessert, which is generally a little less sweet. The name »buhtelj« originates from the Czech Republic, where it is called »buchta«. It is a sourdough dumpling with filling, baked in the oven.

The naming of the dessert derives from German word »Buchtel« and from Czech »buchta« – a word that means »a lump«. The Czech word is related to the Slovene word »búhniti« and originally means *»something swollen« (HL, 107).

Perception of bread as a »gift from God« in folk wisdom dates back to pre-Christian times, but despite its venerable age, it represents a possibility of creative inspiration in connection with learning about and respecting the past and thus the cultural heritage of a particular area in modern times. It is a great challenge for everyone to revive the forgotten homeliness with the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread.

With these dishes, I would like to stimulate the user’s culinary creativity and imagination.

Bon Appetit!

Dictionary of Slovenian Literary Language / róžica

1. diminutive of flower: flowers bloom; to plant flowers; it bloomed like a flower / mountain, forest flowers; medicinal flowers / fragrant flowers; to pick flowers; the child plucked flowers for the mother; tiny, colorful flowers; you are like a flower
2. expr. young, lovely woman: I have never seen so many flowers together / As an address to someone: Come, my flower.

Soap containing coffee beans power and chicory pieces from Hauts-de-France, perfect for a good skin hydratation. These soaps are made at Guemps, on the Opale coast by the French company Antheya.

Ingredients

Sodium cocoate, sodium olivate, sodium rapeseedate, glycerin, sodium shea butterate, aqua, sodium linseedate, cichorium intybus root powder, coffea arabica seed powder.