*pr-trip with Viking Line
This video tells you about the food in Viking Line Christmas Buffet in 2021. This year’s Christmas Buffet was served for the first time last week on November 18 on the M / S Gabriella ship, where the video was filmed. Viking Line’s Christmas menu, which relies heavily on traditional Finnish and Swedish foods, included also stunning vegetarian and vegan dishes. Check my video –
Video duration 3:48
Viking Line runs daily between Helsinki and Stockholm, so naturally the 2021 Christmas buffet featured traditional delicacies from both Finnish and Swedish Christmases: ham, boxes and fish for starters, as well as the temptation of Jansson with meatballs. And sorry about the translation, but I have no idea what you call Finnish laatikkoruoka and janssoninkiusaus in English.
I was especially pleased with the vegetarian dishes and the side dishes which were seasoned for Christmas. The small doses collected in tiny wooden boats and glass cups in order to reduce food waste were really delicious.
Passenger’s wishes were filled during the construction of the Viking Line Christmas buffet 2021 as it included glazed tofu, ginger and star anise as new dishes. Those looking for new taste experiences could taste, for example, rosehip-pepper herring or ginsilla flavored with juniper berries and rosemary.
Janne Lindholm, who is responsible for designing Viking Line’s Christmas buffet, said that the ship’s chefs have also brought their ideas to the Christmas table, as has the Swedish national chef team, with whom Viking Line has been cooperating for a long time. “Preferences in neighboring countries are quite similar, but Swedes are not box (fi: laatikkoruoka) people like we Finns are. Christmas doesn’t come to a Swede without the temptation of Jansson (fi: janssoninkiusaus), roast ribs and meatballs, ”said Lindholm.
Most of the ingredients in Viking Line’s Christmas buffet come from Finland and the surrounding areas, ie Sweden, Estonia and Northern Europe. The hams are Swedish, the eggs and milk come from Finnish farms and the salmon comes from Sweden or Norway, depending on availability. “Because of the huge volumes, it is not always possible to use small local producers because only a few of them are able to supply large quantities enough without sacrificing quality,” Lindholm said.
Food presentation has been developed and portion sizes have been reduced in order to reduce food waste. About one-fifth of the dishes in the Christmas buffet are served as ready-made portions, for example, built into tiny wooden boats. This tactics seemed to work and it was also hygienic on top of everything.
Viking Line’s Christmas buffet served Finnish food with a Swedish twist. For kids there were also french fries, nuggets and chicken legs from Ville Viking’s table. The loose candies on the Christmas tree candy shelf satisfied the sweet hunger perhaps even better than the buffet desserts.
The Christmas buffet will be available on all Viking Line ships starting November 18th 2021 and the buffet restaurant on board at the M/S Gabriella conveyed the Christmas atmosphere perfectly.
You can read this post also in Finnish in my Finnish blog!
By subscribing to my YouTube channel, you will also get to see e.g. what Silja Line’s Christmas buffet will look like this year! Follow me also in social media –
INDIVUE 