Handmade Mignon Eggs Since 1896

There is no suprise inside a Mignon egg unless you expect it to be an ordinary egg. It is just chocolate inside a real eggshell and the chocolate is one of the best I've ever tasted.

Finns have been enjoying this Easter delicacy since 1896 when Karl Fazer brought the idea from Germany. Technically speaking in the European Union this can’t be called a chocolate product so it is “nougat made with almonds and nuts poured into a real eggshell.”

In the heavily automized self service society of Finland it is surprising that these eggs are still handmade. A person can do about twenty eggs per hour. In a country of 5 million people, 2 million eggs are produced every Easter.

I bought a lot of these and one of the intentions was to take photos of them. Before I had shot a single egg,  I noticed that I have only one left. Normally it is really easy to remove the eggshell but of course this time it wasn’t and then it can get pretty messy. I was not able to follow my original idea, let’s hope there still be some eggs left in the shops after the Easter.

Helsinki Olympics Today: Gin Long Drink

Lonkero, introduced for the 1952 olympic guests, is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in Finland.

During the olympics bars needed to sell quickly large quantities of alcohol for the many thirsty guests. Gin Long Drink and Brandy Long Drink were created to serve this purpose. Time was saved when bartenders didn’t need to mix the drinks as these were already bottled when they arrived to bars.

Gin Long Drink, commonly called lonkero (=tentacle), became very popular. It is basically gin and grapefruit lemonade. It has alcohol a bit more than a typical Finnish beer has. Several companies produce it and Hartwall Original Gin Long Drink (in the photo) is today the best selling product in Alko liqueur stores. Production of Brandy Long Drink was discontinued in the 1970s.

Lonkero should be enjoyed ice cold and it is very refreshing during a hot summer day. I have understood that the drink is pretty unique to Finland.

There is also a brand called Gin Suomi 1952 (Suomi = Finland in Finnish) which has a picture of the olympic stadium on the can. I tried it but there was something strange about it. Probably because it was made in Sweden?

See other posts in the Helsinki Olympics Today serie.

Helsinki Olympics Today: Coca Cola and Donald Duck

This combination will still keep a kid busy for a while. Parents will probably read the comic as well.

One of the first things that Finns relate to the 1952 olympics are Coca Cola (kokis) and Donald Duck (Aku Ankka) cartoons which were both introduced during that year.

A weekly Donald Duck comic is still among the most subscribed magazines in the country and bigger pocket books (in the photo) are also popular. Both of them are read by kids but also by their parents and grandparents. The magazine was first published during the olympic year 1952. These comics have been named as one of the reasons why Finnish children can read so well.

When energetic youngsters Peltonen, Koivu and Lehtinen dominated the 1995 ice hockey world championships, they were called Tupu, Hupu ja Lupu (Huey, Dewey and Louie) according to Donald’s nephews. Swedes in general and especially their ice hockey players are called Hannu Hanhi (Gladstone Gander in English, Alexander Lukas in Swedish) as they seem to be always as superlucky as the Donald’s cousin. Pelle Peloton (Gyro Gearloose) is also often used as a positive or negative calling name for a person who has many unique ideas.

Coca Cola sent 30 000 cases consisting of 720 000 bottles of Coke for the olympics. The profits were given to International Olympic Committee and Finnish war veterans. It still took a few years before Coke was widely available in Finland. Soviet athletes were explicitly told not to drink Coke during the 1952 olympics.

See other posts in the Helsinki Olympics Today serie.