View source for Kalakukko (Finnish fish pie)

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|title=Kalakukko (Finnish fish pie)
|titlemode=replace
|keywords=#dough #fish #flour #butter #rye #baked #perch #bacon #baking #flours #fishandseafood 
|hashtagrev=12032020
|description=Aito Perinteinen APT Kalakukko is a Finnish fish pie and its production is divided into two separate stages: preparation of the dough base and..
}}
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[[Image:{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Kalakukko]]
'''[[Template:Aito Perinteinen Tuote|APT]] Kalakukko ''' is a Finnish [[fish]] pie and its production is divided into two separate
stages: preparation of the dough base and preparation of the filling.

'''Preparation of the [[dough]] base'''

Mix the [[flours]] (mainly [[rye]] [[flour]], a little [[wheat]] [[flour]] and perhaps some [[barley]] [[flour]]). Add water
carefully so that the [[dough]] does not become too runny. Add [[salt]] and melted [[butter]]. For about 1 kg
of [[flour]], you will need about 80-100 g of melted [[butter]] for the [[dough]]. Shape the [[dough]] into a
round or oval between 15 and 40 cm across and about 1,5 cm thick at the centre, thinning out a
little towards the sides. The centre of the [[dough]] shape can be sprinkled with about 1 soupspoon
(30 g) of [[rye]] [[flour]] to prevent liquid draining out of the filling from passing through the [[dough]].

'''Preparation of the filling'''

Place the washed and dried [[fish]] in a compact heap in the middle of the [[dough]] shape. The filling
can contain whole small [[fish]] such as [[perch]], whitefish, roach or smelt. Large [[fish]] like [[salmon]]
should be filleted before adding to the filling. [[Salt]] the layers of [[fish]] and put pats of [[butter]] between
them. Cover the mound of [[fish]] with slices of [[bacon]], and sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of [[salt]] on top.

The next step is to close the kalakukko. Draw two sides of the dough up over the filling. Use your
fingers, moistened with a little water, to glue the two sides together water. The kalakukko is then
fully closed by drawing up the other ends of the dough. To finish off, use a knife and some water
to form a round or oval shape.

Kalakukkos used to be baked using the residual heat of the bread oven after normal baking. They
were left in it overnight. Nowadays kalakukko is [[baked]] at 250-300 °C for between 20 minutes and
one hour, making sure that the [[dough]] crust does not split. The crust is patched with more [[dough]],
if necessary. The kalakukko is then taken out of the [[oven]] and the [[oven]] temperature is reduced to
between 125 and 150 °C. It is smeared with melted [[butter]] and may also be covered in [[Aluminium foil|aluminium foil]]. The
filling begins to cook in the moderate [[oven]]; this takes between four and six hours. After [[baking]],
the kalakukko was traditionally wrapped in a newspaper or woollen cloth, where it would be left
to mature for two or three hours. Kalakukkos are nowadays matured in an oven set at less than
100 °C.

Kalakukko must not be baked at too high a temperature, because it results in a rather dry kukko
with a hard crust, the organoleptic qualities of which do not correspond to the traditional
kalakukko.  The temperature inside the kalakukko during baking rises to above 65 °C, thereby deactivating the
decomposer enzymes and microbes in the fresh [[fish]] and other raw ingredients. Kalakukkos keep
perfectly if they are well protected and stored in a cold place.  The good quality and conservation of the modern kalakukko is ensured through careful watching,
rapid cooling after [[baking]], protective wrapping and a low storage temperature.

'''Traditional character'''

The way kalakukko is prepared is said to go back to when agriculture began
to replace fishing and hunting. People in the region of Järvi-Suomi (lakeland Finland) were looking
for a way of using small, difficult-to-prepare [[fish]] such as whitefish, [[perch]], roach and smelt. The
idea was to cook the [[fish]] inside a crust made of [[rye]] [[dough]]. Then, as pig farming became more
widespread, it was discovered that [[bacon]] slices increased the energy value and gave the kalakukko
more flavour. Kalakukko was a meal in itself which the Finns took with them to eat when working
in the forest or on the land away from where they lived.

To make kalakukko, traditionally [[fish]] and [[meat]] are cooked together. The tradition of making
kalakukko, which originated in Savo and Karelia, is said to go back to the Middle Ages.
After the Second World War, part of Karelia passed to what was then the Soviet Union, and the
population of the region was moved to other parts of Finland. Thus the art and tradition of
making kalakukko spread throughout Finland. However, it is in the provinces of Savo and Karelia
that the tradition of this dish remains strongest.

'''Description of the product'''

Kalakukko is a dish based on [[baked]] [[bread]] and is round or oval in
shape. The [[rye]] casing is thick and impervious, its surface hard and firm as a result of being [[baked]]
at a high temperature for a short time. The crust forms a kind of packaging and the filling can
stew whilst retaining its flavour and tenderness.
The crust prevents the filling from drying out (and protects the micro-organisms present) during
transport, storage and sale. The crust and filling combine to make kalakukko a meal in itself.

'''Reference:  [http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=368 The European Commission]'''

{{CategoryLine}}
[[Category:Ingredients]]
[[Category:Fish and seafood]]
 [[Category:Prepared foods]]
[[Category:PDO-PGI-TSG ingredients]]

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