Meat.
Chicken.
Pot-roast—aka Karelian stew.
This week’s menu at the military restaurant in Dragsvik, Tammisaari, southern Finland, offers meat in various forms and shapes. Some warm vegetables are served on the side.
This is about to change.
Beginning this fall, vegetarian food will be served as the main course twice a week in military restaurants across the country, and those conscripts craving for that oven sausage will have to do with Coconut Vegetarian Curry. No meat is served during the vegetarian lunchtime, but dairy products and eggs are allowed.
According to Leijona Catering Oy, responsible for the food catering in military restaurants, the reason for the change has to do with the health effects of eating vegetarian food and its effects on climate change.
Related:
Every 200th conscript a vegetarian
According to a survey conducted by the army newspaper Ruotuväki last year, only 88 Finnish conscripts of a total of 20,000 were vegetarians. (In comparison, Finnfood estimates that about 3 percent of Finns are vegetarians.)
Vegetarian food could, however, become more trendy at the barracks in the future.
Finland Today asked Jonna Myllykangas, the head of communications at Leijona Catering Oy, whether the increase of vegetarian lunches in the weeks’ menu could increase the number of conscripts asking more vegetarian alternatives in the future.
“Possibly it could have such an effect,” she said.
Here’s a list of the upcoming vegetarian dishes in the conscripts’ weekly menu:
Spinach Pancakes
Spinach Soup
Vegetarian Balls in Tomato Sauce
Basilica Pasta With Tomatoes
Coconut Vegetarian Curry
Root Vegetables and Potato Casserole
Vegetable Feta Pasta