I finally had the chance to eat there three weeks ago when I was in town for the public meeting to Save Wilderness Discovery Resort For The Disabled. Good food, charming throwback, and Sunday morning BUSY! Perhaps Ian Austen would do a story on the petition to save the resort near Thunder Bay for disabled kids, veterans, and seniors next in the NY Times.
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On the south shore of the lake our Finnish pancakes are a baked custard called pannukakku, often served with a warm pudding made with dried fruit and tapioca called (guessing at the spelling) visku vellia. The fermented milk is a Finnish yogurt called filia or piima. The best was always made from whole milk. It would have a layer of fermented cream on the top. Sprinkled with a little sugar to cut the tart nature of filia it was quite the treat.
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A very good article!
From some of the readers' comments one may infer of a mysterious gastronomic connection between these pancakes and the Canadian-American Communist movement of the recent past. One can only hope that the pancakes do not induce such political views. :-))
From some of the readers' comments one may infer of a mysterious gastronomic connection between these pancakes and the Canadian-American Communist movement of the recent past. One can only hope that the pancakes do not induce such political views. :-))
Wow! What a surprise when I opened my NYTimes this morning to see a feature on the Hoito restaurant in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I grew up in "the Bay" and have fond memories of devouring a stack of those pancakes after a long, early morning rowing practice on the Kaministiquia River. As an added bonus after breakfast you could jump on the large analog weigh scale (the old fashioned kind you used to see in railway baggage departments) that sat in the hallway.
Fantastic piece of Canadiana. Well done Ian Austen!
Fantastic piece of Canadiana. Well done Ian Austen!
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I lived in Thunder Bay between 1981 and 1983. Hoito pancakes were our weekly splurge (we were on a very limited budget). I have never tasted anything else since that comes close (although nowadays I'd cringe at the artificial syrup).
This article was a trip down memory lane to a special place and time.
This article was a trip down memory lane to a special place and time.
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Have been to the Hoito many times. Great food and great history demonstrating the Finnish ethic "care", as in we're all in this together.
3
Sounds more like a crepe.
Hoito in Finnish can mean many things. In this case it means Care, as in; to be taken care of or to be cared for. Nice word, nice article.
4
Thank you for this article about Hoito and Thunder Bay! And yes, leave the batter to sit for half an hour, until bubbles appear in it.
4
You can find these pancakes and a lot of labor love on the other side of the lake too-- the home of the American Communist Party and the original US co-op movement, Hibbing, MN. The Iron Range has dishes, dialects, and politics you won't find anywhere else... Except maybe Hoito! Xxxx
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I am fascinated that your travel writers managed to even find Thunder Bay on a map, let alone visit one of Canada's truly iconic eateries, hidden away as it is under the Labour Temple (and thank you for using the correct spelling of "labour"!). The NYT never ceases to amaze me, and I continually thrill to the quality and depth of your articles. Thank you so much for pieces like this, that not only describe a place, but its quiddity as well.
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I went to college in Thunder Bay, and I fondly remember the Hoito. The Scand House across the street serves the same pancake, and I recall it being equally popular. Thunder Bay is also known for saunas, which is another legacy of its large Finnish population. I remember returning to town after cold winter or fall outdoor adventures and going to the Kangas Sauna, which has sauna rooms for up to sixteen people, to warm up and socialize. The place even has a restaurant. Hopefully Mr. Austen gets over there before he leaves town.
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I've been to Hoito about five years ago, and this article was not entirely accurate back then. Hoito used to have at least a few "Finnish" items on their menu, including:
- rispiriaka (rice cake) with egg salad topping
- some Finnish fermented milk product
- Finnish-style soup
- "Persian" (Thunder Bay - style doughnut)
Plus, Hoitu's socialist history was evident from their refusal to accept tips.
Another similarly crazy place in Canada is in Sointula/Alert Bay, where there was a full-blown socialist/communist colony before Russian revolution.
- rispiriaka (rice cake) with egg salad topping
- some Finnish fermented milk product
- Finnish-style soup
- "Persian" (Thunder Bay - style doughnut)
Plus, Hoitu's socialist history was evident from their refusal to accept tips.
Another similarly crazy place in Canada is in Sointula/Alert Bay, where there was a full-blown socialist/communist colony before Russian revolution.
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A trip to Thunder Bay is really not complete w/o a meal at the Hoito. It's not gourmet, but it is good and the prices are fair. The decor is so well kept that one is left wondering whether it's classic or just retro. However, a quick tour of Thunder Bay reveals that real (albeit threadbare) classic abounds and there is no need for retro affections. The Hoito has been a part of our family for generations. We have visited the area for x-country skiing. My Finnish grandfather arrived in Port Arthur 1938 seeking work as a carpenter. As it was the 30's and work was hard to find anyplace in the world, he returned to Finland a year later...in time to face yet another Soviet/Russian invasion of Finland. Family history has it that he frequented the Hoito. Now about the those Finnish Pancakes. I grew up calling them "lettu" or alternatively "lätty". They are more like a heavy crepe than a "pancake" and are fried in a pan, one that is cast iron and well buttered. This is different from a "pannukakku" which has been aluded to here. Pannukakku literally translates to pancake. A pannukakku is baked in an oven, uses lots of eggs and is a bit like a souffle. I do have fond memories of my grandmother's lettu (and pannukakku), hot out of the pan, a bit crisp on the edges with strawberry jam. Lettu are a delight, hot or cold, with or without berry preserves. Never tried it with maple syrup, but that sounds like a fine idea as well.
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What a joy to read a NY Times piece with a focus on the radical politics of the past - and pancakes. The Wobblies are alive and well: http://www.iww.org/
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The description of several dishes suggest that the food in general, is as heavy as a rock. And I'd eat some in a flash!
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In my Great Frozen North childhood, it was called food that sticks to your ribs.
4
I would like to try making the pancakes but don't see a recipe
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Correct about the local popularity of the Hoito. Incorrect about the lack of Maple trees. The hills around Thunder Bay have isolated pockets of Sugar maple, and many with sugar shacks boiling sap every spring. The local First nations traditionally carried out this tradition as well. It is true that these maple stands don't continue north of here, and they may well be the furthest north that Sugar maple grows!
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And it would be terrific if the locals also made birch syrup, with all those birches around them. They make it in the Yukon, and I imagine in Alaska too.
That pancake looks delicious. Definitely something the great Vikings men and women would come out with. Making normal IHOP and diner maple syrup pancake looks like Dunkin' Donuts doughnut and Starbucks coffee.
1
My grandmother in northern Wisconsin made this. We called them, in English, "oven baked pancakes," and a quick search of the Finnish name, kroppsua (pronounced something like grope- zu- ah) will, here in the US, return recipes in English.
Her recipe was not written out. But it was thin with a lot of egg. The secret was, my aunt told me, to first get a cast iron skillet hot in the oven. When it's hot, melt some butter in the skillet. The thin batter is poured in spattering, the skillet then returned to the oven. Grandma did her cooking with a wood-burning stove, so temperature was more sensed than measured. It was a "hot oven."
We ate them with maple syrup.
Her recipe was not written out. But it was thin with a lot of egg. The secret was, my aunt told me, to first get a cast iron skillet hot in the oven. When it's hot, melt some butter in the skillet. The thin batter is poured in spattering, the skillet then returned to the oven. Grandma did her cooking with a wood-burning stove, so temperature was more sensed than measured. It was a "hot oven."
We ate them with maple syrup.
3
You are indeed correct that oven baked pancakes are kroppsua, but the ones served at the Hoito are lettuja, similar to a crepe :)
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Kiitos! (Thanks!)
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6 pancakes
UNITS US
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups milk
1 cup flour
DIRECTIONS
Combine and whisk all ingredients until smooth.
Let the batter rest for 30 minutes (or sit in fridge overnight).
Heat non-stick or lightly greased pan to medium.
Pour in a thin layer of the batter just so it covers the bottom.
Once it is golden brown on one side, flip and cook the other.
Serve with butter, fruit, or jam
UNITS US
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups milk
1 cup flour
DIRECTIONS
Combine and whisk all ingredients until smooth.
Let the batter rest for 30 minutes (or sit in fridge overnight).
Heat non-stick or lightly greased pan to medium.
Pour in a thin layer of the batter just so it covers the bottom.
Once it is golden brown on one side, flip and cook the other.
Serve with butter, fruit, or jam
4
Here's Hoito's recipe for Finn pancakes, plus another for karjalan piirakka from our current issue http://www.thewalleye.ca/Digital/may2015/files/12.html
And a correction, there are sugar maples in Thunder Bay.
-The Walleye Magazine
And a correction, there are sugar maples in Thunder Bay.
-The Walleye Magazine
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(From the _Walleye_ above)
5 Eggs
6 Cups of Milk
2 tsps Salt
4 Tbsps Sugar
3 Cups of Flour
1/2 tsp butter or margarine
Pre-heat griddle to 350-400F.
Lightly whisk eggs and milk in bowl. Add salt and sugar, slowly mix in flour.
Melt butter or margarine on griddle.
Pour mixture in circles on griddle. Cook til golden brown, flipping once.
5 Eggs
6 Cups of Milk
2 tsps Salt
4 Tbsps Sugar
3 Cups of Flour
1/2 tsp butter or margarine
Pre-heat griddle to 350-400F.
Lightly whisk eggs and milk in bowl. Add salt and sugar, slowly mix in flour.
Melt butter or margarine on griddle.
Pour mixture in circles on griddle. Cook til golden brown, flipping once.
5
thanks for the Karalian piirakka recipe. I worked for a Finnish company and travelled there frequently and ate them whenever I could. I called them Finnish knishes and spread the delicious Finnish sweet/hot mustard on them. I'm going to try the recipe tonight.
4
Ian Austen is a truly invaluable asset to the Times. So many other papers no longer employ a Canada correspondent (The Washington Post closed its bureau there a few years ago), which is a shame considering Canada's propinquity to the U.S. I highly recommend browsing Austen's archive; there's some great work to be found. It is journalism like this that makes renewing my Times subscription such an easy decision.
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Thin pancakes prepared on a griddle are called lettu (or lätty). The basic recipe has one egg per one cup of liquid.
2 cups (5 dl) milk
1 cups (2.5 dl) all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
pinch of sugar
2 tbsp butter
Make the batter, let it rest for 30 minutes and fry the pancakes in butter.
Fresh berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry) or jam with whipped cream are the most popular toppings in Finland.
2 cups (5 dl) milk
1 cups (2.5 dl) all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
pinch of sugar
2 tbsp butter
Make the batter, let it rest for 30 minutes and fry the pancakes in butter.
Fresh berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry) or jam with whipped cream are the most popular toppings in Finland.
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FINNISH PANCAKES
Courtesy Mass. Poultry Assn., Inc.
8 Large eggs
1 qt. fresh whole milk
4 to 5 Tbls. sugar
1 tsp. salt or 1-1/2 t. Kosher salt
1 cup flour
1/4 lb. butter
Melt butter in pan 12"x16". Mix lightly with beater - milk and eggs; then add sugar, salt and flour. Pour mixed batter over melted butter. Bake in 450-degree oven for 20-23 minutes. Cut recipe in half for 9"x13" pan, cut in third for 8"x8" pan. Serve with 100% pure maple syrup, jelly or butter.
Substitutions for any ingredients will yield a similar, less enjoyable result, as expected.
Courtesy Mass. Poultry Assn., Inc.
8 Large eggs
1 qt. fresh whole milk
4 to 5 Tbls. sugar
1 tsp. salt or 1-1/2 t. Kosher salt
1 cup flour
1/4 lb. butter
Melt butter in pan 12"x16". Mix lightly with beater - milk and eggs; then add sugar, salt and flour. Pour mixed batter over melted butter. Bake in 450-degree oven for 20-23 minutes. Cut recipe in half for 9"x13" pan, cut in third for 8"x8" pan. Serve with 100% pure maple syrup, jelly or butter.
Substitutions for any ingredients will yield a similar, less enjoyable result, as expected.
2
When discussing Finnish culture one needs to travel along Lake Superior down to Duluth and to the Iron Range in Minnesota where the Finns are strong as in thunder bay. The important celebration is St. Urho’s Day, the Finnish-American celebration of a non-existent saint, who freed Finland from a non-existent grasshopper problem and is March 16. Visit the range!
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ethan: yours is not a recipe! we don't want rocket science, but simply a recipe.
thank you...
thank you...
Something new. How refreshing!
1
They are more like a crepe . Here is my mom's recipe. She lets the batter sit for a half hour .
Mix the following ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Drop by a ladleful in to butter in a frying pan.
Mix the following ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Drop by a ladleful in to butter in a frying pan.
3
the recipe - from the episode of you gotta eat here from the food network Canada: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/finnish-pancakes/12180/
Where's the recipe?
Being curious about the name "Hoito", I looked it up on Google translate assuming it was Finnish and find that it means "care", "treatment", and "management" among other things. Management. that's funny.
It is usually translated here as "Care".
3
This recipe is pretty close to The Hoito one. :-)
http://www.food.com/recipe/copy-cat-hoito-finnish-pancakes-430777
http://www.food.com/recipe/copy-cat-hoito-finnish-pancakes-430777
I was drawn to this story by the pancakes - a sure-fired way to get my attention. However, the article had a peculiar effect on me. Interesting for their historical significance - the building and the restaurant alike - but more so for the symbols that survive in a lonely northern outpost that are, for all intents and purposes, gone in America.
The union movement worldwide was a massive shift in the social order. Such shifts cannot be accomplished without a certain amount of painful adjustment and risk. But so much good came from it all - the creation of the middle class, for one. Safer jobs, more efficient production, job security, the pride of work. (Been a while since you heard that last one?) Pancakes, too, but let pancakes stand in for labor halls with their emergency food services, free medical care for members, temporary housing, movie nights, and a cohesive community who looked out for each other. (What a concept.) Local businesses that supported a middle class living for their family owners, solid neighbourhoods, churches, and recreation centres. Even the Wobblies!
This article is a prospective obituary. Gains of the labor movement exist in the form of medical insurance, safety standards, and social security. But what of that first list remains? And of that second list, what isn't under dire threat? And this is a good thing? Make a small quiet statement. Send this place a donation to perhaps live again as it was intended, and not as a museum piece.
The union movement worldwide was a massive shift in the social order. Such shifts cannot be accomplished without a certain amount of painful adjustment and risk. But so much good came from it all - the creation of the middle class, for one. Safer jobs, more efficient production, job security, the pride of work. (Been a while since you heard that last one?) Pancakes, too, but let pancakes stand in for labor halls with their emergency food services, free medical care for members, temporary housing, movie nights, and a cohesive community who looked out for each other. (What a concept.) Local businesses that supported a middle class living for their family owners, solid neighbourhoods, churches, and recreation centres. Even the Wobblies!
This article is a prospective obituary. Gains of the labor movement exist in the form of medical insurance, safety standards, and social security. But what of that first list remains? And of that second list, what isn't under dire threat? And this is a good thing? Make a small quiet statement. Send this place a donation to perhaps live again as it was intended, and not as a museum piece.
60
I love pancakes and waffles and so read the article right away.
I remember Learning about the wobblies and of coure living in Europe know what unions can do for the middle class and also everybody else on the way. The Americans would do well to support unions and unionize each Group of workers but they will have a hard time. The corporative banking right that cares about no one is too well entrenched.
I remember Learning about the wobblies and of coure living in Europe know what unions can do for the middle class and also everybody else on the way. The Americans would do well to support unions and unionize each Group of workers but they will have a hard time. The corporative banking right that cares about no one is too well entrenched.
8
Better still, send them a small amount, then participate in establishing a new labor movement to address AGAIN the terrible inequities between corporations and the people who actually do the work of those corporations, not just live off the dividends.
11
Nice to see that Europe has forgotten where the labor movement took hold and was strongest....
2
A recipe? They're running, egg-rich pancakes; it's not rocket science. The article says they use a lot of eggs, and they're flat because the batter's runny. Experiment! Start with 4 eggs, 0.5-0.75 teaspoon salt, 2.5 cups milk (not skim), 1 cup flour, 0.25 cup sugar, 4-5 tablespoons butter. Add the dead greasy animal remains as a garnish.
2
Like the garnish.
2
In my Finn-rich town these pancakes are called "panukakku" and still pretty popular, along with that fish dish whose name I do not even mention. I live in a section of town known as both "Finntown" and "Uniontown" because the Finns brought the same strong union movement to this town, Astoria. We have a Finn baker but you must have Finn friends to get the panukakku. Once again, the Candians get the good stuff.
27
"Once again, the Can[eh?]dians get the good stuff."
Can we have Astoria? Please?
Being Canadian I'm sorry, but I had to ask. Lovely town, Astoria. Should be ours. Along with Alaska. I'm so sorry.
Can we have Astoria? Please?
Being Canadian I'm sorry, but I had to ask. Lovely town, Astoria. Should be ours. Along with Alaska. I'm so sorry.
6
how can there not be a recipe?
38
Its a cooking technique you just add ingredients until it looks right, adjust as you go. Eggs, milk, flour, baking powder......
2
Recipe ?
20
Me too! Recipe?
Finnish your pancakes!
:•(
:•(
34
An Island of Sanity.
18
Wow far out, my family used to go to this place 25 years ago for cheap and delicious Sunday brunch, mainly consisting of pancakes. Glad to see the tradition continues.
26
We need to revive the working class social movements that created such wonderful spaces for sustenance.
59
Please print the pancake recipe! Thanks
23
As always Ian Austen delivers crisp writing and a introspective views of Canada's backwaters.
9
Canada's backwaters?
Now thats not nice!
Now thats not nice!
@bledowski: One blindered person's "backwater" is another person's home or enjoyable destination. Your flippant comment seems to indicate lack of travel and perspective.
Canada's backwaters? What an insult!
1
Canada's most famous pancake house? Gee, I've lived all my 50-plus years in various places in Canada and I didn't know we had such a thing. Do I sense this is yet another New York Times attempt to portray its northern neighbour as some sort of backwater where, between snow shovelling and boiling down maple sap, we're all making plans to visit Hoito in Thunder Bay?
10
I live in Hollywood, Ca., and I have been to that restaurant in Thunder Bay.
7
Welcome to being discovered. You can expect Sotheby's to start selling overpriced real estate while the ersatz hipsters whine about cold soy lattes and the death of authenticity before scuttling on to the next latest thing.
No.
Rather, a good story, and as other commenters have observed, the Finns got around and brought their trade unionism and pancakes with them.
Rather, a good story, and as other commenters have observed, the Finns got around and brought their trade unionism and pancakes with them.
5
My mother was from Finland. Will some Finn please provide the recipe; I have tried erzatz to little success. My grandmother
made them in the basement on a smokey gas stove. It was a mystery, once a week. Always a wee carbon on the lace edges.
made them in the basement on a smokey gas stove. It was a mystery, once a week. Always a wee carbon on the lace edges.
12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ys8sRdO3gU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPTyV4rFMaI
send me some when you are done. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPTyV4rFMaI
send me some when you are done. ;)
2
Estonians traditionally also make pancakes like these. Growing up in an Estonian-Canadian family, I recall my grandfather making them. Unlike the the Finns of Thunder Bay we *did* put maple syrup on ours, perhaps because in southern Ontario we do have sugar maples aplenty.
37