Yläsavolainen muurinpohjalettu

Appearance & taste

The crêpe is oval or round and can vary in size. It is thin and crisp, its texture is reminiscent of a lace doily, and after frying it is brown. It is served with the side fried first facing up. According to the specification, it differs from ordinary crêpes in this lace-like texture, its crispness and its thinness; these were important judging criteria at the region’s baking competitions.

Production

The runny batter is made from milk or a lactose-free dairy product, barley flour, wheat flour, eggs and salt; at least one third of the flour is barley flour. After mixing, the batter rests for at least 2 hours or overnight. It is fried in a cast-iron pan greased with butter or lactose-free butter; according to the specification, the butter and cast iron give the strong colour and the typical surface. Traditionally the butter is spread over the pan with a whisk made of birch twigs and the crêpe is turned with a spatula. The batter and frying must be made in the region of Upper Savo.

Origin & history

The area corresponds to the sub-region of Upper Savo with the municipalities of Iisalmi, Keitele, Kiuruvesi, Lapinlahti, Pielavesi, Sonkajärvi and Vieremä. The name refers to the bottom of a cauldron: according to a tradition recounted in the specification, the countrywomen of Upper Savo took turns baking the “muurlettu” for the Midsummer festival in the village’s large, already greased laundry cauldron; they could also be fried over the Midsummer bonfire.

In 1933 a recipe for the crêpe appeared for the first time in the magazine Kotiliesi, as a Midsummer delicacy from Iisalmi. It became better known when the Upper Savo section of the Finnish Youth Association held the first baking competition for it in 1972; since then such competitions have been held regularly at the region’s fairs. In 1996 the then Finnish President Mauno Koivisto tasted the crêpes in Vieremä.