Now maybe it’s because I’ve seen that Ikea in Paris sells Swedish meatballs (I’m never one to shy away from a good food conversation), or maybe because I’ve just heard from a friend in Finland that she’s recommended my blog to her boyfriend to help improve his English (oh no, good luck)… but this post is going to be devoted to the Zetor tractor restaurant in Helsinki. I hope I won’t be the subject of too much mirth for this – but if the truth has to come out, it must! I’ve been thinking of reindeer stew with mashed potatoes and lingonberries recently!!!

For anyone who is familiar with Zetor, it’s a “traditional Finnish” themed restaurant, named after a Czech tractor. A word of warning though, you should only enter the premises after a week of fasting – you won’t leave empty stomached!

Not only is the food as good as it is sizeable, Zetor is also home to the funniest menu in the Europe. (Any contenders please feel free to leave a comment, but it’s going to be a stiff competition).

Here are some excerpts that I found online:

I also had a chuckle at the “Snack for the DDR Women’s Shotput Team” which consists of ‘sausage, country potatoes and home-made mustard. Nothing green!’

But my favourite dish? It would have to be the “Oath to the Nation”

‘…I hereby promise to uphold these values: beetroot and blue cheese casserole, a succulent vegetarian dish of beetroot, blue cheese, Emmental cheese and onions, served with country potatoes and fried rye bread.’

Yum, yum, yum! Sounds like a national creed to me!


Overture of the Zetor Opera played by Zetor-veljet (The Zetor Brothers) and conducted by Lasse Tervonen on Sawolaiset perinnekonepäivät 19.6.2004 in Koljonvirta, Iisalmi, Finland