Tasting the eight Sámi seasons: Indigenous food education in Nordic schools

Understanding these cycles provides an insight into the South Sámi cultural heritage and the close relationship between people, animals and the landscape. The SYSTER Gastronomy project operates at the intersection of food, environment, and cultural identity. Funded by the Interreg Sweden-Norway programme, the project provides a toolkit for primary schools in Sweden and Norway to promote Sámi and local food.   

As part of its latest activities, the project explores the Sámi eight seasons through a series of webinars, with each webinar delving deeper into one specific season and its food traditions.

Pilot schools in both Sweden and Norway have participated in eight different talks. The purpose of the presentations is to explore the seasons and offer practical advice to both home economics teachers and kitchen staff on how they can include local and Sámi food in education and school meals.

All the webinars are available on the platform smak63.com/syster, where each season has its own page with recipes, inspiration, information, lesson planning ideas and activities. The webinars can also be watched in this YouTube playlist (in Swedish).

Eating wild plants in the spring-summer season

In the spring-summer season, nature begins to recover and it is a crucial time for both reindeer herders and foraging. After calving in June, female reindeer and calves seek out birch forests, marshes, and stream areas to graze in peace. For herders, this is also a time of rest, repair of fences and cabins, and enjoying mountain fishing.

The collection of wild plants such as angelica, nettles, ground elder, and wild garlic offers many benefits. These plants are nutritious, ecological, economical, and hold significant cultural and traditional value.

The spring-summer webinar features Jim André Stene of the Trøndelag Sankeri company, about wild edible plants along with some fantastic recipes.

Jim André emphasizes how important it is to use what nature offers. Wild plants are rich in nutrients; they are naturally surrounded by life through microorganisms, decomposers, and contribute to biodiversity. It's also sustainable, circular, and naturally delicious.

Jim André and Trøndelag Sankeri are Norway’s leading experts on wild ingredients, with a focus on sustainability and a love for nature. They supply handpicked ingredients to restaurants, host courses and lectures, and create unique flavors they sell—like syrups, vinegars, and spices. With a team of around 15 foragers, they harvest from forests, mountains, and coasts, always with respect for nature.

In the webinar, teachers and kitchen staff learned more about different plants, such as angelica (Angelica Archangelica), which is rich in vitamins and has a long traditional use in Sámi culture.

Other plants used in Sámi traditions and harvested during spring-summer include nettles, wild garlic, wood sorrel, and alpine dock.
All these plants can be incorporated into education in both Sweden and Norway, and on the smak63.com platform there are lesson plans linked to the different plants. The site also offers many recipe ideas for both kitchen staff and teachers.

Here are a few recipes shared during the webinar

• Angelica chutney: Cook angelica with sugar, vinegar, and spices until thick.
• Nettle pesto: Toast pine nuts, blend with nettles, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil.
• Wild garlic oil: Heat oil to 70°C, mix with finely chopped wild garlic, strain and chill quickly.
• Wood sorrel granita: Make a strong infusion of wood sorrel, mix with sugar and citric acid, freeze and scrape with a fork.

By reconnecting young students with local ingredients and Indigenous knowledge, the SYSTER project highlights how tradition and sustainability can shape the future of food education in Nordic schools. For more information, visit SYSTER - Gastronomy