Viili Viili Good.

So one of the great things about Finland is that they’re big on lactose free and reduced lactose dairy products. While all I could get in the States was milk and maybe some vanilla ice cream if I was lucky, practically every dairy product here comes in different lactose gradients. Considering that I’ve spent most of my life working around the dairy problem, the variety here is almost mind-boggling. It’ll take me a while to work my way through everything, for sure.

In addition to the above, the dairy section also includes a ginormous aisle of yogurt and yogurt-related products, which is great for me since yogurt used to be one of the few dairy products I could safely eat without anxiously scouring the labels. One particular yogurt that I’ve been fond of since the very first time I’ve tried it is viili.

Now, like most of the stranger consumables I take a shine to, viili is one of those love-it-or-hate-it foods. It’s a texture thing. Most people are turned off because of the gelatinous consistency, which is rather like liquid-y bubble gum. Personally, I find that to be part of the fun of eating the stuff. Check this out:

It bounces and maintains its shape for a while before melting back into the rest of the yogurt. It’s fun to play with! As for the flavor, it’s a bit more tart than your standard yogurt, but I usually get the fruit flavored ones so that doesn’t amount to much in the end. In fact, it ends up tasting rather like a fruity cream soda that you can almost chew. What’s not to like?