Visp
This is a twig whisk or “visp” – a natural and primitive version of a modern whisk. Made from birch or willow tree twigs, a visp was a common cooking tool for the Swedish cook when making sauce, gravy, or cooked cereal.
The bark was removed from the green twigs, and bound with a piece of cedar root, grapevine, or green tree bark. Multiples of these were made annually and stored. Although the twigs were firm, they had some bend to them, and they eventually would wear down. As they wore down or broke, they became fuel for the fire, and another, new visp was taken from the supply.
