FinlandWhat to eat in Finland: top 10 dishes
Traveling to Finland? These are the ten dishes it is best known for, from everyday staples to festive classics, with a short background and a tip on where and when to eat each one. Ranked by how widely they are known around the world.
01Kalakukko
Kalakukko is a traditional Finnish dish from the region of Savonia made from fish baked inside a loaf of bread. Kalakukko is especially popular in Kuopio, capital city of the Northern Savonia region. Kuopio is home to many kalakukko bakeries.
Travel tip A specialty of eastern Finland, sold in markets and bakeries. Eat it sliced, with butter, as a hearty lunch or travel food.
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02Semla
A semla, laskiaispulla, Swedish eclair, fastlagsbulle, fastelavnsbolle, vastlakukkel, or vēja kūkas is a traditional sweet roll made in various forms in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Latvia, associated with Lent…
Travel tip Eaten in the weeks before Easter, especially around Shrove Tuesday, and sold in bakeries and cafés. Enjoy it with coffee.
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03Salty licorice
Salty liquorice, also known as salmiak liquorice, salmiac liquorice or salmiakki, is a variety of liquorice flavoured with salmiak salt, and is a common confection found in the Nordic countries, Benelux, and northern Germany.
Travel tip Sold in supermarkets, kiosks and candy stores, and a classic Nordic sweet. It is an acquired taste, so try a small bag first.
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04Mämmi
Mämmi is a traditional Finnish dessert, eaten around Easter. Mämmi is traditionally made of water, rye flour, ground malted rye, salt, and dried, ground Seville orange zest.
Travel tip Eaten around Easter, usually served cold with cream or milk and sugar. You will find it in supermarkets in spring, and it is a tradition to try it once.
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05Runeberg's torte
Runeberg torte is a Finnish torte flavored with almonds and arrack or rum and weighing about 100 grams. It usually has raspberry jam encircled by a ring of icing on top.
Travel tip Sold around Runeberg Day on 5 February, in bakeries and cafés. Enjoy it with coffee.
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06Lohikeitto
Salmon chowder is a common dish in Finland and other Nordic countries. It consists of salmon fillets, boiled potatoes, carrots and leeks. The dish is served hot, and typically seasoned with fresh dill, allspice, salt and black pepper.
Travel tip A common lunch soup at cafés, restaurants and market halls, served with rye bread. It is a warm, filling meal on cold days.
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07Sautéed reindeer
Sautéed reindeer is perhaps the best known traditional meal from Sápmi in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia and Sakha. Usually steak or the back of the reindeer is used. It is sliced thinly, fried in fat, and spiced with black pepper and salt.
Travel tip A specialty of Lapland, served in restaurants with mashed potatoes and lingonberries. Try it in the north, where it is easiest to find.
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08Rosolli
In Finnish cuisine, rosolli is a salad eaten mostly as a cold side dish, in particular as part of the traditional Finnish Christmas meal.
Travel tip A Christmas side dish, served cold with herring and other cold dishes. Home cooking is the main place to find it, though it appears in holiday buffets.
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09Porkkanalaatikko
Porkkanalaatikko is a traditional Finnish dish mostly eaten during Christmas.
Travel tip Served as a side dish at Christmas dinner. It is mostly home cooking, and holiday buffets sometimes offer it.
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10Ruisreikäleipä
Ruisreikäleipä is a kind of Finnish bread, a flat rye flour loaf with a hole in the middle. It is sometimes referred to as reikäleipä, shorter term without ruis (rye) which applies also to the oat loaf with a hole.
Travel tip A staple at breakfast and lunch, sold in every supermarket and bakery. Top it with butter, cheese or ham for a simple meal.
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Description: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons