Finnish cuisine. National cuisine of Finland Fin food recipes of Finnish cuisine
Finland is a country of thousands of forests and lakes that everyone needs to visit. Seeing world-famous national parks, admiring the northern lights and visiting Santa Claus in Lapland, and then relaxing in a real Finnish sauna is a must-have for travelers. However, there is another feature that attracts them to the Republic of Finland. Of course, this is national cuisine, which helps you understand the culture and history of this amazing country.
Features and traditions of Finnish cuisine
The peculiarities of the national cuisine of Finland are determined by its geographical location and, accordingly, climate. In harsh natural conditions, a person simply needs a lot of calories. The state is also distinguished by a considerable number of forests and lakes, therefore, the cuisine is rich in various gifts of nature. However, it also has specific features that are not found anywhere else:
- Finns eat a lot of different types of mushrooms, for example chanterelles and strings;
- they have been baking traditional bread from rye flour for a long time; in Finland there are also several types of black bread;
- one of the Finns’ favorite holiday dishes is casserole, which includes a variety of products;
- in recipes for certain dishes fish and milk are used simultaneously, which for a Russian person may seem incomprehensible and even funny;
- some traditional recipes call for the use of fish and meat in one dish.
Moreover, Finns like to use several types of meat at once in some types of stews. Finnish cuisine is in many ways similar to the cuisines of Sweden and Russia. It actively uses a wide variety of fish, meat, mushrooms, berries and dairy products. Frying is rarely used in the preparation of traditional dishes; food here is preferred to be boiled, stewed, steamed and soaked.
First meal
Soups are common in Finland, but not as ubiquitous as in Russia. Here they are considered more holiday dishes or “weekend” dishes, often prepared for birthdays, national, family or folk holidays. Soups are usually prepared from fish, sea or river. Thus, broth made from trout, salmon, salmon or herring is quite popular among residents of Finland.
Finnish fish soup is a very special dish that every visiting tourist should try. It is prepared not only from fish, but also from caviar and milk, and is considered a real delicacy.
Fish soups are often made with the addition of milk, cream, butter, yogurt or cottage cheese. These products give them a delicate creamy taste. Cooks and housewives often add potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, spices and lemon juice to broths. A popular dish among the locals is Maiaorokka - fish soup made from suschik. Sushchik is a small, oven-dried fish that you can buy in a store or cook yourself.
Another famous Finnish soup is Kalakeitto, made from white fish such as flounder, whitefish or cod. The essence of the preparation is that fish fillet and milk or cream thickened with wheat flour are added to the fish broth, made from fins and tail. This soup has a “brother” - Lohikeitto, made from salmon with cream. These soups were prepared in an oven using cast iron utensils, and they could only be eaten a day after cooking, because they needed to steep. Today, such a dish can be ordered in almost any Finnish restaurant.
Finns also respect meat soups. Hernekeitto is a traditional pea soup using both pork and beef. It is served on the table with kvass and bread (crackers). Unlike the others, soup is eaten as an everyday dish; Finns often eat it for lunch or dinner. In addition to bread, fluffy pancakes are often added to it.
Tourists and travelers are also recommended to try a dish called Klimpisoppa, which is a Finnish soup with dumplings. It does not leave anyone indifferent even among those who are not gourmets.
Snacks
Finns actively use fish, local vegetables, berries and mushrooms in the preparation of various dishes, but fish dishes are still considered the hallmark of the national cuisine. In Finland, fish is fried, boiled, smoked, steamed, baked, stewed and grilled. Fish stewed in milk is considered a specific Finnish dish.
Sometimes the fish does not undergo heat treatment at all. For example, the Finnish snack graavilohi is rye bread, pies or potatoes served along with fish, which is marinated in a special spicy mixture. To prepare the dish, you need to use trout, salmon, char or whitefish. It is rubbed with a mixture of salt, pepper, dill and sugar, then poured with cognac or brandy. Before serving, the fish must be kept under pressure for several days. After this, it acquires an unusual but pleasant taste.
Salads are also served as appetizers: Rosolli from herring and Salamat from seafood and boiled crayfish. It is believed that only local chefs know the secret of cooking crayfish. Finland also celebrates the Crawfish Festival, which falls in August. This month, catching and eating crayfish reaches its peak. Residents of Finland eat them with dill, and the culmination of the celebration can only be compared to the Brazilian carnival.
In Finland they do not like butter in its pure form, mixing it with chopped herbs and garlic, then spreading the mixture on bread or flatbreads, serving Voilepepeyute appetizer on the dinner table. Be sure to try it in a colorful Finnish restaurant.
Another tasty and unusual appetizer is trout or burbot caviar, which is not eaten in its pure form, but mixed with sour cream and herbs, after which it is eaten from the plate directly with spoons - like porridge. This appetizer can also be spread on bread or flatbread; its taste is delicate and pleasant.
Meat and fish
Not a single hike or picnic among Finns is complete without sausages fried over a fire or on a grill, and they are equally popular in winter and summer. Mustard is often used as an additive to them.
The national cuisine of Finland is distinguished by the use of such types of meat as elk, venison and even bear meat. The second one is the most popular. Animals for this purpose are raised in the northern Finnish province of Lapland. It is considered a real crime to visit here and not try venison stew with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. You can also try dried (Poronkaristus) or fried (Poronpaisti) venison, rest assured, you will not regret it.
Lovers of unusual food can also treat themselves to dishes made from polar partridge or hare. Lamb stewed in a wooden pot, called "Syarya", has an interesting taste. Another national dish that deserves attention is Karelian meat or Karyalanpaisti. To prepare it, pork, lamb and beef are used simultaneously. Not quite Finnish, but still a very popular dish in this Scandinavian country - meat balls called "Swedish meatballs". They are usually served with mashed potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberries.
Casseroles in Finland are made from pasta, meat, liver, fish, potatoes, cabbage and rutabaga. Mustamakkara sausage, prepared from pearl barley and pork blood, is sometimes served as side dishes and appetizers.
Side dishes
Finns practically do not eat vegetables, except for potatoes. They put potatoes everywhere and always, consuming them in almost any form. All meat dishes are traditionally served with mashed potatoes and cream. Residents of Finland are also madly fond of young boiled potatoes. It is served with herbs and butter, herring, caviar, chanterelle sauce or mushrooms fried in sour cream. Another traditional dish is stewed potatoes with herring, called Kalalaatikko.
Finns also serve various porridges as a side dish to their main dishes. The Finnish method of preparing them is considered unique, because nowhere else are barley or pearl barley soaked in milk or curdled milk for 24 hours before cooking. Perhaps it is the rich creamy taste that explains the popularity of pearl barley in Finland, which is completely absent in Russia. The traditional Finnish side dish deserves attention - Kaalivelli, that is, porridge made from cabbage, carrots, rutabaga, peas, pearl barley and milk.
Cereal sausages prepared using rice or barley are sometimes served with meat. Along with them, you will be treated to another not entirely traditional side dish - lingonberries, cranberries, cloudberries, blueberries, blueberries, wild strawberries and hazelberries. The berries are used here to create desserts and are often served with meat dishes in the form of jelly or even jam. Sometimes they are simply soaked and placed on the meat in this form. To a European taste, meat with jam seems strange, but this dish deserves to be tried and appreciated by a true gourmet tourist.
Bakery
Finnish cuisine is represented by a wide variety of baked goods. Many of them migrated to Finland from Russia.
The Finns' favorite bread is rye bread, which is prepared in the form of flatbreads with a hole in the middle and is called Reikäleipää. A long time ago, it was baked in such a specific form, so that they could then thread a rope through the hole and hang the bread from the ceiling, where they could be stored for a very long time without losing their taste. Like fish, rye bread is a hallmark of Finnish national cuisine. Locals also like to bake traditional rye bread. These crispy breads are called Näkkileipää and are used almost everywhere: in the preparation of snacks and sandwiches, as an addition to breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Näkkileipä are eaten by spreading butter and herbs, cheese or fish roe with sour cream on them.
Don't forget to try the famous Finnish rye pie Kalakukko. As a rule, it is prepared for Christmas or Easter, but exceptions are always made for visitors, because it is difficult to wait until winter to enjoy this amazing dish. It is made from fish and meat (bacon or lard); it can be a satisfying lunch, because it is large enough and contains everything you need for a full meal. To eat Kalakukko properly, you need to cut off the top part of it, eat up the delicious filling with spoons, and then finish the meal with crispy crusts. Kalakukko can be bought at any Finnish supermarket and is convenient to take with you on the road. Sometimes boiled pork or ham is also added to it.
Kalakukko may well compete with the equally famous Karelian pies - a dish that began to be consumed in Karelia. They are baked from rye dough, and the filling is not inside, but outside. To prepare this filling, rice, potatoes or barley are used; carrots, berries and millet are used much less often. Products with berry filling in Finland are called “Round pies from Kainuu”. As an additive to them, egg butter is used - a mixture of butter and chopped boiled egg. Once a year, Finnish chefs compete in preparing Karelian pies. Special master classes are held for tourists, where they are taught how to properly prepare this delicious pastry.
Oatmeal is sometimes used in Finnish baking, but rye flour remains the most popular.
Dessert
Traditional sweet fruits are rare in Finland, so Finns' favorite desserts can be classified as baked goods. Those with a sweet tooth in Finland can try Korvapuusti, which are somewhat reminiscent of ordinary cinnamon buns. The country even celebrates Korvapuusti Day. Finns love to eat these buns with coffee and often eat 2-3 pieces at a time. Residents of Finland rank first in the world in terms of coffee and cinnamon consumption.
The abundance of berries in the country's forests allows Finns to indulge themselves in delicious blueberry, lingonberry and cranberry pies. They are usually eaten for breakfast, washed down with milk. Housewives make delicious jelly or jam from lingonberries, and cloudberries are often eaten plain or added to dairy desserts. The berries are also used in the preparation of rolls, syrups, cocktails, cakes, ice cream, mousses, puddings and marmalade. As a souvenir, you can buy licorice candies or traditional Finnish chocolate, which has been produced in the country for more than a hundred years. Relatives will probably enjoy this treat, although many consider the taste of licorice to be quite specific.
The famous Runeberg cake does not have a complex recipe; it contains cookies, sour cream and jam, but the dessert turns out to be tender and simply melts in your mouth. Finnish housewives believe that it is ideal for a sudden visit of guests, because cooking takes only a few minutes. You can also eat some Pulla yeast vanilla coffee buns with your coffee.
Some cafes often offer to try special Finnish Munkki donuts, and Finnish housewives prepare quite unusual pancakes called Sultsina, which are eaten with cream and brown sugar. By the way, the “Potato” cake, well known to Russians, was invented in Finland. The original recipe included rum, liqueur or cognac, which makes the delicacy more tasty and aromatic.
People with a sweet tooth in Finland love to enjoy berry jelly and whipped cream with berries. An unusual but tasty dessert is sweet cold porridge with jam, jelly or whipped cream. Traditional Finnish baked goods also include Aunt Hannah's Cookies, made from corn and wheat flour, May Day or Tippaleivaat cookies made from fried noodles, lemon muffins, salted cumin cookies and cardamom gingerbread. It's impossible to try it all, but you can try.
Perhaps the most famous Finnish dessert is Mämmi - a pastry made from rye flour and malt, which is usually eaten with jam, cream or milk. Mämmi is a traditional Easter dish. At Christmas you can also treat yourself to special Finnish ice cream. It is prepared as follows: frozen berries are poured into berry liqueur, ice cream is added on top and the whole thing is covered with whipped cream.
Dairy dishes
The use of dairy products is a distinctive feature of the national cuisine of Finland. Finns enjoy soups with cream, cheese and cottage cheese, which are unusual for Russians.
The traditional breakfast of a resident of Russia's Scandinavian neighbor always begins with a glass of milk and delicious pastries. Milk is also often added to coffee, so beloved by Finns. Foreigners should try Leipausto, or cheese bread, an unsalted cheese product that is baked in the oven. The dish turns out sweetish and is served with berry jam. Another popular dish is Viili - sweet and sour curdled milk.
Finnish chefs use delicious Lapland cheese in preparing desserts and snacks. It is prepared from colostrum with the addition of cow, goat or deer milk. It has a delicate texture and a sweetish taste, which allows it to be consumed with jam or fresh berries. The combination of Lapland cheese and cloudberries is considered the best; the taste of such a dessert is surprisingly rich and a little unusual. It is also customary to cut the cheese into small pieces, put it in a cup and pour it with ordinary black coffee, and then eat the resulting dish with a spoon - like ice cream. You can also soak it in cream, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and then bake in the oven. Those with a sweet tooth can also add cloudberry jam to the resulting dessert.
Lapland cheese is used not only in making desserts, but also in traditional salads or breakfast sandwiches. Finns add whipped cream to almost all delicacies and porridges, and they also enjoy eating cottage cheese and yogurt.
Beverages
The most favorite non-alcoholic drink among the residents of beautiful Finland is coffee. They drink it in huge quantities and nothing can stop them. Coffee is prepared for breakfast and consumed with a variety of buns, muffins, cookies and pies.
A variety of fruit drinks, compotes and juices are made from the berries, which are liked not only by local residents, but also by visitors. Older travelers can also try Finnish berry liqueurs.
In winter, Finns drink glogg, a drink made from red wine with spices. Sugar, cinnamon, zest, honey, cloves and almond flakes, a little Madeira and a glass of vodka are added to the heating wine. With such a drink you will not have a single chance of freezing in the harsh Finnish winter.
Beer is a very popular drink in Finland, to such an extent that it is even prepared at home. This beer is called Cotical and has a low alcohol content. The world-famous vodka, which is distinguished by its high price and excellent quality, is also produced and sold here.
Finnish cuisine is something that no guest of this amazing and hospitable country can pass by. The locals are hospitable and will gladly feed you their favorite mashed potatoes, salmon soup with cream and venison with lingonberry sauce. And you will definitely be given a traditional rye bun and Kalakukko with you, so that you don’t get bored on the road. Don't forget to try the world-famous berry liqueurs and be sure to remember the recipe for glogg, which will warm you up on cold winter evenings! In general, there is enough culinary experience for everyone here.
This is a real treasure trove for seafood lovers, because they are the distinctive feature of this cuisine. Salmon, herring, vendace, whitefish, and trout became the main components of delicious dishes, many of which are specific and not found among any other people. Meat dishes do not dominate. Mostly influenced by Swedish cuisine. But the use of elk, bear and venison is typical for Finland. By the way, the presence of both fish and meat in one recipe is a characteristic combination.
The five most commonly used ingredients in recipes are:
Wild berries (cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, cloudberries, blueberries) are used in desserts with cream, jelly, jam, jelly, and even added to sauces and side dishes. Many mushrooms are used in stews and other dishes. As for bread and pastries, rye flour predominates here. Pies, pies, flatbreads, loaves are made with the addition of barley, oatmeal or wheat flour. Recipes of Finnish and Karelian cuisine have undergone changes over time, but fundamentally remain virtually unchanged. Making the treats, despite their fancy names, isn't all that difficult. The main thing is to find the right ingredients and, as they say, put your soul into it.
Finnish cuisine is truly unique, rich and original. Many also note that it is “endemic” - you will not find such dishes anywhere except Finland.
Market in Finland. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jan_mccharles/
In general, traditional Finnish dishes can be divided into several groups, depending on the products used. The most popular dishes in Finland are fish dishes, followed by dairy and meat dishes. Traditional Finnish pastries, desserts and, of course, drinks also deserve attention. But first things first.
What is unique about Finnish dishes? First of all, in the basic set of ingredients. Finns most often use fish (river or lake), pearl barley, barley flour, potatoes, herring, rutabaga, lard, butter, milk and cream.
The cooking method is also special. In Finland they don't fry anything. The most popular cooking methods are boiling and steaming. Finnish cuisine is also characterized by poaching, stewing, and soaking (usually in milk or cream) of products.
Slicing Finnish delicacies. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sifu_renka/
Another feature of Finnish cuisine is the incredible range of ingredients in one dish. Imagine, roasts in Finland are prepared from both meat and fish. And milk and butter are used in almost all dishes - Finns love dairy very much.
Fish dishes
Finland has more than 180,000 lakes, and in the south and west the state is washed by the Baltic Sea. It's no surprise that fish dominates Finnish cuisine. Nature itself ordered it this way.
River, lake (salmon, trout) and sea (herring) fish are used to prepare dishes. Finnish chefs know a lot about this. Therefore, being in Finland and not trying fish cooked in Finnish style is a crime.
Finnish dish - fried salmon. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62650637@N02/
Popular Finnish fish dishes: Graavi lohi (rainbow trout in its own juice), Rosolli (herring salad), Rapu (crayfish). By the way, they say that the most delicious crayfish are prepared in Finland. Apparently, the “hot Finnish” chefs know some secret.
Finnish crayfish. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dotsi/
Pisces are the head of everything, and use it entirely - from head to tail. Naturally, caviar is also used. Mati is a national Finnish dish made from freshwater fish roe. The caviar is very tasty, small, yellow or orange. In stores it is usually sold already with chopped onions and sour cream - ready to serve.
Where there is fish, there is fish soup. In Finland, fish soups have a special place. The first dish should be on the table at least once a day - for lunch or dinner. The most popular among tourists and locals are Kalakeitto and Lohikeitto (salmon soup). Both dishes are prepared with milk, potatoes and onions.
Finnish fish soup - lohikeitto. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/terolehto/
A separate story is fish soup in Finnish. It has nothing in common with the fish soup (with millet and a glass of vodka) to which we are accustomed. In Finland, fish soup is not made from fish, but from caviar and milk, which are considered the most delicious morsels.
Dairy products in Finnish cuisine
It is difficult to guess how much milk is drunk in Finland per day. For many years, Finns have started their day with a glass of milk. And this is not the only way to use fermented milk products.
Finnish milk. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/owly/
Milk is used to prepare various dishes, and cream is used for soaking fish and meat, and also as a sauce.
But the most popular dairy product is butter. It is added to all dishes in large quantities. Finns are among those who believe that porridge cannot be spoiled with butter.
Meat - rare, but accurate
Meat dishes are quite rare in Finnish cuisine. But if meat is used, then a lot. The most popular meat dish in Finland is Karelian meat in a pot. To prepare it you need three types of meat - lamb, pork and beef.
In addition, in this northern country they eat venison and prepare it in a special way. Try Poronkaristys (thin slices of dried venison) or Poronpaisti (fried venison) - and you will understand what the “trick” is.
Finnish fried venison - Poronpaisti. Photo: http://www.mtv3.fi/makuja/
Baking and desserts
Rye flour is most often used for baking in Finland. Locals are very fond of bread, which is usually eaten with strongly salted caviar or regular butter. Guests are usually offered Karelian wickets, Vyborg pretzel and Khortu cookies.
Finnish dish - Karelian wickets (Karjalanpiirakat). Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robban_andersson/
If you find yourself in Finland on Easter, you will definitely be treated to a traditional Easter dish - kalakukko. This is a pie that looks similar to regular rye bread, but inside, instead of pulp, it is filled with fish and lard. Before serving, kalakukko is slightly heated and the top part is cut off. They eat it with spoons, first eating away the contents, and then the crispy crust is used. The most delicious kalakukko is prepared in the city of Kuopio, but you can find this pie in almost any Finnish restaurant.
Finnish Easter dish - Kalakukko. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62650637@N02/
In addition to fish pie, at Easter in Finland it is customary to serve sweet pudding - mämmi. It is very satisfying and is served with sugar and cream.
Finnish pudding - mämmi. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/staipale/
Finns' favorite drinks
Every Finn's morning begins with a hot cup of coffee. During the day they drink a variety of fruit drinks and compotes, which are made from northern berries (blueberries, blueberries, cloudberries, etc.).
Liqueurs are also prepared from the berries. Finnish liqueurs based on northern berries have an unusual taste and pleasant aroma. Mesimarja (Arctic blackberry), lakka, polar cranberry and many others are popular.
Finnish liqueur - Lakka. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/igb/
Finns also love beer. Especially ultra light lager. But still, low-alcoholic drinks are rarely drunk in this cold northern country. To stay warm, you need something hot. It should be noted that alcohol in Finland is expensive, but even the cheapest Finnish vodka is of high quality.
The traditions of Finnish cuisine were largely determined by nature - food should be nourishing, rich in protein, because even in summer the thermometer in this country does not rise above +20. Arriving in Finland, you will not encounter any culinary delights. Although you won’t go hungry – guests are fed simply, but very tasty.
Finns, like no one else, are faithful to their culinary traditions. This country has delicacies to suit all tastes, but exploring traditional edible attractions will be an equally interesting page in your Finland travel book! Finnish cuisine very original and at the same time simple, the main focus is not on the alchemy of preparation, but on the freshness and quality of the products.
More than 95% of the diet of local residents consists of fish dishes - this is what nature itself ordered. It seems as if Finnish cuisine It is limited only to them, but this is far from true. Finns love dairy, so cream is present in many treats. Unexpected combinations are also typical: for example, roast meat and fish. Nevertheless, Finnish cuisine considered one of the healthiest in the world. For example, there is practically no fried food in it: even fish steaks are doused with boiling water. Perhaps it is not as refined as the French one, but the Finns prefer to win the hearts of gourmets with flavor combinations of natural products.
Fish dishes
In the country of thousands of lakes, people love fish and eat it almost in its original form - without spices, with minimal thermal processing. One of the most famous dishes that tourists are highly recommended to try is the Finnish fish soup Lohikeitto. Large pieces of red fish, potatoes, carrots and onions drown in a broth of... cream. At first, this combination may be terrifying, but you should dare and eat a portion to see for yourself how tasty this dish is.
For lunch, Finns often eat graavi lohi - rainbow trout in its own juice, herring salad rosolli and imMati - small caviar of Finnish freshwater fish with chopped onions and sour cream.
Rumor has it that it is the “hot Finnish guys” who cook the most delicious crayfish.
A delicious snack - small muikku fish in butter. It is sold at street markets - for Russians it is an analogue of St. Petersburg smelt.
Maitokalakeitto is fish in milk. Finns are not afraid of culinary experiments, for which they are rewarded with delicious, unusual dishes. Salmon fillet is stewed in milk for 30-40 minutes in the oven and served with vegetables and butter. The resulting fish simply melts in your mouth!
Fish is also combined with beets - muksun in marinade and with beet sauce is considered a real delicacy!
Kalakukko is also a difficult ingredient to compare. This is a rye pie with fish...and lard, which people like to treat themselves to at Easter. Perhaps, in some aspects, Finnish cuisine is much more exotic or!
"Graavilohi" translated into Russian means "salmon from the grave." However, there is nothing to be afraid of: these are just spicy pieces of fillet, sprinkled with cognac or brandy.
Meat dishes
Meat is an infrequent guest on the Finnish table. Karelian meat in a pot is very popular - pork, lamb, beef.
Chattbullar cutlets are also prepared from three types of meat. These are amazingly soft and juicy meatballs with sour cream and breadcrumbs. They are usually served with soft mashed potatoes; traditional cuisine does not indulge in french fries.
Residents of the northern regions eat venison. Poronkaristys is dried deer meat, cut into thin slices.
Puttipanna is a very simple and filling dish. It's basically diced potatoes with finely chopped sausages, onions and carrots. Meat sausages are simmered in a frying pan along with onions and carrots, after which boiled tubers are added to them. The mixture is simmered for literally five minutes and served.
If Finns prepare traditional meat soup, then it is a whole family event! The meat is cooked for a long time, after which it is added to the broth along with vegetables. The result is a thick, rich stew, ideal for lunch in a cold northern country.
On picnics, Finnish residents often take with them pies made from potato dough with minced meat and rice.
In the city of Tampere they like to scare tourists... with the black blood sausage Mustamakkara. They are made from pork blood and lard, but the Finns find this insufficient, so they eat this culinary miracle with berry sauce. By the way, doctors strongly recommend mustamakkara for people with low hemoglobin.
The signature dish of Lappeenranta is considered to be a fried meat pie with ham and egg - probably the heaviest and most calorie-rich food in the northern country.
Children love to be treated to russupotti, a healthy soup made from blood sausage. It is often served in kindergartens, schools and army units.
Vegetable and dairy dishes
Perunapiiraita, a pie made from potatoes and millet porridge, is considered a dietary dish. Cereals have beneficial properties, so they are recommended for use by almost everyone.
Finns make flatbreads from cabbage and pearl barley, which, admittedly, are not to the taste of all tourists. Barley is soaked in curdled milk or milk, after which it is mixed with mashed potatoes and placed between two cabbage leaves and baked in the oven.
Much tastier are talvi - potato balls, sprinkled with cheese, herbs and served with sour cream! Finns wash them down with warm milk or tea.
Klimpiruoka is a dumpling made from potatoes and cream with the addition of ginger and raisins. They are eaten separately, but more often added to broths and soups.
Hernerokka is a soup that is prepared in the evening. Peas are soaked for a long time, and the water needs to be changed twice.
Traditional Finnish cheese is made from goat and reindeer milk, and also adds colostrum (discharge from the mammary glands of mammals in the last days of pregnancy). The result is a slightly strange-tasting and slightly “rubbery” treat, which is more reminiscent of cheese bread. As a finishing touch, it is eaten with jam.
Dessert
Finnish berry soup is a banal jelly made from berries, to which wine, spices and whipped cream are added for flavor and sophistication.
Mummy will frighten an unprepared traveler with its appearance - it is an incomprehensible trembling black mass. In fact, the delicacy made from rye flour, water, sugar and cream acquires such an unusual color due to long simmering in the oven.
Rhubarb as a sweet filling seems something unusual to us, but residents of Scandinavian countries consider it perhaps the best dessert. Rhubarb pie is a delicious dish, which, however, should not be overused due to the large amount of oxalic acid.
But Finn's favorite treat is licorice candy. Not everyone understands their taste - licorice has a sour-salty taste and reminds many of licorice cough syrup.
Salmiakki are coal-black candies with a sweet and salty taste. Eating such sweets has long been a national trait of the Finns. Tourists rarely understand the charm of such a delicacy - you probably need to get used to it from childhood.
Based on numerous requests from workers, today I will tell you what unusual things you can eat in Finland.
In general, Finnish cuisine is quite close to Russian. Most dishes do not cause any particular surprise and are quite edible, and even tasty. But there are also all sorts of surprises. I’ll start, perhaps, with more or less famous dishes, and I’ll show you the worst ones towards the end of the post. Go.
1. Lohikeito. Fish soup with cream. A similar version can be found, for example, in the Russian Teremok. The main ingredients are salmon and potatoes. A Finnish peculiarity is the presence of milk/cream in this soup. Butter and traditional rye bread are included. By the way, the Finns are masters of rye bread. The soup is tasty, hearty, I like it. 
2. Mustamakkara. Blood sausage (at the top of the plate). Made from pork blood and pearl barley. 
Here it is close up. Quite exotic, although I don’t have much love for this sausage. 
Oh yes, in Finnish canteens it is customary to clean up after yourself. Moreover, you need to arrange plate by plate, mug by mug, etc. Although, it probably makes sense to talk about canteens separately. 
3. Kotikalja. By the way, did you notice there was also a glass with a dark liquid? This is real kvass. You will be surprised, but kvass is available in almost all canteens here. Moreover, this is not the kind of waste that is sold in Russian stores, but the one that we usually make ourselves. In Finnish stores you can buy sourdough starter and make kvass. Everything is extremely simple - you need to add starter, yeast, sugar to taste to warm water and wait 24 hours. 
4. Munkki. Finnish version of a donut. Quite tasty, sold in cafes. There are cafes that specialize only in donuts. 
5. Hot wings or chicken wings. One of the most popular Finnish fast foods. There are restaurants that only serve wings. Typically, carrots and celery are added to the wings. Well, the sauce, of course. Personally, I quite like this fast food. 
6. Hamburgers are also very popular. Moreover, you can find a high quality hamburger (not like in McDuck). So I advise you to try it. During my stay in Finland I fell in love with this product. 
7. Pizza is found in large numbers and everywhere. Personally, I like the national chain Kotipizza. 
8. Now let's focus on what you can buy in a Finnish supermarket.
Karjalanpiirakka. Karelian pies. The filling of the pie is sort of like rice porridge with potatoes. 
9. LohiKukko. Well, let's move on to the exotic. Any idea what this is? 
Let's open it. It looks like rye bread. Let's cut... 
And what an interesting filling in the pie: boiled pork and salmon! This is such a distinctive feature of Finnish cuisine - mixing different types of meat or fish. I highly recommend this pie, especially on the go! Half a pie is enough to be full. As a Finnish colleague told me, this pie was originally invented to take with you on the road.
10. What is this? I didn't know it myself until I discovered it. It turned out to be processed cheese! Delicious! 
11. Juustoleipa. Cheese bread. Made from cow's milk. The taste is quite neutral, and it also squeaks like rubber. Although, if you warm it up a little, it tastes quite tolerable. 
12. Liquorice. This is for the most persistent. You start to love somewhere in the fifth year of living in Finland. And before that you go through all the phases from rejection to acceptance :))) Most of my buddies didn’t like licorice, but you should try it anyway, at least for the experience. 
13.Mämmi. Well, as a final chord, another masterpiece of Finnish cuisine. Guess what it is!? 
Okay, I'll open the box. Well, did it help? No, it's not chocolate. 
According to Wikipedia, mämmi is prepared from rye flour and malt with the addition of salt and sugar. The porridge is baked in an oven at low temperature for several hours. How does it taste? Hard to tell. There's something about rye bread. A bit sweet. But it’s impossible to explain, you have to try it yourself. Mämmi is usually eaten with milk, cream or ice cream. 
Well, how do you like it, will you try it?