Typical Finnish Dishes
Ruisleipä
In Finland, ruisleipä is a rye bread made with natural yeast, featured in many traditional dishes. There are different varieties, the most popular and easily found being the reikäleipa, a type of ring-shaped bread also known as “bread with a hole.” Traditionally, it was hung on beams from the ceiling and is dense and flat in appearance.
The näkkileipä is the crunchy version of rye bread. There are several varieties, including the Finn Crisp cracker, known even beyond Finland’s borders. Finnish breakfast. The näkkileipä can be eaten at breakfast spread with butter or cheese, at lunch in soup, or at dinner as a snack.
Seasonal Food in Finland
Among typical Finnish dishes, fish takes center stage. Among Finnish fish dishes, the Baltic Sea herring stands out as almost a national symbol, cooked in myriad ways (from smoking to grilling), followed by Lapp salmon with its delicately pink flesh; whitefish, pike-perch, rainbow trout, and many others. Fish eggs are also very popular, served with onion, sour cream, and national vodka. Finnish recipes are not very difficult to prepare.
Kalakukko
Kalakukko is a fish pie, usually filled with whitefish, traditional in the lake region of eastern Finland.
JUNE
June is the month of new potatoes, which, freshly harvested, are cooked with dill and served with silli, a sauce made from herring and butter.
Silli
Silli consists of new potatoes and herring. But also: new potatoes with fresh lake fish and chanterelle sauce; new potatoes with fish roe (mäti); new potatoes with just a pat of butter, some dill, and a pinch of salt.
Variations are truly endless and all delicious: Finns can talk about new potatoes late into the night, eagerly awaiting a summer about to begin. Usually, new potatoes appear around mid-June, and the first harvest is such big news that it merits newspaper articles.
SUMMER
July is the season of wild berries, starring in unbeatable sweets and desserts, foremost being the black blueberry tart. However, summer feasting peaks in early August, the time of freshwater crayfish with their vivid red shells and flavorful meat. Many claim they are the best in the world.
Mustikkapiirakka
July and August mark the blueberry season in Finnish forests. They can be found everywhere and for many, their abundance is truly impressive. You can freely pick as many as you want, perhaps freezing some for winter. Finns do this regularly, although the best way to enjoy them is fresh, often preparing delicious blueberry tarts, usually served with fresh milk: you will be amazed.
Another typical wild berry easily found in Finland is the lingonberry, more tart than the traditional blueberry, making it excellent for jams and juices. In any case, the most prized Finnish berry is the cloudberry, known as camemoro, typical of Lapland forests. With its bright orange color, it is truly a northern delicacy, eagerly awaited each summer at markets in southern Finland.
Rapu
The crayfish parties, or “kraftskiva,” a name imported from Swedish tradition, are events celebrating summer in Finland. Freshwater crayfish are considered a true culinary delicacy, reflected in their price: for this reason, they are enjoyed in great style. Elegant and carefully prepared festivities honoring crayfish season are typically held between July 21 and early autumn.
Grillimakkara
Summer isn’t Finnish without a “grillimakkara.” These are large sausages, usually flame-grilled, filled with mustard, and enjoyed alongside a refreshing beer. Finns love them, and the grillimakkara has fans of all ages.
AUTUMN
Autumn brings an abundance of mushrooms and delicacies like roast moose, along with many other dishes made from game and even bear meat. The list of regional specialties is extensive, starting with breads such as karjalanpiirakka, Karelian pies filled with potatoes or rice, and rahkapiirakka, a fresh cheese pie. Typical of Savo is kalakukko, a rye bread filled with fish (whitefish or perch) and pork, toasted for a long time in the oven. Along the Gulf of Bothnia, you will find rieska, a thin round flatbread, and leipajuusto, a fresh cheese similar to a crepe, matured over the fireplace flame.
