Finnish cuisine

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Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes in some parts of the country, while the dishes in others have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Refugees from Karelia contributed to foods in other parts of Finland.[1]



In former times, the country's harsh climate meant that fresh fruit and vegetables were largely unavailable for nine months of the year, leading to a heavy reliance on staple tubers (initially turnip, later potato), dark rye bread and fermented dairy products, occasionally enlivened with preserved fish and meat. Traditionally, very few spices other than salt were available, and fresh herbs like dill were limited to the summer months. Many Finnish traditional dishes are prepared by stewing them for a long time in an oven, which produces hearty but bland fare. Forests and lakes were a major source of food and today produce from forests counts for the distinctive traits in Finnish cuisine. The simplicity of traditional Finnish food has been turned into an advantage by placing an emphasis on freshness instead, and modern Finnish restaurateurs now blend high-quality Finnish products with continental cooking techniques, culminating with Helsinki's Chez Dominique receiving two Michelin stars in 2003 (the restaurant closed down in 2013).

Internationalization brought imported goods and pasta, pizza, kebab and hamburgers were integrated into Finnish menus, thus replacing many traditional everyday dishes, such as cabbage casserole or herring fillets which were considered inferior. During the 20th century also, the majority of Finnish women entered the workforce, and most of the dishes requiring long preparation time were reserved for holidays.

Even with modern agriculture and transportation, food is expensive in Finland compared to other European countries, notwithstanding the effect of accession to the European Union in 1995 and the consequent elimination of trade barriers, with prices of some products like grains, meat and milk dropping by up to 50%.[2] Before that, heavy taxes and outright bans on imports that competed with local produce severely limited the availability of foreign or unseasonal food, but now Finnish supermarkets and restaurants serve up a wide variety of food from all over the world.

Finnish cuisine is very similar to Swedish cuisine. Swedish dishes such as Janssons frestelse (janssoninkiusaus), pyttipannu and gravlax are commonly served in Finland. The overarching difference is the preference for unsweetened foods. For example, while traditional Swedish rye bread includes plenty of syrup and spices, Finnish rye bread is unsweetened and even bitter. Finnish cuisine also bears some resemblance to German and Russian cuisines.[3] For example, sausages and buttered bread (like Butterbrot), and kiisseli (kissel) and karjalanpiirakka (cf. pirozhki) are similar to their German and Russian counterparts, respectively. However, Finnish practice favors fresh ingredients over canned or pickled foods, as fresh vegetables, fish and meat are available throughout the year.[4]

Finnish food[edit]


The most popular meats in Finland are pork (33.5 kg/year/person in 2005), beef (18.6 kg) and chicken & duck (13.3 kg).[5] Approximately one third of this is eaten as sausage (makkara), which is mostly made from pork but often mixes in other meats as well.[6]

In addition to domesticated animals, there are long traditions of hunting and fishing in Finland. The hunters focus on deer, moose and bear, but small game such as hare, duck and grouse are popular. Approximately 70,000-80,000 moose are culled yearly producing significant amounts of meat. Due to very strict food hygiene regulations, moose meat is mainly consumed within households and is rarely obtainable in restaurants. Finnish restaurants are accustomed to serving reindeer dishes instead.


Lingonberries are common throughout Finland

Arctic wild berries are distinctively featured in Finnish cuisine with their strong flavor and high nutrient content. Traditionally, they were eaten fresh in summer and dried at other times of year. It is still quite common to go picking berries straight from the forests. Wild raspberries, bilberries and lingonberries (cowberries) are found in almost every part of Finland, while cloudberries, cranberries, arctic brambles and sea buckthorns grow in more limited areas. The intensely flavored wild strawberry (metsämansikka) is a seasonal delicacy decorating cakes, served alone, with cream, or with ice cream.

Today, berries are no longer dried for winter consumption but usually frozen. They may be used as ingredients, or eaten on their own, for example, with porridge and sugar. Homemade berry juices and jams are common, especially among older people. While berries are most often used for desserts, they are also served with meat, especially the sour lingonberry relish.

Bilberry kiisseli and pie, made from wild bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus), are traditional Finnish desserts. Bilberries are frequently used in Finnish cuisine, both as an ingredient, such as bilberry pie, and also served with cream or ice cream. They are often used on top of viili and other yoghurt-type dishes.


Fried vendace (Coregonus albula) is a summer-time delicacy in Finland. The fish are fried, served, and eaten whole, usually accompanied with garlic sauce.
Fried Baltic herring is a popular and wholesome Finnish dish. It is usually accompanied with boiled or mashed potatoes.

Lakes in Finland provide many opportunities for fishing and fish has always been an important protein source. Several ways to prepare fish are used, including frying, boiling, drying, salting, fermenting, cold smoking or simply slicing sea fish and eating it raw. Salmon is a popular choice, both as kylmäsavustettu lohi: cold smoked salmon, lox, or served raw with lemon juice as graavilohi (gravlax in Swedish). It is common to smoke any types of fish, like salmon, zander, pike, perch and Baltic herring. A popular dish among the Swedish-speaking population is smoked herring (Finnish: savusilli, Swedish: böckling). There are many styles of pickled herring which is a common appetizer and also served around Midsummer accompanied by small potatoes called uusiperuna [nypotatis in Swedish] which literally means 'new potato', usually the first harvests of potato. Whitefish and vendace roe are Finnish delicacies served on top of a toast or with blinis. Crayfish can be found in many lakes and streams in Finland and, in August especially, the Swedish-speaking population often arranges parties centered around eating crayfish and drinking.


Chanterelles often grow near birch trees

Various species of mushrooms grow in abundance in Finnish forests and false morels start the season in spring and are used in creamy dishes. Chanterelles and ceps pop up after Midsummer and are popular in the whole country, while in eastern Finland almost all edible fungi are consumed, including milkcaps and russulas. Most of the mushroom recipes originate from Russia, since Finns used mushrooms in coloring fabrics rather than as food. Mushrooms are used in soups, sauces, stews, pie fillings, or simply fried in a pan with onions as a side dish. They are preserved for the winter by pickling or drying. Chanterelles are frequently featured in Finnish haute cuisine with their relatives winter chanterelles which often end the season. Just like berry picking, mushroom hunting is also a popular outdoor activity among Finns.


Main article: Finnish bread

Dark and fiber-rich ruisleipä, rye bread is a staple of the Finnish diet. Breads are made from grains like barley, oat, rye and wheat, or by mixing different grits and flours. For example, sihtileipä is made of a combination of rye and wheat. There is also a variety of flat breads called rieska, like maitorieska (milk flatbread), ryynirieska with barley grits from Savonia, läskirieska (lard flatbread) flat(ish) barley bread with pieces of lard from Western coast, and perunarieska (potato flatbread). In Kainuu, North Finland, the flatbreads are very flat and baked on naked flame. Näkkileipä, crisp rye bread, is also common. Famines caused by crop failures in the 19th century caused Finns to improvise pettuleipä or bark bread,[7] bread made from rye flour and the soft phloem layer of pine bark, which was nutritious, but rock-hard and anything but tasty. It was eaten also during the Second World War, and the tradition of making this bread has had a minor come-back with claims of health benefits.


The Finnish breakfast traditionally includes a substantial portion of porridge. Rolled oats, rye or multi-grain porridge are most common. However, there are other options such as the milk-based mannapuuro (semolina-milk porridge) and helmipuuro (starch grain-milk porridge). Porridges are often eaten with milk, sugar, butter or berry kissel. The Christmas season introduces milk-based rice porridge (riisipuuro), sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and often topped with prune kissel (luumukiisseli).


Water and coffee are the most common drinks in Finland, but during meals milk and buttermilk (piimä, a fermented milk) are popular too, even among adults. Coffee is often drunk several times a day and served everywhere, and tea is available in most homes. There are several types of home-brewed alcoholic beverages, sima (mead), sahti (traditional beer) and kilju (sugar wine, a notorious drink traditionally fermented without flavouring). Some people distill pontikka (Finnish moonshine) even though it's illegal. Famous brands of spirits include Koskenkorva (vodka-like clear spirit) and a salmiakki flavored shot Salmiakkikossu, Jaloviina (cut brandy), Finlandia Vodka, and Marskin ryyppy (Marshal Mannerheim's shot). Around Christmas time a type of mulled wine called glögi is served, also often as a non-alcoholic version. Many berries are used to season liqueurs, e.g. cloudberry liqueur and there are wines produced from red and black currants. A national specialty would be multiple brands of flavored hard ciders (as in Sweden) and long drink mixes with the pet name lonkero, which was originally a gin and grapefruit soda long drink.

The Finnish beer scene is dominated by pale lagers. The most popular local brands are Koff, Lapin Kulta, Karjala, Olvi and Karhu and their taste is rather similar to the Danish counterparts like Carlsberg and Tuborg; soft and a bit sweet. Non-alcoholic beer has also become a popular alternative during recent years. Kotikalja (similar to Russian kvass) is the traditional small beer. Kotikalja is a malty, sugar-containing sweet beer fermented only for carbonation, thus its alcohol content is low enough (<1.2%) to be served as a soft drink. Hops are often absent. Fresh kotikalja is unfiltered, cloudy and cannot be stored. A Finnish beer specialty is sahti, a traditional ale flavored with juniper berries.


Several types of pulla sweet bread
  • Pulla, sweet, cardamom-flavored bread eaten with coffee or as dessert
    • Cinnamon rolls (korvapuustit) - pulla made into a roll with cinnamon and sugar
  • Golden cloudberry dessert
  • Kiisseli – water, sugar, berry juice and berries (nowadays often canned or frozen) thickened with potato starch flour, served with milk/cream and sugar. These may be less liquid than drink-like mustikkakeitto (Swedish blåbärssoppa), depending on preparation, but not gelatinous.
  • Vispipuuro (whipped porridge) a sweet pink dessert porridge with lingonberries or other berries, served with milk and sugar.
  • Runeberg's tart named after a national poet J.L. Runeberg and served on his memorial day on February 5.
  • Rönttönen pastry with lingonberry filling


Examples of Finnish dishes[edit]

Note that the term perinneruoka ("traditional dish") is often applied to specialities that are rarely eaten on a daily basis. These are often regional, associated with the older generations or confined to a specific holiday (for example, mämmi in Easter or most Christmas dishes), and most people eat them rarely or not at all. To contrast with perinneruoka, the term kotiruoka ("home-made food", even if in a restaurant) is applied to daily staple dishes. Meatballs, pea soup and rye bread are examples of such staples.

The following list is a sample of typical dishes traditionally consumed in Finland.

Typical Finnish dishes[edit]

Leipäjuusto is a cheese, here served with cloudberry jam

Holiday specialties[edit]

Shrove Tuesday[edit]

  • Hernekeitto - Pea soup made with ham and traditionally served with mustard.
  • Laskiaispulla – (Shrovetide pulla) filled with whipped cream and almond paste or jam


  • Mämmi Easter Dessert Pudding: sweetened oven-baked rye malt porridge, served with sugar and milk or cream, available frozen around the year. In the Catholic era it was Lent food and also served on Good Friday.
  • Pasha a dessert made of quark, butter, eggs and spices, originates from Russia

Vappu (May Day)[edit]

  • Sima (mead) home-made or purchased
  • Munkki (deep-fried pulla dough coated in sugar similar to doughnuts)
  • Tippaleipä (May Day fritters)


  • Joulupöytä "Christmas table" consists of many dishes almost entirely reserved for Christmas and some side dishes
  • Glögi (mulled wine) is served around holiday season

Regional cuisine[edit]


Sautéed reindeer with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam and pickles


  • Rönttönen, pastry with lingonberry filling (PGI protection under EU law)
  • Smoked meat soup
  • Kainuun Juustoleipä or Leipäjuusto, Bread Cheese
  • Vendace fish soup
  • Pettuleipä (Pettu-bread), a bread made from rye flour and pine bark



  • Kalakukko fish pasty loaf
  • Mykyrokka blood dumpling soup
  • Lörtsy pastry filled with sour or sweet fillings (meat, vegetable or jam)

Ostrobothnia and Åland[edit]

Due the location on the West coast, the cuisine has some local specialities.

  • Klimppisoppa flour dumpling soup
  • Åland's pancake typically made of leftover porridge and served with plum soup
  • Swedish svartbröd "black bread" is eaten in Swedish-speaking Åland; similar dark bread, known as skärgårdslimpa ("islander's bread", referring to Åland), is made on southern coast, and in Malax on the Ostrobothnian coast (malaxlimpa). This bread, colored dark brown, is made from rye and contains a substantial quantity of dark syrup.

Other specialties[edit]


Lohikeitto is a creamy salmon soup and a common dish in Finland and other Nordic countries.

There are three meals per day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. In all primary and secondary schools, including high school, a hot free lunch is served as part of Finland's welfare state system. Lunch, eaten around noon, is usually a warm meal, although some people may select a lighter meal such as a sandwich or a salad. Taking a lunchbox is not as common as elsewhere in Europe.[9] Lunch typically consists of a single course with optional side salad, bread and dessert. Many workplaces have a lunch restaurant, and if not, employers often give lunch vouchers. Restaurants often have a separate lunch menu for this purpose. In the evening, the dinner is usually a hot meal, again with sides. Meals are usually single-course, commonly consisting of meat of some sort (pork, chicken, beef) and potatoes, rice or pasta with the meat. Soups, such as pea soup or fish soup, are not considered appetizers only, but may be served as lunch or dinner, and they are correspondingly heavier and come in larger portions.


Breakfast is seen as a substantial meal and usually consists of open sandwiches. The sandwich is often buttered (with margarine), with savoury toppings such as hard cheese or cold cuts. Sour milk products such as yogurt or viili are also common breakfast foods, usually served in a bowl with cereals such as corn flakes, muesli, and sometimes with sugar, fruit or jam. A third food that is commonly eaten at breakfast is porridge (puuro), often made of rolled oats, and eaten with a pat of butter (voisilmä, lit. "butter eye") and/or with milk, or fruit or jam, especially the sort made of raspberries or strawberries (sometimes lingonberries). Drinks are milk, juice, tea, or coffee.

Coffee breaks[edit]

Finland has the highest coffee consumption per capita in the world, averaging 12 kg of coffee per person annually.[10] It is typical for a Finn to drink coffee continuously throughout the day, often accompanied by a sweet bun or a sandwich. Most workplaces allocate time for coffee breaks and serving coffee is an inevitable part of any visit to a private home.


Pizza Berlusconi

In 2005, Finnish cuisine came under heavy fire from two leaders of countries renowned for their cuisine. The Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi claimed that "I've been to Finland and I had to endure the Finnish diet so I am in a position to make a comparison." Berlusconi started his anti-Finnish food campaign in 2001. He went on: "The Finns don't even know what Parma ham is." This followed the initial decision by the European Commission to establish the European Food Safety Authority in Helsinki. On July 4, 2005 French President Jacques Chirac claimed that "After Finland, [Britain is] the country with the worst food." [11][12]

After Jacques Chirac's and Silvio Berlusconi's critiques, some international food reporters answered:

"Chirac and Berlusconi are wrong! Finnish cuisine is much more international than I expected. I have eaten very good food in wonderful restaurants, visited market places and enjoyed in good cafeterias. Cheese is very good in Finland. I also love Finnish cloudberry and smoked fish." (Ute Junker, Australian Financial Review Magazine, Sydney, Australia)

"Food in Finnish restaurants is extremely good. Especially I love Finnish salmon, mushroom soup and desserts. I have also got very good Finnish wines. The worldwide reputation of Finnish cuisine isn't very good – but it should be!" (Liliane Delwasse, Le Figaro, Paris, France)

"I have eaten only good food in Finland. Food in Finland is very fresh. Bread, berries, mushrooms and desserts are very delicious. Finnish berries (especially cloudberry), salmon, cheeses and reindeer should be available in London, too." (April Hutchinson, Abta Magazine, London, England).

Finnish pizza chain Kotipizza (Homepizza) won the 2008 America’s Plate International pizza contest in New York, while Italy came in second. They named their award-winning smoked reindeer pizza Berlusconi as symbolic payback for the critique Finnish cuisine had received from the Italian prime minister earlier.[13]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Tolvanen, Kristiina. "A Nation in Transition: The Resettlement of the Karelian Evacuees". Department of Translation Studies, University of Tampere. Retrieved 12 November 2013. 
  2. ^ Tietoaika 2/2005: EU:n tuoma hintaetu on tallella [1]
  3. ^ "Finnish Food". Fresh! From Finland. Retrieved 12 November 2013. 
  4. ^
  5. ^ " liha". Retrieved 27 November 2014. 
  6. ^
  7. ^ "Famine Bread". Retrieved 27 November 2014. 
  8. ^ "Pakarin pitkän iän salaisuus piilee kakossa". (in Finnish). Yle. August 12, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2014. 
  9. ^ "Englantilainen vs. suomalainen ruoka eli friteerattua Mars-patukkaa ja unohdettuja metsän antimia - Makutarinoita". Makutarinoita. Retrieved 27 November 2014. 
  10. ^ Soria, Claudia. "Coffee Consumption Per Capita Worldwide". IndexMundi Blog. Retrieved 12 November 2013. 
  11. ^ McIntosh, Neil (July 4, 2005). "Chirac shares a joke at Britain's expense". The Guardian (London). Retrieved May 2, 2010. 
  12. ^
  13. ^ "Reindeer Pizza Named after Berlusconi". Retrieved 27 November 2014. 

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