Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Food & Drink
Finland's eating scene has perked up dramatically in the last few years as a
wave of gourmet restaurants in the major cities has added gastronomic in-
novation to the always-excellent fresh local produce.
Staples
Finnish cuisine has been influenced by both Sweden and Russia and draws on what was tra-
ditionally available: fish, game, meat, milk and potatoes, with dark rye used to make bread
and porridge, and few spices employed.
Soups are a Finnish favourite, common in homes and restaurants. Heavy pea, meat or
cabbage soups are traditional workers' fare, while creamier fish soups have a more delicate
flavour.
One light snack that you'll see everywhere is the rice-filled savoury pastry from Karelia,
the
karjalanpiirakka
. These are tasty cold, heated, toasted or with egg butter, and have sev-
eral variations.
Fish is a mainstay of the Finnish diet. Fresh or smoked salmon
(lohi),
marinated herring
(silli), siika
(lavaret, a lake whitefish),
kuha
(pike-perch or zander) and delicious Arctic char
(nieriä
or
rautu)
are common, and the tiny lake fish
muikku
(vendace, or whitefish, a small
lake fish) are another treat.
Two much-loved favourites that you'll see in many places are grilled liver, served with
mashed potatoes and bacon, and meatballs. Finns have been known to fight over whose
granny cooks the best ones.
Reindeer has always been a staple food for the Sámi. The traditional way to eat it is
sautéed with lingonberries, though many restaurants offer it on pizzas or as sausages. It also
comes in fillet steaks, which, though expensive, is the tastiest way to try this meat. Elk is
eaten, too, mostly in hunting season, and you can even get a bear steak - or more com-
monly, a potted or preserved meat - in some places, although the latter is very expensive, as
only a small number are hunted every year.
