What to eat in Finland, tips on typical dishes not to be missed during a trip to the fascinating Scandinavian country, traditional dishes explained to everyone for the next trips to the North.
Have you ever wondered how do you eat in Finland? And above all, what do you eat like this in the north?
Certainly the cuisine of Finland is quite different from ours and so are the habits at the table.
For example, Finnish meal times are much earlier than us. From 11 for lunch and from 18 for dinner. That is, in our aperitif time ...
Breakfast, like in many other Nordic countries, is very abundant and mostly salty. Rye bread with butter (always present on the table), cold cuts, porridge and vegetables.
It may surprise you to know that I am in Finland large consumers of coffee and they drink it many times a day. Not our espresso of course, but mostly American long coffee.
After dinner, a snack is usually provided. It could be bread with cold cuts and cheese, salad, or chocolate and gummy candies.
Typical Finnish dishes
What I immediately noticed during my trip to Finland is that the ingredients used are almost always the same, depending on the season.
This is because the Finnish cuisine mainly uses local products and due to the climate, it is not possible to cultivate as many edible plant species as in Mediterranean climates.
Also you will happen to taste above all simple and not very elaborate dishes. Soups, salads, potatoes, meat and fish are prepared in a healthy way and without too many frills.
Among the culinary excellences to eat in Finland, I definitely recommend milk and butter, which are of excellent quality and flavor. Even the bread, prepared in many variations, with rye flour and other cereals, is really good. Fragrant and tasty, suitable to accompany all dishes.
One of the most popular variants is the reikäleipa, a kind of donut. The näkkileipä instead it is the crunchy variant of rye bread. Excellent for spreading butter or soft cheese.
Also very famous karjalanpiirakka, or Karelian pie, stuffed with potatoes or rice, which is also often found at breakfast.
Obviously on the tables of the Finns can not miss the Baltic Sea fish. Herring and salmon, cooked in many different ways, are the most common and popular with the population.
Among the fish-based dishes, Il kalakucco, a particular fish pie.
If you love meat, here you can try that of reindeer, elk, hare but above all beef. THE grillimakkara instead they are flame cooked frankfurters stuffed with mustard.
Le new potatoes are another of Finland's most popular and typically summer dishes.
Traditional Finnish desserts
With the arrival of summer, the berries: black and red blueberries, and strawberries. Finns love to go and gather them in the woods and eat them fresh, or freeze them for the cold winter months.
A local specialty is the cloudberry, orange berry that seems to be a super concentrate of vitamin C.
Delicious cakes can be made with berries.
Among the desserts, there is one with a very particular flavor and texture: the juustoleipä. Literally it means bread cheese and is served in slices or cubes, accompanied by jam. The texture is a bit rubbery and at first glance it may seem strange, but it has its own why.
Finally, a classic of Finland are the salmiakki, salty licorice produced in many variations: from hard candies to gummy ones. And if you are fond of chocolate, do not miss that of Fazer Blue.
After this short journey into Finnish cuisine, you are ready to go and taste it for yourself.
Bon appetit!
