Finnish Cuisine

The core of traditional Finnish Cuisine may be illustrated by a quotation from a novel by Finnish writer Pitari Peverinta. “We don’t like butter, though we have plenty of it. But we like fish, especially cooked like this,” said the hostess, serving a plate with disemboweled Baltic sprats, seasoned with vinegar and finely chopped onions. “We don’t like meat either,” said Laarila, stuffing her mouth with sprats and bread. “But meat can’t be even compared with fish, that’s why we haven’t served it. This fish is much better than any meat or butter.”

Fish Splendor

Actually, fish in Finland is used (and eaten) in any form. You can just try such national dish as salamat — it is a salad of boiled soft roe, fish liver and salted caviar. Those who like fish dishes should make maimarokka — it is a soup cooked with dried fish. The Finns put only fine fish, potatoes, onions and spices into it. Trout and salmon stewed in their own juice are equally popular, as well as baked salmon and sig, salad of “rosolli” herring, freshwater-fish caviar with onions and sour cream — “mati”, fish soups on milk — “kalakeito” and “lohokeito”, and patties of sour paste with raw fish — “kialakiayareitia”.

Finnish Meat Dishes

In spite of the fact that Finnish people themselves don’t like meat, Finnish cuisine abounds in recipes of dishes of venison and game — roast venison with mashed potatoes and cowberry jam, stewed meat “a la Karelia” in a pot, roast venison “poronpaisti”, stewed in a wooden vessel mutton “siaria”. Roasted on a campfire venison is considered to be a traditional Finnish dish.

Kalekukko

Kalekukko is the favorite national Finnish dish. One should have great patience to cook it, as the process lasts about six hours! The Finns say that this dish represents the highest and most valuable of virtues, peculiar to the “Country of the Midnight Sun”, namely patience and persistence. Being cooked Kalekukko represents a common pie, made of unleavened rye paste with fish.

Milk

The Finns prefer milk to any other aperitifs, even fish soups in Suomi are cooked on milk. Among dairy dishes viili is very popular (it is a special sour-sweet product, which is usually added to different dishes). However the Finns use dairy products even cooking such dishes, where milk or cream are practically not commonly used. As for butter, it is not popular in Finland, as it has been said above. That’s why they usually add spring onions, fennel, garlic and other spices to it. The Finns usually spread butter with spices over a piece of bread, and these loaves are called “voilepepio yute”.

Thus it is quite easy to gain weight in Finland. The dinner table is very tasty and rich in calories there.