Finland Food & Drink

As is to be expected for a nation which was, at various times in its history, part of both the Swedish and Russian Empires, traditional food in Finland bears the influence of both countries. The emphasis, particularly during the winter months, is on heavy, filling food to help combat the cold. The main meal is normally served in the early evening, although the traditional early afternoon roast dinner is not unknown on special occasions. Breakfasts are filling and usually consist of at least something hot, sausages and eggs or suchlike if possible, or porridge for cereals. Breads, jams, cold cuts of meat and cheese are also commonly eaten - with the emphasis on getting plenty of fuel on board for the morning. Lunch is served early, usually before noon, in accordance with country practice of rising early. A cold buffet may be served, but it is equally likely that a full meal will be taken.

Meals commonly consist of a two or three courses. Soup is frequently served - pea soup most usually, though other vegetable flavours, usually with chunks of meat added, can also be found. Obviously fish is very popular, as it is through all Nordic nations. The most popular fish is the silakka or Baltic herring and this may be served in a whole variety of ways - pickled, fried, grilled or baked with layers of potato in a creamy sauce. Salmon and whitefish are also much in evidence during the summer months and the crayfish season, which runs from the end of July to September, is always eagerly anticipated by Finns. Trout is especially popular if you'd prefer a larger fish steak. It is often served with a thicker sauce such as hollandaise or similar, served with potatoes and green beans. Local versions of Gravadlax (thinly sliced herring or salmon marinated with dill and lemon) is common, or smoked herring, and either may form a cornerstone of a salad or be served with warm vegetables and boiled potatoes.

Vegetables are most prolific during the summer months - one of the most defining sites of the Finnish summer is people buying big bags of sweet fresh peas from market stalls, then podding and eating them as they go about their day. Mushrooms are plentiful in the late summer/ autumn - they grow in their thousands in Finnish forests, particularly in Lapland, and there are a number of different varieties to sample too. Tempting though it can be to venture off alone on a Finnish forest fungus foray, you should only pick and eat what has been proclaimed safe and non-poisonous by an expert.

It is often strange for visitors expecting a fish mountain that the Finns actually eat rather more meat than fish. Roasted chicken, beef and lamb is always popular, but visitors might like to try reindeer. It is admittedly somewhat tougher than beef, and although fans of venison will probably see some similarities it is very much a unique flavour. Pork is particularly popular, everywhere in the country, and small cubes of ham often pad out soups and salads - which should be a warning to vegetarians.

Although the Finns do use some spices and herbs you should note that to many Western palates the food may seem somewhat underflavoured. This is generally because there is less salt employed in Finnish cooking, with natural flavours being preferred. It sometimes takes a few meals to begin to appreciate the flavours of Finnish dishes.

Bread normally accompanies all Finnish meals, and comes in many different tasty varities - the most common is a dark, sour rye, though it's not unusual to come across potato bread too. Supermarkets offer a vast array of different types of crispbreads, many of which are rye-based.

Alcohol is not habitually taken with food, with the exception of the native vodka which is often drunk Russian style i.e. in shots and ice-cold, with particular fish concoctions.

Finnish food tends to vary regionally, and as pointed out above with the emphasis being on simply roasted meats and accompanying vegetables some of the genuine "specialities" would merely be roast dinners, although it has to be said that

Finnish mashed potato: Loved the nation over and tends to be lovingly created in a variety of ways, all of which are excellent for this dish considered mundane elsewhere in the world.

Sausages (makkara): Eaten all over the country, commonly as fast food served from street stalls. There are countless examples and varieties, although pork is naturally popular Finns will literally make a sausage out of anything. Simple grilling is the best way of cooking them, and any Finnish barbecue will involve a lot of sausage.

Mustamakkara: A speciality of Tampere. This black sausage is served with Lingonberry jam. You should buy it from a stand and eat it with your fingers while walking around Tampere.

Rosolli (beetroot salad): A ubiquitous dish across Finland. It is served as an accompaniment to pretty much anything. Pickles are likewise popular, particularly pickled onions. Pickled or smoked fish as detailed above should be tried.

Karelian pasties: Not surprisingly this is influenced by Russian food traditions and found in the eastern part of Finland. The pastries are typical of this region andconsist of an outer pastry made from rye and wheat flour and a mashed potato or rice filling. It is eaten smothered in butter.

Voileipapöytä: Strongly influenced by the Swedish this is the Finnish version of a smorgasbord, consisting of a buffet of breads, meat and fish.

Mammi: One of the most distinctive Finnish sweets and a special Easter pudding, the main ingredient of which is rye flour. It's oven-baked and commonly eaten with lots of cream and sugar.

Finns do have something of a sweet tooth. The coffee break so beloved of the nation usually involves a biscuit or two ("coffee bread") besides the coffee itself, although sugar is not universally taken in the drink itself.

Late summer and autumn also means berries are in season: the tart yellow cloudberry and the red lingonberry are just two of the many different seasonal berries that are offered as desserts. They are also made into jam and served as a topping on waffles with cream. Cloudberries in particular are most prolific in Lapland, but are available on menus throughout the whole country.

As far as drinks are concerned, freshly-ground coffee is consumed far more frequently than tea - in fact, Finns consume more coffee per head than any other nation on earth! Milk is also enjoyed - often the sour and curdled variety.

Alcoholic drinks range from schnapps and vodka (again, the Eastern influence) to liqueurs made from summer berries. The most popular are lakka (cloudberry liqueur) and mesimarja (made from the Arctic brambleberry). There are a number of domestic beers to choose from: the most appealing to the visitor is surely lapin kulta (Lapland Gold), by virtue of the fact that it's marketed as Arctic beer, brewed above the Arctic Circle - naturally best served cold.

If you fancy an alcoholic drink make sure that you make yourself au fait with the opening times of the Alko, the State run alcohol store. Apart from beer and very weak wines, these are the only places in the country where you can buy alcohol. As a result if you don't buy your vodka, wine or whatever your favourite tipple before the stores shuts for the night, then you're reduced to soft drinks, or the wheel of fortune that is home-made alcohol.

It is perhaps not surprising that the drink loving Finns, subjected to such draconian restrictions on their consumption, commonly make and drink moonshine. Thankfully even when they're (technically) breaking the law, the Scandinaivan mind is still dedicated to doing the best possible job of it that it can, and as a result Finnish moonshine can be of surprisingly good quality. Although favourites for the cottage industry are vodka and whisky you may also find legitimate hooch in the form of home brew beers or wines.