 The Food in Finland
You may not know what to expect from Finnish food, but we think you will go home with glowing reports. Specialities depend on what is in season. 'Wild food' (fish, berries, mushrooms, game) is a speciality of Finland .
Below is a selection of some of our favourite foods and dishes:
• Cured Fish - Salmon, Trout or Lavaret ( Graavi Lohi, Graavi Kirjolohi and Graavi Siika ) cured using salt, sugar, pepper and dill, although with many local variations. If you think you like smoked salmon try this - it's better!
• Smoked Fish - delicious, succulent, cheap, Finnish smoked fish normally come with the skin on to seal in the moisture. Excellent when bought; even better if you do it yourself.
• Herring ( Silli or Silakka ) - pickled in garlic, lemon, red wine and many other sauces, these are a treat.
• Reindeer ( Poro ) - roast, pan-fried or as a stew this is a tasty and healthy game meat
• Elk ( Hirvi ) - the gentle giant of the Finnish forests has a delicious gamey flavour
• Snow Grouse - an expensive treat, this game bird is one of the very best.
• Crayfish - a fiddly and expensive delicacy, but a treat for fans of seafood.
• Mushrooms - a huge variety of mushrooms grow in Finland 's vast forests and most remain untouched. If you know what to pick, these are a rare and free treat!
• Berries - the forest floor is thick with berries from July to September. Great eaten on their own, but look out for berry pies and ice-creams.
Delicacies can sometimes be hard to get hold of outside of the major towns, not least because most Finns know how to produce, find or catch these foods themselves. However, many supermarkets have good fresh counters, but we recommend looking for markets ( halli or tori ), and for farm stalls by the road ( kesatori) as these have speciality local produce. If you are by the sea, try to find where the fishermen sell. |
