Finnish Recipes

Finnish food is built on what the forest, lakes and fields provide: rye, potatoes, fish, berries and dairy. Eastern Karelian traditions gave Finland its rice-filled rye pasties and slow hot pots, while Swedish and Russian influences show up in meatballs, pancakes and festive tables. Rye bread is eaten daily, and salmon, whitefish and Baltic herring are cooked in soups, baked or cured. Home cooks rely on casseroles (laatikko) baked with macaroni, swede, carrot or liver, especially at Christmas. Wild berries such as lingonberry, bilberry and cloudberry go into jams, pies and porridge, and mushrooms are picked every autumn. Cardamom perfumes sweet buns (pulla), and coffee is drunk throughout the day. In Lapland, reindeer is the traditional meat. Thursday means pea soup followed by pancakes, and Christmas brings ham, casseroles and rice porridge.

Staple ingredients

• rye
• potatoes
• salmon and freshwater fish
• milk, cream and butter
• lingonberries and blueberries
• pork and beef
• dill
• cardamom

• Breakfast 1
• Soups 2
• Main Dishes 5
• Side Dishes 1
• Breads 1
• Desserts 2
• Snacks 1
• Drinks 1

Breakfast

• Riisipuuro (Finnish Rice Porridge)FI1 hEasy

Soups

• Lohikeitto (Finnish Salmon Soup)FI45 minEasy
• Hernekeitto (Finnish Pea Soup with Smoked Pork)FI2 h 15 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Kalakukko (Finnish Fish and Pork Rye Loaf)FI4 h 20 minChallenging
• Karjalanpaisti (Karelian Beef and Pork Hot Pot)FI4 h 20 minEasy
• Lihapullat (Finnish Meatballs in Cream Sauce)FI1 hEasy
• Makaronilaatikko (Finnish Macaroni and Beef Casserole)FI1 h 15 minEasy
• Poronkäristys (Finnish Sautéed Reindeer with Mash)FI1 h 25 minEasy

Side Dishes

• Lanttulaatikko (Finnish Swede Casserole)FI1 h 45 minEasy

Breads

• Korvapuusti (Finnish Cinnamon Buns)FI52 minMedium

Desserts

• Mustikkapiirakka (Finnish Blueberry Pie)FI1 h 15 minMedium
• Pannukakku (Finnish Oven Pancake)FI45 minEasy

Snacks

• Karjalanpiirakka (Karelian Rice Pasties)FI2 hMedium

Drinks

• Sima (Finnish Lemon Mead)FI25 minEasy