Finnish Cuisine

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Overview of Finnish Cuisine History
The Finnish cuisine is characterized by healthiness, as the whole grain and the berries are used frequently. People utilize the whole grain from Rye, Oats and Barley. The types of berries that are used in the Finnish cuisine are sea buckthorn, blueberries and cloudberries.

Finland has implemented some cooking concepts that are specific to the Western and Eastern civilizations. One of these concepts is the usage of spices. These influences are specific to the most modern side of the Finnish cuisine. Besides the continental dishes that gain popularity, there are the traditional foods. The dishes have a great taste, but also have a strong visual effect.

Most of the traditional dishes are based on fish, meat, vegetables and mushrooms. However, the cooking styles differ from one part of the country to another and in consequence, the Eastern Finland makes use of some ingredients, while the Western regions have their specific recipes, based on the local ingredients. The mushrooms began to be utilized by the Finnish people during the World War Two.

Nowadays, the Finnish cuisine features dishes that are easy to digest, as the main ingredients are vegetables. Also, these dishes are served in small quantities. This is evidence that some European countries, along with America, have affected the cooking style of Finland. People have imported some recipes and implemented them in their daily meals. This way, spaghetti Bolognese, pizza, fast-food and various types of salads, are very common to the Finns. The main cities of Finland feature restaurants where Chinese, Indian and Thai food is served.

The cuisine of Finland has been criticized on many occasions. This resulted after comparing it with some of the great cuisines of the world, such as the Italian and the French cuisines. However, other people claimed that the Finnish food does not lack diversity and furthermore, appreciated the freshness and the good taste of the Finnish traditional dishes.

Cuisines of Finland


There are two major cuisines in Finland. One of them is specific to the Western side of the country, while the other one represents the Eastern regions. These cooking styles emerged from the possibilities to use some ingredients or others, and furthermore are the result of the Swedish and Russian cuisines.. The dishes of the Western Finns are based on fish and meat, while the Finns from the Eastern areas have developed many recipes that include vegetables and mushrooms.

By Geographic Area and Style:

Cuisine of Eastern Finland
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Finnish Food Glossary
Finding the ingredients for a Finnish Recipe is not so easy when you do not know the names of the ingredients. Take time to make a list of ingredients and the name they may be found under at the Local Markets.


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Preparation Methods for Finnish Cooking
Finland has made a lot of research lately, regarding the best preparation methods, especially in the food chains. People try to enhance their cooking methods, in order to obtain the best foods, which have a good taste and also a great visual effect.

However, the Finnish cooking techniques are not much different from the preparation methods that are used all over Europe. The most common ways to prepare the food are stewing, frying, boiling, seasoning, salting and baking. Though, some dishes have to be prepared in a certain manner. Most of dishes that require the knowledge of a specific preparation technique are based on fish.

Special Equipment for Finnish Cooking
The Finnish cuisine is a modern one. The utensils that can be found in a typical cuisine in Finland are the same that are used across Europe. Hence, the most common tools that can be found in a Finnish kitchen are knives, tablespoons, teaspoons, forks, scoops, pans, trays, pots, graters, grinders for the spices and devices used for temperature and weight measurement. The latter help to prepare the dishes with precise quantities of ingredients and at a certain temperature. Other utensils that can be found useful when preparing Finnish dishes are colanders, poachers, food portioners, spatulas, turners and tongs. The complexity of the dishes results in a use of a greater number of cooking tools. Most Finnish dishes don’t require you to purchase any special tools. However, having a coffee grinder helps with roasting and grinding spices and maximizes their volatile oils, which, in turn, provides your food with more flavor.



Finnish Food Traditions and Festivals
The Finns, like so many other nations, organize festivals to display and to promote their traditional dishes. It is said that in Finland, each month is related to some certain dishes. The most significant event that is planned in order to support the Finnish food is organized in Helsinki.

The other events that have importance are usually related to the religious holidays. The Finnish Christmas has a pagan provenience. The original holiday was organized to celebrate the harvest and it was originally organized in November. The name of the pagan festivity is kekri. The traditions that are connected to kekri were incorporated by the Finns soon after Christianity became the national religion, in the 12th century.

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