Northern Europe
Food of Finland
The 6 most iconic national dishes of Finland — real photos, key ingredients and tasty facts behind every plate.
Europe
Karjalanpiirakka
These thin rye-crusted pastries are filled with rice porridge and usually eaten warm with egg butter. They are one of Finland’s most recognisable everyday traditional foods.
Did you know?
Karelian pasties have protected traditional speciality status in the European Union.
Kalakukko
A dense rye bread loaf baked around fish and pork, creating a moist, savoury filling inside a hearty crust. It is a classic specialty of the Savonia region.
Did you know?
Despite the name, which includes the word for rooster, kalakukko is traditionally made with fish, not chicken.
Lohikeitto
This creamy salmon soup combines tender fish, potatoes, leeks and dill in a comforting broth. It is a staple of Finnish home cooking and lunch cafés.
Did you know?
A simpler clear-broth version called kalakeitto is older, while the creamier lohikeitto became especially beloved in modern Finnish cooking.
Poronkäristys
Thinly sliced reindeer is sautéed slowly until tender and typically served with mashed potatoes and lingonberries. The flavour is rich, slightly gamey and strongly associated with Lapland.
Did you know?
It is one of the best-known Sámi and northern Finnish dishes, though reindeer husbandry in Finland is tightly tied to Lapland.
Hernekeitto
A thick yellow pea soup usually cooked with pork and eaten with mustard, it is a longstanding Finnish comfort food. It is especially associated with the traditional Thursday pea soup meal.
Did you know?
Thursday pea soup is a custom shared across Finland and Sweden that goes back centuries.
Mämmi
This dark, baked Easter pudding made from rye and malt has a dense texture and a malty, bittersweet flavour. Locals often eat it chilled with cream and sugar.
Did you know?
Mämmi has been documented in Finland since at least the 18th century and remains one of the country’s most distinctive seasonal foods.