The Quiet Finnish Culinary Revolution

Food in the "Happiest Country in the World"

Article and Photos by Anna Maria Espsäter

Finnish breads and cheeses at a Helsinki food hall.

So what do the people in the "Happiest Country in the World" in 2024 eat?

Finland might have yet to immensely gain worldwide acclaim for its culinary delights, but over the past two decades, a quiet food revolution has occurred in this northeastern corner of Europe. A new generation of chefs has been stirring things up, opening restaurants, and making excellent use of local produce. Ingredients such as Arctic cloud- and lingonberries — the latter similar to the cranberry, but smaller and sourer — to accompany elk, reindeer, bear, or beaver make for exciting new combinations, and the Finns rarely shy away from innovation. Although the slow food movement has reached Finland, it's almost redundant here — Finnish food has always been firmly focused on natural ingredients, local produce, and solid home cooking.

Finnish Food Traditions

Finnish cooking has traditionally been rustic and robust, with hearty, warming stews and soups. Although the Finns have held on to their own heritage, many centuries of Swedish rule and some 100 years under Tsarist Russia have left their mark on national identity and culinary traditions. Game, mushrooms, wild berries, and fish are abundant at different times of the year. There is still a great emphasis on seasonal ingredients in a climate that, despite recent milder winters, can sometimes be harsh and unforgiving.

Modern Finnish Fare

With abundant forests, fields, lakes, and a long coastline, the Finns have a veritable larder at their doorstep. Many of today's chefs and restauranteurs have quickly cottoned on to this, using what's readily available to create new dishes. Helsinki is at the heart of new Finnish cuisine. In 2000, leading chefs developed the initiative "Helsinki Menu" to promote good Finnish cooking. They are placing great emphasis on fresh local produce and good contact with small-scale local producers.

New Influences

Restaurants such as Helsinki's Lasipalatsi (The Glass Palace) and Natura are at the forefront of the positive changes in the Finnish food scene. Many of the new generation of chefs emerging have traveled widely or even received their education abroad and are using their experiences to mix and fuse traditional Finnish ingredients with international flavors to significant effect.

Fish

All kinds of fish are prevalent across Finland, with smoked fish being a specialty, but it also comes grilled, steamed, oven-baked, or pickled. Fish are often seasonal, with perch and salmon in spring and summer and crayfish in July and August, which usually cause large crayfish parties. Baltic herring and various roes in autumn and turbot in winter. Finnish salmon is a treat, but this is also the place to try more unfamiliar fish, such as the tiny vendace or the Arctic char.

Finnish salmon and baby potato dish.

Meats

Finland, just like a lot of northern Europe, is a carnivore's paradise. Excellent game birds and game reindeer are the jewel in the crown. A lean and healthy meat reminiscent of venison, it is featured on menus and in homes across the country. Roasted reindeer in sea buckthorn butter and dark game sauce is just one of many innovative recipes on Helsinki menus. Other games include a variety of birds, from wild ducks to snow grouses and wood pigeons. Meat tartar is also extremely popular in Helsinki's restaurants, and you can find at least one raw dish on the menu in most places. It may not be for the faint-hearted, but it is high quality.

Finnish meat counter at the deli.

Vegetables and Herbs

New potatoes with dill was a long-time standard accompaniment to many Nordic dishes. In fact, potatoes are still so ubiquitous that they appear at every turn: boiled, fried, baked, or mashed. Different types of turnips are also well-loved and formed a vital part of the staple diet long before the introduction of potatoes to Finnish soil. Root vegetables are ever popular in stews, soups, or casseroles. Finland even has a "Vegetable of the Year" announced annually. Spices are, if not unheard of, used sparingly, and you're much more likely to find fresh herbs, mostly dill and parsley, in Finnish dishes.

Bread

Although different grains are used for making bread, sour rye bread is the national bread. The strong-tasting, dark bread goes wonderfully well with smoked reindeer, elk salamis, and local cheeses, such as bread cheese — a flat, round cheese baked before an open fire. Rye crisp bread is also a specialty and dark malt bread is traditionally made on the West Coast.

Berries

Wild berries accompany many main courses and are also used in desserts. The Arctic cranberry, known as lingonberry, is very sour if eaten raw. Still, it makes for excellent jam or compote, wine, and liqueur. Then, the bright orange or yellow cloudberry, similar to the Canadian salmonberry, grows in swampy terrain. Its tart, earthy flavors go very well with the game. Bilberries, rowan berries, and exciting sea buckthorn berries are also featured on many menus.

Drink

Finns like their vodka, which has always been a favorite tipple, with names such as Finlandia and Koskenkorva reaching worldwide renown. Less well-known are the fruit wines made from strawberries, raspberries, red-, white- and blackcurrants, to name a few. Or try a cloudberry kir royale with champagne, a drop of Lakka cloudberry liqueur, and some fresh cloudberries. During the cold, dark winter months, many Finns warm up with a delicious glöggi, like mulled wine, with spices and sometimes topped up with brandy or rum, which makes for a lethal, if tasty, brew. For the really adventurous, there's celiac (i.e., licorice) vodka, an acquired taste.

Although Finnish food was traditionally based on an "eat-to-live" culture, designed to keep people strong and hard-working, Finnish cooking has come a long way. Gone are the days when the French and Italians could joke about the dire fare served up north. Helsinki is an excellent place to sample modern Finnish cuisine with a strong emphasis on fresh local produce and seasonal cooking. You won't be disappointed.

Anna Maria Espsäter, a native of Sweden, has lived and worked in Holland and Mexico and is currently based in London, where she works as a freelance writer. She is passionate about independent travel, particularly around Latin America and Asia.