Finland tourist information

The cuisine of Finland is notable for the use of wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Milk and its derivatives like piima are commonly used as food, drink or in various recipes. Various turnips were common in traditional cooking, but were substituted by the potato after its introduction in the 18th century.

Modern Finnish cuisine combines traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dish from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms, of which especially the latter were introduced to the dining tables of the western side as late as during World War II by refugees from Karelia. In the new Finnish kitchen, dishes are lighter, smaller, and generally contain several different vegetables. This mode of cooking is highly influenced by European and American cuisine.

Examples of Finnish dishes
Traditional Finnish cuisine shares a lot with Swedish, German and Russian cuisines. However, there are differences in preparation techniques: for example, Finnish dishes tend to be less sweet than Swedish ones, and Finns use little or no sour cream (smetana) in preparation compared to their Russian neighbours. Several traditional Swedish or Russian dishes are also absent.

Note that the term perinneruoka ("traditional dish" ) is often applied to specialities that are rarely eaten on a daily basis. These are often regional, associated with the older generations or confined to a specific holiday (for example, mammi in Easter), and most people eat them rarely or not at all. To contrast with perinneruoka, the term kotiruoka ("home-made food", even if in a restaurant) is applied to daily staple dishes. Meatballs, pea soup and rye bread are examples of such staples.

Meats
There are long traditions of hunting and fishing in Finland. The hunters focus on deer and moose, but small game such as hare, ducks and grouse are popular for their taste. The game food makes natural additions to the Finnish cuisine. Approximately 70,000-80,000 moose are culled yearly producing significant amounts of meat. Due to very strict food hygiene regulations, moose meat is mainly consumed within households and is rarely obtainable in restaurants. Finnish restaurants are accustomed to serving reindeer dishes instead.

Berries
To add some vitamins and make the rather heavy food more enjoyable, a traditional jam is made from lingonberry and served with meat. A more exclusive but not uncommon jam is the cloudberry jam. Blueberry soup and blueberry pie are very traditional Finnish desserts. The wild strawberry (metsamansikka) with strong aroma is also a seasonal delicacy decorating cakes, served with ice cream or just cream.

Finnish culture has been influenced by western European culture (particularly Sweden and Germany) and, more recently, American culture. Especially in Eastern Finland and Karelia, many influences from Russian (Orthodox) culture are present, too. In the 21st century Finland is a country also influenced by many cultures across the world, including Asian and African cultures. Many Finns, particularly young, are also in increasing contact with cultures outside the nearby cultural sphere.

There are still differences between regions, especially minor differences in accents and vocabulary. Minorities maintain their own cultural characteristics, such as Sami culture and Finland Swedes culture. Many Finns are emotionally connected to countryside and nature, because urbanization is a relatively recent phenomenon.