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Finnish Foods I Wish I Knew About Before My First Trip
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items Planning a trip to Finland and wondering what to actually eat beyond reindeer jokes? I landed in Helsinki with zero food knowledge and spent my first three days eating airport sandwiches like a fool. Took me two full trips and a lot of pointing at me...
Sections
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Finnish Breads and Crackers Worth Packing in Your Suitcase
Finnish Chocolate and Candy You Can't Find Elsewhere
Canned and Jarred Finnish Foods for Cooking at Home
Finnish Drinks That Kept Me Warm in Negative Temperatures
Traditional Finnish Dishes to Order at Restaurants
Kitchen Tools and Ingredients for Making Finnish Food at Home
Finnish Breads and Crackers Worth Packing in Your Suitcase
I walked past the bread aisle in a Finnish grocery store three times before someone told me I was missing the best part of the country. Now I can't stop buying rye everything.
Grab a pack before you leave Finland. Dense, dark, slightly sour. I ate this with butter every morning and genuinely mourned when I ran out back home.
Best Ruispalat recipe? : r/Finland
Keep these in your bag for snacking between sights. They're thin, crunchy, and taste like someone distilled a Finnish forest into a cracker. Way better than anything at the hotel minibar.
Vaasan Ruispalat 330g | Finnish Whole Grain Rye Bread
Try these warm from any market hall if you can. Rice porridge inside a rye crust sounds weird until you taste it. A Finnish coworker shipped me some and I ate all six before dinner.
Porokylän Leipomo Oy, Nurmeksen yksikkö ja Myymälä & Kahvila
Toss a few packs in your luggage. They weigh nothing and last forever. Perfect for anyone who snacks nervously on long flights like I do.
FAZER RYE SOURDOUGH CRISP 200g
Pair this with strong coffee for a real Finnish breakfast moment. It's slightly sweet, spiced with malt. My partner, who hates rye, finished half the loaf without realizing what it was.
Linkosuo Dried rye bread with malt - 500g
Use these as the base for literally any topping. Butter, cheese, salmon, jam. Every Finnish kid grew up eating these and honestly adults should too. Stock up at any S-Market.
Vaasan Koulunäkki 200g | Finnish Crispbread
Snag this if you like your bread with serious chew. It's dense enough to double as a weapon but the flavor is incredible. Lasted me a full week of breakfasts in Rovaniemi.
Double Light Rye Bread Recipe
Finnish Chocolate and Candy You Can't Find Elsewhere
Someone handed me a Fazer bar at a hostel in Tampere and I haven't been the same since. American chocolate tastes like cardboard now and I'm not even being dramatic.
Bring at least five bars home. This is Finland's national chocolate and it ruined every Hershey bar for me permanently. Creamy, smooth, zero weird aftertaste.
Fazer® "Blue" Milk Chocolate Bar
Get this for anyone who loves Ferrero Rocher but wants something less sweet. The hazelnut filling is softer and the chocolate shell has actual flavor. My sister hoarded an entire bag.
Geisha milk chocolate with soft hazelnut filling 37 g
Toss one in your mouth only if you enjoy suffering. Salty licorice with a hot pepper center. I coughed. My eyes watered. Then I ate three more because apparently I have no self-control.
Fazer Tyrkisk Peber The Original
Try these if you're curious about salmiak but not ready to go full hardcore. They're a gentler introduction to the salty licorice thing. Brought a bag to work and exactly two people liked them.
Fazer Pantteri 200g | Finnish Licorice Candy
Keep a handful in your coat pocket for cold days walking around Helsinki. Chocolate-covered toffee that's chewy without pulling your fillings out. Way better than Milk Duds.
Fazer Dumle Toffee indulgence biscuit 136g
Swap your regular gum for this. Finland takes xylitol seriously and it actually works. My dentist asked what changed at my next checkup. Told her I switched gum and she looked skeptical but impressed.
Fazer Xylimax Sweet Mint Full Xylitol Chewing Gum
Use these to test friendships. Hand one to someone without warning and see what happens. Real black licorice, not that red rope stuff. For anyone who grew up eating Dutch or Scandinavian candy.
Panda Choco & Lakrits 120g | Finnish Licorice Candy
Canned and Jarred Finnish Foods for Cooking at Home
After my second trip I started haunting Nordic grocery websites because I couldn't stop thinking about certain flavors. These are the jars and cans that let me recreate Finnish meals in my tiny kitchen.
Use these tiny smoked fish on rye bread with a squeeze of lemon. Found them at a market in Kuopio and ate the whole tin standing up. For anyone who thinks sardines are too mild.
Smoked Vendace in Oil 200 g
Grab a few cans for lazy Thursday dinners. Yes, pea soup Thursday is a real Finnish tradition. This version is thick, smoky, and pairs perfectly with mustard and a cold beer.
How to make Finnish Pea Soup - Hernekeitto recipe
Keep a jar in your fridge at all times. Put it on pancakes, meatballs, oatmeal, toast. I started using it instead of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and nobody complained.
Felix Wild Lingonberry Jam, Swedish Preserve
Swap your yellow mustard for this immediately. It's sweeter and spicier at the same time, which shouldn't work but absolutely does. Changed my hot dog situation forever.
TURUN BIG Mustard Mild 275g FINLAND (Set of six)
Try this on dark bread for lunch if you want to feel like you're sitting by a Finnish lake. Tangy, creamy, a little sweet. My roommate was suspicious until she tasted it and then ate half the jar.
Abba Senapssill Herring in Mustard Sauce 230g
Snag this before it sells out wherever you find it. Cloudberries are wild-picked and expensive for a reason. Tastes like sunshine mixed with honey. Incredible on vanilla ice cream.
Al Johnson's Swedish Cloudberry Jam – 15 oz
Use this when you want fancy toast but don't want to spend 15 dollars on a lox platter. Smoky, creamy, ready in seconds. Perfect for anyone hosting brunch on a budget.
Smoked Salmon Spread
Finnish Drinks That Kept Me Warm in Negative Temperatures
Standing outside in Lapland at minus twenty taught me that coffee is survival, not a hobby. These drinks got me through some genuinely painful cold and a few very long polar nights.
Brew this every morning if you want to understand why Finns drink more coffee per capita than anyone on earth. Light roast, smooth, zero bitterness. Replaced my usual beans and haven't looked back.
Paulig Juhla Mokka Coffee 500g Bag Finland
Bring a few bottles home for nostalgia purposes. Every Finn I met talked about this soda like it was a family member. Less sweet than Fanta, more actual orange flavor. My kids loved it.
Hartwall Jaffa Orange soft drink 0.5 l
Warm this up on cold evenings and pretend you're at a Christmas market in Helsinki. Spiced, fruity, smells like cinnamon and cardamom. Saved me during a particularly brutal February in my apartment.
Mulled Wine 0,4 % “Glögg” 0,75 l
Get this if you're visiting Lapland and want the full experience. Light, easy drinking, tastes better when it's dark outside at 2pm. Paired it with smoked reindeer and felt extremely Finnish.
Lapin Kulta IV A
Seek this out at specialty shops in Tampere or Helsinki. Hoppy without being aggressive, great balance. For anyone tired of the same three IPAs at every American bar.
Keisari West Coast IPA 5.0%
Switch to this if regular oat milk tastes watery to you. Fazer somehow made it creamy and rich without being heavy. Works perfectly in coffee and doesn't separate like some brands I've tried.
Fazer Aito Barista Dumle Oat Drink 1L UHT
Traditional Finnish Dishes to Order at Restaurants
My first restaurant meal in Finland involved pointing at a menu item I couldn't pronounce and hoping for the best. It turned out to be blood sausage. Here's how to order smarter than I did.
Order this anywhere you see it. Not the same as cold smoked lox. It's warm, flaky, almost melts on your tongue. Had it at Old Market Hall in Helsinki and thought about it for three straight days.
Finnish Recipes: Smoked salmon or trout on a wooden plank
Try this at least once, even if the idea feels strange. Thin slices of reindeer with mashed potatoes and lingonberry. Earthy, lean, surprisingly tender. Tasted it in Rovaniemi and ordered it again the next night.
Poronkäristys (Sautéed Reindeer)
Seek this out in Kuopio where it originated. Whole fish baked inside a rye bread loaf. Sounds medieval but the flavors are incredible. Worth the trip east just for this.
Kalakukko, a beloved dish from Eastern Finland's Savo
Order a bowl of this on any cold day, which in Finland is most days. Creamy, dill-heavy, loaded with potato and salmon chunks. Warmed me from the inside out after a freezing walk in Suomenlinna.
Finnish Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto)
Bring an open mind and some lingonberry jam. This is Tampere's signature street food. Dark, rich, slightly grainy. Locals eat it at the market hall at all hours. I was scared, then converted.
Finnish Mustamakkara (Blood Sausage)
Get these at any cafe or bakery. Karelian pastries topped with a mix of butter and chopped hard-boiled egg. Sounds simple because it is. Sometimes simple is exactly right.
Karjalanpiirakka Recipe: Karelian Finnish Pie with Egg Butter
Pair this with cloudberry jam for dessert. It's a baked cheese that literally squeaks against your teeth. Weird texture, addictive flavor. Found it at a farmhouse restaurant near Oulu and ate an embarrassing amount.
Finnish Squeaky Cheese (Leipäjuusto)
Kitchen Tools and Ingredients for Making Finnish Food at Home
Once I got back from Finland I spent two weeks trying to recreate everything I ate. These are the specific tools and ingredients that actually helped me get close to the real thing.
Use this for making Finnish pannukakku, the thick oven pancake that's basically dessert for breakfast. Even heat, no sticking. My regular baking sheet never got the edges crispy enough.
Crafting Perfection with Skeppshult's Cast Iron Pancake Pan
Toss your salmon fillets on this for oven-roasted Finnish-style fish. Heats evenly and cleans up fast. Replaced my warped old pan and suddenly everything cooked properly.
Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet
Brew strong Finnish-style coffee without a fancy machine. Small, stovetop, makes exactly the right amount. For anyone living in a small apartment who doesn't want a countertop espresso monster.
How the Moka works: lift the lid and discover all its secrets
Start here if you want to bake your own rye bread at home. Closest I've found to the Finnish flour without ordering internationally. My first loaf was ugly but tasted right, which is what matters.
Organic Dark Rye Flour | Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods
Keep this handy for grating fresh dill stems and lemon zest over salmon soup. Makes a genuine difference versus chopping. Took me way too long to buy one and now I use it on everything.
Premium Classic Series Lemon Zester
Slow cook pea soup or reindeer stew in this and your kitchen will smell like a Finnish cabin. Heavy, holds heat forever, lasts decades. Splurge once and never think about it again.
Dutch Ovens Shop
Pair this with Paulig beans for a clean, bright cup that tastes like what I drank in Helsinki cafes. Simple setup, easy cleanup. For anyone who wants good coffee without twelve accessories cluttering the counter.
V60 Drip Coffee Decanter