Food & Drink

Due to their proximity, Sweden and Russia have had considerable influence on Finnish cuisine. Traditional Finnish cuisine revolves around potatoes, fish, pork, milk, butter, and rye bread. Nowadays, contemporary creations and traditional styles fuse together in Finnish kitchens, making dining out a fashionable yet comforting affair.

Fresh and local ingredients sourced directly from fields and waters are highly valued. Berries are an important staple of Finnish food culture, either eaten fresh in the summer or preserved into jams for the winter months. Fish, caught fresh from the chilly waters of the Baltic Sea, makes an appearance in many Finnish dishes. Smoked fish is a specialty of the archipelago, but there are plenty of tasty bites like pickled Baltic herring, or kalakukko, a sort of fish pie. Towards the end of summer, try rapu, a boiled crayfish flavoured with dill that's popular during the season.

While Finnish coffee might not have any particular traditions, Finns are the world's largest consumers of coffee per capita. The average Finn drinks four cups per day. Do as the Finns do and pair your coffee break with korvapuusti, a Finnish cinnamon roll, or pulla, a cardamom-flavoured bread. Yet, this is not Finland's national drink — milk takes that honour, and it's sometimes served curdled!