The national cuisine of Finland is famous for its originality. It was formed in the harsh northern climate. Therefore, its basis is simple and hearty dishes. This article presents an interesting selection of Finnish recipes.
Key Features
Unlike most people living in the northern regions, the Finns prefer the so-called cold table. The basis of their menu consists of various sandwiches, snacks, cheeses, cottage cheese, ham, vegetables and boiled eggs.
At lunch, the Finns always eat soups and main dishes, and the rest of the time they cost snacks. On certain holidays, they prepare meat, cottage cheese or vegetable casseroles. The composition of many dishes of Finnish national cuisine includes berries and mushrooms that grow in local forests.
The indigenous population loves brown bread and enjoys baking all kinds of rye flour products with pleasure. In some regions of the country, it is customary to serve Karelian gates to the table. This is one of the varieties of bread, made according to a special recipe and playing the role of a kind of treats that guests must bring to the house.
As for drinks, coffee and beer are especially popular with locals. The latter is often brewed at home based on water, sugar, maltose and yeast.
Rosolly Salad
This interesting snack is very similar to Russian vinaigrette. But unlike the latter, it is prepared not from boiled, but from pickled beets. To create a salad, which is famous for Finnish cuisine, you will need:
- 3 carrots;
- 4 beets;
- 5 medium potatoes;
- onion;
- a pair of sweet and sour apples;
- 2 pickled cucumbers;
- 2 large spoons of wine vinegar;
- salt and white pepper.
Since this recipe for Finnish national cuisine requires a seasoning, the above list will have to include:
- 2 teaspoons beetroot juice;
- 200 milliliters of cream;
- ½ teaspoon of sugar;
- salt and white pepper (to taste).
Washed vegetables are separately boiled until cooked directly in the peel. Then they are cooled, cleaned and cut into cubes. Beets are put in a separate bowl, filled with wine vinegar and pickled for at least eight hours. Then it is combined with the remaining boiled vegetables. Slices of pickled cucumbers, apple slices and chopped onions are added there. All this is salted, seasoned with white pepper and mixed. Ready salad is served separately from a dressing consisting of whipped cream, sugar, spices and a teaspoon of marinade left over from beets.
Finnish mushroom salad
This easy-to-cook appetizer will surely appeal to lovers of spicy, moderately salty foods. To create it you will need:
- large onion;
- a pound of salted mushrooms.
Since this recipe for Finnish cuisine involves the use of a special sauce, make sure that at the right time you have at your fingertips:
- 2 large spoons of lemon juice;
- 200 grams of cream;
- ½ a large spoon of sugar;
- white ground pepper.
Mushrooms are soaked in cold water, chopped and mixed with chopped onions. The finished salad is seasoned with a sauce consisting of lemon juice, cream, pepper and sugar. All is well mixed and served.
Finnish Creamy Salmon Soup
This very tasty and satisfying first is ideal for those who live in countries with a cold climate. The main feature of this dish of national Finnish cuisine is not even an unusual combination of products, but that cooked soup is served on the table a day after cooking. To create it you will need:
- 350 grams of salmon fillet and its whole head;
- 2 liters of water;
- carrot;
- 60 grams of butter;
- bulb;
- 3 medium potatoes;
- leek;
- 200 milliliters of heavy cream;
- 6 peas of allspice;
- salt, a little flour and dill.
Washed and peeled fish head is poured with water and sent to the fire. As soon as the liquid in the pan begins to boil, the resulting foam is carefully removed from it and the whole onion, potatoes and peas of allspice are immersed in it . Twenty minutes later, the broth is filtered and returned to the stove. Then, boiled mashed potatoes and fried vegetables (carrots and leeks) are added to it. Immediately after that, two remaining root tubers and a dressing made from flour, cream and half a glass of hot broth are laid out in a future soup. Shortly before turning off the fire, a chopped salmon filet is sent to a common pan. The finished dish is insisted during the day, heated, poured on plates and sprinkled with fresh dill.
Finnish meat soup
This hearty first course is served hot. It contains a wide range of vegetables, so it turns out not only tasty, but also quite useful. This Finnish-style soup is prepared using simple ingredients. It:
- kilo of beef;
- 2.5 liters of water;
- a pair of onions;
- 2 carrots;
- ½ celery root;
- ¼ rutabaga;
- ½ parsnip;
- 6 potatoes;
- a dozen peas of black pepper, salt and parsley.
This Finnish dish is brewed, the photo of which can be found in today's article, is very simple. Washed and dried meat is poured with water and sent to the fire. As soon as the liquid begins to boil, foam is removed from it. Pepper, salt and onion are added to the cooking broth. As soon as the meat is soft enough, it is removed from the pan, cut and returned. Rutabaga, carrots, celery, parsnips and potatoes are also loaded there. All this is boiled until all the ingredients are fully cooked, and then poured into plates and decorated with parsley.
Pork in apple sauce
We draw your attention to another interesting recipe for Finnish cuisine (you can find photos of such dishes by reading this publication). Meat prepared in this way has an unusual taste and pleasant aroma. It goes well with almost any side dish and is perfect for a family dinner. To create it you will need:
- 300 grams of pork pulp;
- 3 apples (preferably green);
- small onion;
- a couple of teaspoons of curry;
- 2 cups chicken stock;
- 1.5 tbsp. tablespoons of butter;
- salt, sugar and ground pepper (to taste).
Washed and dried meat is cut into not too small pieces. Then it is seasoned with spices, salted and sent to a heated frying pan. Chopped apples, onions, curry, chicken broth and sugar are added to the fried pork. All this is brought to a boil and removed from the burner.
Finnish meatballs
This hearty meat dish goes well with pickled cucumbers, lingonberry puree, grated carrots or boiled potatoes. It turns out quite nutritious, which means it can become a good option for a family dinner. To make these meatballs, which is famous for Finnish cuisine, you will need:
- a pound of minced meat;
- 10 grams of breadcrumbs;
- egg;
- one yellow and one red pepper;
- 10 milliliters of cream;
- a pair of onions;
- salt and ground pepper.
Pour bread crumbs into a small bowl, pour cream and leave for half an hour. Then they are combined with ground meat, fried onions, eggs, salt and spices. Small balls are formed from the resulting mass and sent to a heated pan. Pieces of pepper and the right amount of water are added to the fried meatballs. All this is stewed on a minimum fire, and then served at the dining table.
Finnish Blueberry Pie
Fragrant sweet pastries made in accordance with the technology described below will be an excellent addition to a cup of hot herbal tea. It turns out very tender and juicy. To prepare this dessert, which has become a real symbol of Finnish cuisine, you will need:
- ¾ packs of butter;
- a pair of eggs;
- 200 grams of baking flour and powdered sugar;
- a teaspoon of baking powder;
- 400 grams of blueberries;
- 250 milliliters of sour cream;
- a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
The butter is ground with an egg and 150 grams of icing sugar. The resulting mass is mixed with flour and baking powder, and then distributed over the bottom of the mold and baked at 200 degrees for ten minutes. On a browned cake, spread the filling made of whipped sour cream, vanilla essence, the remains of powdered sugar, one egg and washed blueberries. The future dessert is returned to the hot oven and baked for another half hour.
Finnish fruit cake
This delicious and very fragrant baking is so simple that even a novice can easily cope with this task. To make dessert, you will need:
- 250 grams of raisins;
- 3 eggs;
- 200 grams of prunes and sugar;
- a pair of large spoons of dark honey;
- 100 grams of almond;
- a pair of large spoons of strong alcohol;
- 125 grams of butter;
- ¼ teaspoon of salt;
- 250 grams of baking flour;
- a teaspoon of baking powder;
- zest of one lemon.
The oil is thoroughly triturated with sugar, and then combined with honey and eggs. In the resulting mass add flour, salt, baking powder, shabby citrus zest, chopped nuts and pieces of fruit, previously sprinkled with alcohol. The finished dough is laid out in an oily heat-resistant form, the bottom of which is sprinkled with breadcrumbs, and sent to a warm oven. A fruit Finnish pie is baked at one hundred and fifty degrees for about an hour and a half. The degree of readiness of the product is easily checked with a conventional toothpick. The fully baked dessert is taken out of the oven, slightly cooled and served for tea, after being cut in portions.