Oct 21: For Indian travellers, discovering a new destination often extends beyond its landscapes and landmarks to the food that defines its culture. In Finland, the culinary experience is shaped by four distinct seasons, with ingredients sourced from its forests, lakes and coastline finding their way into everyday meals. From freshly baked pastries and hearty fish soups to wild berries and distinctive confectionery, Finnish cuisine offers a variety of traditional flavours for travellers to explore.
With direct flights from Delhi to Helsinki, Finnair offers Indian travellers a convenient gateway to Finland, making it easier to discover the country’s rich culinary heritage, from comforting traditional dishes to distinctive local delicacies.
Sweet treats and traditional staples
A Finnish food experience is incomplete without korvapuusti, the country’s signature cinnamon roll made with a cardamom-infused dough and filled with cinnamon, sugar and butter. Traditionally enjoyed with coffee, these pastries are available throughout the year. Another local favourite is leipäjuusto, or squeaky cheese, which is often served warm with cloudberry jam. The tart sweetness of cloudberries complements the cheese’s mild flavour, while the traditional practice of enjoying the cheese with coffee offers a distinctive culinary experience.
Karelian pie, or karjalanpiirakka, is another Finnish staple, featuring a thin rye crust filled with rice porridge and traditionally served with egg butter. The country’s forests also offer an abundance of seasonal berries, including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and lingonberries. For travellers visiting during the summer and autumn months, these berries offer a taste of Finland’s seasonal produce, whether enjoyed fresh or picked up at local market squares.
From forest produce to fresh seafood
Mushrooms are an important part of Finnish cooking, particularly during the August-to-October season. Chanterelles, porcini and funnel chanterelles feature in sauces, risottos, soups and stews, reflecting the country’s tradition of foraging and cooking with locally available ingredients.
Finland’s lakes and coastal waters also shape its food culture. Lohikeitto, a creamy salmon soup, is among the country’s best-known dishes and is often served with saaristolaisleipä, a dense, moist malted rye bread originating in the Åland Islands and southwestern Finland. The bread pairs well with cured salmon, pickled herring or simply butter and cheese. Game meats, including moose, grouse and mallard, offer another glimpse into traditional Finnish cooking, with several restaurants incorporating wild ingredients, mushrooms and berries into their menus.
For those looking to try something more distinctive, mustamakkara, or Finnish blood sausage, is a speciality associated with Tampere. Made with pork, pork blood and rye flour, it is traditionally served hot with lingonberry jam, which adds a sweet and tangy contrast to its savoury flavour.
A taste of Finnish confectionery
Finland’s sweet offerings range from familiar chocolates to more acquired tastes. Salmiakki, the country’s signature salty liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride, combines salty and sweet notes and is a popular local confectionery. Travellers can also explore Finnish chocolate through brands such as Fazer, known for its iconic blue-wrapped milk chocolate, and Brunberg, a family-owned confectionery business established in Porvoo in 1871.
Exploring these ten traditional flavours provides an opportunity to experience the country beyond its scenic landscapes, while discovering the seasonal ingredients, regional specialities and culinary traditions that are an integral part of Finnish life. With convenient connections across Finland, Finnair also enables Indian travellers to explore different parts of the country and discover the distinctive food cultures and local experiences each region has to offer.
