Traditional Finnish Foods to Try in Lapland – With Simple Recipes

Food is one of the easiest ways to understand a country.

In Finland, traditional food is simple, honest and closely connected to nature. We use ingredients that have always been available here: fish from clean lakes and rivers, berries from the forest, potatoes, rye, oats, milk, mushrooms, root vegetables and, in Lapland, reindeer.

Finnish food is not usually complicated. It is warm, comforting and made for real life — especially during long winters.

Here are some traditional Finnish and Lapland dishes you can try during your visit, or even make at home.

1. Finnish Salmon Soup – Lohikeitto

Salmon soup is one of Finland's most loved traditional dishes. It is simple, creamy and perfect after a cold day outdoors.

Ingredients

• 500 g salmon fillet

• 6 potatoes

• 2 carrots

• 1 onion or leek

• 1 litre fish stock or water

• 2 dl cream

• 2 tbsp butter

• Fresh dill

• Salt

• Black pepper

How to make it

Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots. Slice the onion or leek.

Add the vegetables to a pot with fish stock or water. Cook until the potatoes are almost soft.

Cut the salmon into large cubes and add it to the soup. Let it simmer gently for about 5–7 minutes. Do not boil too hard.

Add cream, butter, salt, pepper and plenty of fresh dill.

Serve with rye bread.

2. Sautéed Reindeer – Poronkäristys

Poronkäristys is one of the most famous traditional dishes from Lapland. It is usually served with mashed potatoes, lingonberries and pickles.

Ingredients

• 500 g thinly sliced reindeer meat

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1 onion

• 1–2 dl water or beer

• Salt

• Black pepper

How to make it

Melt butter in a pan and fry the sliced onion until soft.

Add the reindeer meat and brown it lightly. Add water or beer, salt and pepper.

Let it simmer slowly until the meat is tender.

Serve with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam.

Simple, strong and very Lappish.

3. Karelian Pies – Karjalanpiirakat

Karelian pies are one of Finland's most traditional foods. They are small rye pastries filled with rice porridge and often served with egg butter.

Ingredients for the filling

• 2 dl short-grain rice

• 5 dl water

• 7 dl milk

• Salt

Ingredients for the crust

• 2 dl water

• 3 dl rye flour

• 2 dl wheat flour

• 1 tsp salt

Egg butter

• 3 boiled eggs

• 75 g butter

• Salt

How to make it

First, cook the rice porridge. Boil rice in water until most of the water is absorbed. Add milk and cook slowly until thick and soft. Add salt and let it cool.

Mix water, salt and flours into a firm dough. Roll into small thin circles.

Place rice porridge in the middle of each circle and fold the edges inward, pinching them with your fingers.

Bake at 250°C for about 12–15 minutes.

Mix chopped boiled eggs with soft butter and a little salt. Serve warm pies with egg butter.

4. Finnish Rye Bread – Ruisleipä

Rye bread is a Finnish classic. It is eaten with almost everything: soup, fish, cheese, butter or cold cuts.

Traditional sourdough rye bread takes time, but this is a simple home version.

Ingredients

• 5 dl warm water

• 25 g fresh yeast or 1 packet dry yeast

• 2 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp syrup or honey

• 7–8 dl rye flour

• 2 dl wheat flour

How to make it

Mix yeast with warm water. Add salt and syrup.

Add rye flour and wheat flour little by little. Knead until the dough is firm but not too dry.

Let it rise for about 1 hour.

Shape into one large loaf or two smaller ones. Let rise again for 30 minutes.

Bake at 200°C for about 35–45 minutes.

Serve with butter.

5. Oven Pancake – Pannukakku

Finnish oven pancake is easy, cheap and loved by children and adults. It is usually served with jam and whipped cream.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 8 dl milk

• 4 dl wheat flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 50 g melted butter

How to make it

Whisk eggs and milk together.

Add flour, salt, sugar and melted butter. Mix until smooth.

Let the batter rest for 20 minutes.

Pour onto a baking tray covered with baking paper.

Bake at 225°C for about 25–30 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with strawberry jam, blueberry jam or whipped cream.

6. Blueberry Pie – Mustikkapiirakka

Blueberries grow everywhere in Finnish forests. In late summer, many families pick them and use them in pies, porridge and desserts.

Ingredients

• 100 g butter

• 1 dl sugar

• 1 egg

• 2 dl wheat flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 4 dl blueberries

• 2 dl sour cream or quark

• 1 egg

• 0.5 dl sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla sugar

How to make it

Mix butter and sugar. Add egg, flour and baking powder.

Press the dough into a pie dish.

Add blueberries on top.

Mix sour cream or quark with egg, sugar and vanilla sugar. Pour over the berries.

Bake at 200°C for about 30 minutes.

Best served slightly warm.

7. Finnish Cinnamon Buns – Korvapuustit

Korvapuusti is the Finnish version of a cinnamon bun. It is a classic coffee-table treat.

Ingredients

• 5 dl milk

• 50 g fresh yeast or 2 packets dry yeast

• 1 egg

• 1.5 dl sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp cardamom

• About 13 dl wheat flour

• 150 g butter

Filling

• Butter

• Sugar

• Cinnamon

How to make it

Warm the milk and mix in the yeast. Add egg, sugar, salt and cardamom.

Add flour little by little. Add soft butter near the end and knead until smooth.

Let the dough rise for about 1 hour.

Roll the dough flat. Spread butter, sugar and cinnamon on top.

Roll, cut into pieces and shape into buns.

Let rise again for 20–30 minutes. Brush with egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar.

Bake at 225°C for about 10–12 minutes.

8. Finnish Squeaky Cheese with Cloudberry Jam – Leipäjuusto ja Lakkahillo

Leipäjuusto is a traditional Finnish cheese, especially popular in northern Finland. It is often served warm with cloudberry jam.

Ingredients

• Leipäjuusto

• Cloudberry jam

• Optional: a little cream

How to serve it

Warm the cheese gently in the oven or a pan.

Serve with cloudberry jam.

For a richer version, place the cheese in a small oven dish, add a little cream and warm until soft.

This is one of the easiest and most traditional Lapland desserts.

9. Finnish Meatballs – Lihapullat

Finnish meatballs are common home food. They are usually served with mashed potatoes, brown sauce and lingonberry jam.

Ingredients

• 500 g minced beef or mixed minced meat

• 1 dl breadcrumbs

• 2 dl milk or cream

• 1 onion

• 1 egg

• Salt

• Black pepper

• Butter for frying

How to make it

Mix breadcrumbs with milk or cream and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Chop onion finely and fry lightly in butter.

Mix meat, breadcrumb mixture, onion, egg, salt and pepper.

Shape into small balls and fry in butter until cooked through.

Serve with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam.

10. Rice Porridge – Riisipuuro

Rice porridge is especially popular at Christmas, but many Finns eat it throughout the year.

Ingredients

• 2 dl short-grain rice

• 2 dl water

• 1 litre milk

• Salt

• Cinnamon and sugar for serving

How to make it

Boil rice in water until the water is almost absorbed.

Add milk and cook slowly, stirring often, until the porridge is soft and creamy.

Add a little salt.

Serve with cinnamon, sugar and milk.

At Christmas, one almond is often hidden in the porridge. The person who finds it is said to have good luck.

Food Is Part of the Finnish Experience

Traditional Finnish food is not about luxury or complicated techniques.

It is about warmth, nature and simple ingredients.

A bowl of salmon soup after a winter adventure, reindeer stew by the fire, fresh berries from the forest, cinnamon buns with coffee, or warm squeaky cheese with cloudberry jam — these are small things that make a trip to Finland feel real.

When you visit Lapland, don't only look for the Northern Lights.

Taste the place too.