Discover Finland through its unique flavours – 10 expert recommendations to try on your next visit

The four distinctive seasons play a significant role in the Northern Hemisphere, and that also extends to the variety of foods. No matter what time of the year you’re visiting Finland, and whether you're a foodie seeking your next culinary adventure or simply curious about Northern flavours, these must-try flavour experiences are for you.

Cinnamon roll

Starting off with a sweet classic, Finnish cinnamon rolls, known as korvapuusti, are delicious spiral-shaped pastries filled with a delightful mixture of sugar, cinnamon, and butter, with a hint of cardamom for a unique flavour.

Cinnamon rolls are typically enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea, offering a comforting treat all year round. If you're in Helsinki, some of the best cinnamon rolls can be found at Café Regatta all year round. This charming café, housed in a traditional red cottage, brings a touch of Finnish countryside charm to the heart of the capital.

Squeaky cheese with cloudberries

Meet Finnish squeaky cheese, or leipäjuusto, which directly translates to “bread cheese”. This unique cheese's distinctive texture creates a delightful squeaking sound against your teeth.

There are countless ways of enjoying squeaky cheese. Often, it is eaten warm with a dollop of cloudberry jam or fresh cloudberries, which perfectly balances the cheese's mild but distinctive flavour. “Rumor has it, that the year 2024 seems to be an especially good one for cloudberries,” Juha and Miikka share.

However, leipäjuusto is delicious enjoyed cold as well, and some people prefer it this way. For another traditional Finnish experience, you can try the cheese with coffee, either by dipping bits of it in the hot beverage for a special flavour combination or by dropping bits in your coffee and eating them after finishing the drink.

Karelian pie

Continuing with a true classic, karjalanpiirakka, or Karelian pie, is a traditional Finnish dish originating from the Karelia region between Finland and Russia. This cherished Finnish pastry combines a simple yet flavourful rice porridge filling with a thin rye crust. Some delicious variations can also include mashed potatoes or even carrot as a filling. To elevate the experience, Karelian pies are traditionally served with egg butter — a mixture of hard-boiled eggs and butter.

In 2003, Karelian pie even received Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) status from the European Union, protecting its traditional recipe and name. You can find them almost everywhere in Finland – in bakeries, grocery stores, and cafés. For example, Kotileipomo Sorsa’s traditional Karelian pies can be found all around Finland.

Fresh berries from nature & market squares

On top of cloudberries, Finnish nature offers varied options for fresh berries straight from the fields and forests. Through summer towards autumn, we get various harvests of local produce – delicious strawberries, blueberries and raspberries just to mention a few.

It is very common in Finland to go pick berries yourself, strawberries from a field or blueberries and raspberries from the forest – however, you can always go to a local market square or a grocery store and find these local products a bit quicker. Market squares are a central characteristic of Finnish cities and smaller towns, always offering each season’s best selection of berries, fruits, vegetables, handicrafts and for example flowers. You can also always stop for a coffee and a cinnamon roll in the wholesome little market square cafés. Helsinki Market Square, located right next to the Port of Helsinki, is a renowned traditional yet international marketplace worth visiting.

Mushrooms

Another natural treat from the forests of Finland is the wide selection of mushrooms. Some of the classics include chantarelle, porcini, and funnel chanterelle, all with their own distinctive flavours.

Wild mushroom foraging is allowed in Finland under Everyone's Right yet numerous restaurants serve them for a hassle-free experience. When going slowly towards the autumn season, different mushroom stews and pies are quite a common sight in stores, family meals and restaurants. To give a few examples, chantarelles make a great sauce, porcinis a delicious risotto and funnel chanterelles a tasty soup.

Finnish fish

Finnair Kitchen’s Juha and Miikka are proud messengers for Finnish fish: “As the land of a thousand lakes, Finland’s fresh waters are filled with various fish; vendace, pikeperch, pike, and perch; which is also the national fish of Finland. Venturing further up north you can discover unique streams and clear water lakes with grayling, trout, arctic char and salmon,” they share.

When talking about salmon, Finnish creamy salmon soup is an absolute must-try. For a top-notch experience of the soup, visit S. Wallin, a restaurant specialising in fresh fish and seafood, located in Turku Market Hall, Finland’s second oldest market hall. Market halls, much like market squares but located in charming old buildings, can be found all over the country, filled with varied restaurants and boutiques. To mention another classic, Hakaniemi Market Hall can be found in Helsinki and has been voted as the best one in the country.

Archipelago bread

Salmon soup is often served with sweet archipelago bread, a traditional Finnish rye bread that's particularly popular in the Åland Islands and Southwestern Finland. It is known for its rich flavor and dense, moist texture, and is often served with cured salmon. Alternative toppings worth trying are, for example, pickled herring or simply butter and cheese.

Game meat

Hunting has been and still is a rather traditional hobby in Finland, meaning that different game meats, like moose, grouse and mallards are widely used across the country.

Restaurants such as Nokka and Saaga in Helsinki serve high-quality dishes mentioned above, featuring game meat, Finnish wild fish, mushrooms and berries. If you are travelling all the way to Rovaniemi, Kota offers authentic flavours of the North in the centre of a traditional wooden teepee-style building. However, simply wandering around any Finnish city might reveal market squares, market halls and countless restaurants offering the chance to savour these delights.

Blood sausage

Before we finish up with sweeter recommendations, Juha and Miikka introduce a slightly wilder card. Near the city of Tampere originate some of the most well-known sausages, the most famous probably being the Finnish blood sausage or mustamakkara. The meat shop Lihakipparit, located in Tampere Market Hall is one of the best places to find this Finnish specialty.

Mustamakkara directly translates to black sausage, the name coming from the mixture of pork, pork blood, and rye flour, which gives the sausage its characteristic dark colour and strong flavour. Mustamakkara is usually served hot and traditionally eaten with lingonberry jam, which provides a sweet and tangy contrast to the savoury and slightly metallic flavour of the sausage.

Finnish candy

Finnish candy is a true exploration of vibrant flavours, offering endless high-quality options to try out. From salty liquorice that challenges your taste buds to creamy chocolate that melts in your mouth, Finnish candy offers options for any sweet tooth.

Salmiakki, the bold and strong Finnish salty liquorice, is not just a candy, but a cultural adventure in a bite. With its salty-sweet complexity, it might leave a lasting impression – whether it's a positive one is left for you to decide. Salmiakki comes in various forms: from hard, usually stronger-flavoured versions to softer, sometimes sweeter, but nonetheless bold, versions. For example, Halva offers a selection of both milder tasting and fiery and strongly flavoured salmiakki for you to try.

Some of the most renowned confectionery brands in Finland include Fazer and Brunberg, both offer a wide range of flavour experiences. Established in the picturesque Porvoo in 1871, Brunberg is Finland’s oldest confectionery factory that offers all kinds of ever-lovely chocolates, toffees, liquorice and handmade sweets. The company’s treats can be bought from most bigger grocery stores, but the best selection is available in Brunberg’s factory shop in its hometown Porvoo, just an hour from Helsinki.

Fazer, Finland’s most beloved confectionery company and a true household name, is most known for its signature Fazer Blue milk chocolate. This sweet treat has been a favourite among Finns since 1922. Fazer produces an incredibly extensive and delicious selection of candies, and bakery products, including bread, pastries and cakes.

To plan your trip to the land of a thousand lakes even further, check out our top 10 reasons to visit Finland.