Great Finnish treats to try throughout the year – A guide to some of Finland’s best seasonal sweets

There’s a great selection of Finnish treats that are tied to a particular holiday or season, and thus they’re available for a limited time only. That means if you’re a foodie with a sweet tooth, be sure to time your trip accordingly! For Finns, it means a steady list of goodies to look forward to as the year progresses – good things come to those who wait, right? – and most treats come with strong connections to some of the happiest moments of the year, like the arrival of spring and Christmas. Here are a few must-tries you can’t miss! 

Runebergin torttu

Let’s start with a classic that kicks off every year in the right way and also recognises one of Finland’s greatest writers. Meet the Runebergin torttu, or Runeberg torte, named after Finland’s 19^th century national poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg.

You can find the torte in Finnish bakeries, cafés and supermarkets from around the start of the year up until Runeberg Day on 5 February. You’ll spot it by its cylinder design with breadcrumbs around the sides and raspberry jam on top inside a circle of icing – almost like a bullseye that tells you you’ve hit on something good. Inside, the torte’s flour and almond filling is moistened by arrack or rum, giving it a distinctive taste that perhaps has limited its appeal to a wider Finnish audience. A growing number of stores and cafes now offer gluten-free versions of the torte, but they can sometimes be tough to find.

The torte’s origins go back to Runeberg’s wife, Fredrika, who was also a Swedish-speaking writer of great renown in addition to running the family household of eight children. Johan liked Fredrika’s torte so much it became a breakfast mainstay and today, well into its second century, the torte is still going strong. If you’re out for a walk-in downtown Helsinki while savouring the torte, you can pay your respects to Johan Runeberg himself, whose statue can be found in the Esplanade Park.

Laskiaispulla

If the Runeberg torte isn’t enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, our next treat certainly is – laskiaispulla, or the shrove bun. This concoction of sweet bun, whipped cream and almond paste or jam can be found across many Nordic and Baltic countries and is usually on sale in Finland in the weeks preceding Shrove Tuesday. Its popularity means it’s often found after the start of Lent as well. “Pulla”, by the way, is an extremely useful Finnish word when it comes to the sweeter things, and there are few better things in winter than the combination of a warm café, close friends and some pulla and kahvi (coffee).

Laskiaispulla is unmistakable:  a chunky lower section topped with whipped cream and capped by the rest of the bun. A sprinkling of almond flakes denotes almond paste filling, while granulated sugar shows there’s strawberry or raspberry jam inside. Today vegan versions are widely available, but gluten-free ones are harder to find.

And on the topic of the filling… in recent years there have been some bolder takes on what to stuff inside the bun – for example you can find chocolate- or pistachio-flavoured cream – in addition to the most common options of almond paste or jam. If you would like to get a Finn to really open up and take a stance on something, one good way to do it is to ask which laskiaispulla filling they prefer!

Mämmi

If for some reason a Finn is ambivalent about their favourite laskiaispulla filling or can’t decide because both choices are good (a very valid point), this next Easter treat is absolutely guaranteed to make them take a side. It’s called mämmi, and it’s been dividing opinion in Finland for hundreds of years – and counting.

There’s at least a couple of reasons for this. First, let’s be generous in saying that mämmi lacks the good looks of a laskiaispulla, or the neat design of a Runebergin torttu. In the wild it’s often found in rectangular cardboard boxes and looks like – sorry to say this, mämmi lovers – a puddle of mud.

Then there’s the taste. Mämmi is made from ingredients including water, rye flour, malted rye and molasses. The taste is like malt or caramel, and its consistency is sticky and granular. Finns will sometimes eat it “raw”, but often they douse it in cream and sugar.

Mämmi’s fans and haters have plenty to say about it, and neither words nor photos do mämmi justice. As with many other things in life, perhaps the only solution in this case is to try mämmi and decide for yourself.

Munkki & sima

Our next treat has none of the baggage that mämmi brings. It’s all about fun, smiles and celebrating Vappu – May Day – to the fullest. Summer is on the horizon, and winter is firmly in the rearview mirror. 

Finns love a good party and thus aren’t content to only celebrate May Day – they celebrate the eve as well, and often with more spirit than the day itself. Over the two days you’ll find people on every street corner and in every park, often draped in party steamers and wearing their well-worn white (or white-ish if they’re approaching vintage status) secondary school graduation caps.

The go-to beverage of choice for Finns at Vappu is sima, a sweet sparkling drink made from water, sugar, lemon and yeast, and often including raisins as well. Drinking a glass of sima probably means that your other hand is looking for something to do, so why not keep it busy with a deep-fried, sugar-coated munkki (donut)? This is another ingredient of a great Vappu, but if donuts aren’t your thing there is one other candidate who could join your glass of sima…

Tippaleipä

Yes, the other Vappu sweet treat is tippaleipä, a lovely Finnish word that combines tippa (drop) and leipä (bread) and gives a hint as to how tippaleipä is made – the batter is squeezed like toothpaste, forming spaghetti-like strands, deep fried and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. From the outside, it’s a sight to behold – almost like a fine piece of architecture, with the strands of the cake weaving in and out.

But let’s be honest, it also tastes great. So be sure to admire the fine, deep-fried architecture while you can, because it all comes crumbling down right from the first bite. Then again, it’s Vappu, you’re with your friends, and those already-long Finnish days keep getting longer. Bring on summer!

Glögi & piparit

The final couple of treats not only celebrate the Christmas season, they also reward Finns for getting through the toughest time of the year, when the days are short and the sky is grey. Marraskuu, or November, is ground zero for this dark  time, and just to put it into perspective even mämmi has more fans in Finland than November. With the end of summer, glögi offers the perfect antidote to the cold, often enjoyed with a side of piparkakku (gingerbread cookies).

Glögi is a traditional mulled wine, and comes in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. Finns make it at home or can choose from a wide variety of brands in their local supermarkets or Alko (state-owned alcoholic drink monopoly) stores. Spices in glögi include cinnamon and cardamon, and once it’s nice and warm Finns often add raisins or almonds. They then find a comfy spot to sit and wait until the days get longer and Christmas finally arrives.

Joulutorttu

This brings us to our last sweet treat – the joulutorttu, or Christmas tart. Joulutorttu is absolutely one of the sweet treats that Finns connect with a specific time and place. The puff pastry is a mainstay on Christmas tables and in cafes across the country, and usually enjoyed with a hot cup of tea or strong Finnish coffee after a filling meal.

The pastry is typically shaped like a star or pinwheel, then filled in the centre with prune jam, although other types of jams, and even salty fillings like salmon, can be used as well. Dust it with a little bit of powdered sugar, and you’re good to go! But a word of advice: it’s hard to stop at just one. A few years ago, a large Finnish baked goods company said that Finns on average eat around 18 (!) Christmas tarts a year.

Here’s one more reason to pace yourself with this peerless pastry as you reflect on another Christmas come and gone – January is just around the corner, and it’s time start the cycle again by hunting for Runeberg tortes!