Finnish Food 101

The table is ready for feasting!

Last night the international student tutors put on an international dinner for the exchange students at Novia. They provided a variety of Finnish food and encouraged people to bring food typical to their home countries. Then they gave all the international students a quiz about Finland to see who knew the most about their new home. I guess I should admit that I only got half of the questions right!

Want to learn about some Finnish foods? I'll explain a few of the dishes I sampled last night, with pictures pulled up from the internet.

Leipäjuusto, which means "bread cheese" is oven-cooked cheese served with cloudberry jam. It kinda squeaks.

Mustikkapirraka - blueberry pie. This is one is not nearly as sweet as the American version, but very good.

Karjalanpiirakat, or Karelian pie. These are pastries of rice porridge in a rye crust. Usually served with eggs and butter.

Mämmi (memma in Swedish) - baked rye porridge dessert. This is typically eaten at Easter with lots of milk and sugar. It has a strong molasses flavor and tastes like a dessert version of rye bread.

Mustamakkara, or blood sausage. I'm not a hug fan of this one. It's sausage made from pork or beef, pig blood, rye seeds and flour.

Lihapullat - Finnish meatballs. These are very similar to Swedish meatballs (you're probably thinking Ikea food), but these are made with kermaviili, which is like curd cream.

Other Finnish foods that do not need photos: boiled potatoes, rye bread, salty licorice, grilled sausages (they taste just like good-quality hot dogs). Then you can't forget the seafood like Baltic herring and smoked salmon, but maybe that's for another post. :) I love experiencing a new culture with all of my senses, and this was a perfect evening for doing just that!