Main Dishes

Butter was always special in Finnish cooking culture. In the past it was a valuable trade good and even exported to other countries. In the 80ties it was common to make butter with herbs like parsley, paprika or garlic and put it on top of a steak. The origin of Chicken Kiev is a bit confusing and lost in history, if it was Ukraine, France or Russia. However, it was popular in the Soviet Union and in St. Petersburg (Leningrad at that time) and it can be assumed it travelled f

Uunifetapasta was introduced by Jenni Häyrinen in her food blog https://liemessa.fi/ in 2019. She was leaving her successful job at Nvidia as an office manager to become a full-time food blogger with good success. The Uunifetapasta became an instant hit in Finland and in many other countries. I warmly recommend visiting her blog for modern Finnish Recipes, check out the SuomiLOVE section. Of course many versions of the recipe evolved. Here is mine: Ingredients: 350 g Pasta 2

A classical school dish in the 70ties and 80ties which divided the students, for some it was their favourite food others hated it to the same level as Dill Beef. It was sometimes described as colourless and lumpy, but that might be because sauce was thickened often by hand and made in large batches and that easily results in lumps. While others stated clearly that this was their most loved dish. Most schools at that time had their own kitchen and the quality of the food depen

The opera bread seems to be originated from the Stockholm opera and became popular in Finland in the 1950. At that time the alcohol laws were very strict, and people had to order some food after each second drink. The opera bread served that purpose perfectly for the party goers. It became a popular quick lunch snack. It can be seen as the “bread”-brother of the burger. Nowadays, burgers are more popular. Ingredients 4 Large slices of bread e.g. Grahambread, white bread or ev

The small meat balls are one of the most popular home food in Finland and are part of the top 5 for decades. They are well known thanks to Ikea in the rest of the world as Swedish meat balls.  The meat balls are a shared history and to be fair, they are the comfort food in most Northern European countries. The meat balls are also the grandfather of todays Hamburgers. The Finnish meat balls “kötbollar” pop already up in 1755 in Cajsa Warg's cookbook.  In 1755 most of Finland w

According to one of the largest tabloids in Finland, this 80ties school food was voted the most hated. School food was always under financial pressure and therefore often the quality suffered and sauces were stretched with potato starch. Another obstacle with this dish is that many Finns believe dill is a spice that goes with fish, not with meat. In general, this is not a bad dish, if properly made i.e. no lumps of flour in the thickened sauce and cooked long enough. It has t

This is definitively not diet food. It is one of those simple every-day-dishes which are perfect on a cold day. Läskisoosi has been very popular for decades, nowadays people often prefer somewhat less fatty food. It is usually served with boiled potatoes and pickled vegetables. Many people I know get nostalgic about this sauce. There exist also more modern versions where for “spicing” dark syrup, soy sauce and mustard are used. Ingredients: 600 – 800 g Pork belly, or some oth

This is a popular classical Finnish dish. The first macaroni casserole was made in 1892 in Helsinki at a cooking school. Macaroni casserole was for many years a dish for special occasions, even a Christmas dish. In the second world war macaroni were used also in the military, but the soldiers were not that thrilled about it and wanted more their “home” potato, milk, rye and beef cuisine. It was called with non-flattering names, as kitchens were also still in the process how t

Spinach pancakes have a diameter of roughly 7-10 cm i.e. not like crepes. Use very finely chopped spinach for this (not the ones where you can still see the structure of the leaves). You can do this also with fresh spinach which you fry and cut very finely. Many Finnish households have a pancake frying pan, which makes it easy to fry equal size small pancakes, but a normal frying pan is also doing the job. The pancakes might be slightly flatter and bigger, but still taste exc

This is a newcomer to the Finnish cuisine. Avocado became popular in Finland with the publishing of an Avocado pasta recipe in 2012 in social media and Finnish news papers. There was some discussion on the real origin of the recipe, but people loved it, and it spread quickly. After that Avocado became a stapple food for Finns and can be found nowadays even in remote places and small supermarkets. It is a quick recipe which many working people do for a quick dinner, called “ar

Lindström Beef is based on beetroot. There are several stories about the origin of the Lindström Beef. One story says that the dish was invented by Maria Kristiina Lindström from Stockholm in the 19th century in Stockholm. She made a meat loaf from steaks, but she added beetroot to the dough, which brought flavour and gave it its distinctive colour. Another story states Henrik Lindström, a Finnish lieutenant born in St. Petersburg  in 1862 was sitting in a restaurant and aske