We all know Finland for the snow, for being one of the coldest countries around the world – with low temperatures that could reach minus 40 Celsius degrees and that could take the human strength to the limit – for its landscapes, big lakes and leafy forests. Also, for its peculiarities like Northern lights – that light phenomena that appears on the night sky and that we all should see at least once – or the Midnight sun. Finland is well known for a lot of things, but, maybe, gastronomy is not one of them. We want you to introduce into the Finland cuisine so, here you have, five foods and drinks typical Finnish. Kippis!
Reindeer – In Spain we use even the face or the paws of the pig, the same is done in this Nordic country but with the reindeer. Their furs – along with the furs of elks – are the most wanted for sami people and, of course, their meat is one of the most delicious and one of the most expensive, also. It’s very lean and it has a lot of minerals in order to nourish Finnish people in the coldest winters. Reindeer meat can be cooked in such as many way as you imagine – roast, smoked, cold meat or stew (usually accompanied with mashed potatoes). Plus, reindeer milk is a must in Finland: it’s really sweet and dense due to the fat that it contains – much more than the cow’s milk.
Potatoes – Finnish people use potatoes in their meals as much as Spanish people do. It’s – along with the rice – the perfect condiment. They cook them in all kind of ways, fries, swet, roast, etc., but the most common way to find them is as smashed potatoes.
Salmon – A lot of cities in this country have access to the sea – Bothnia Gulf – thus, the fish is a really important of the Finnish person’s diet. One of the main plate is the salmon. We can find it cooked in a thousand ways, but usually they eat it smoked or roast. Salmon has 11 g of fat for every 100 g and this fat has a lot of omega 3. Experts ensure that eating salmon helps to reduce cholesterol levels and increase blood flow – which prevents blood clotting and thrombosis.
Korvapuusti (cinnamon roll) – You have probably tried this dessert – brother of the Sweden kanellbulle – at Ikea. It’s a roll made of bread dough, sweet, with a pinch of cinnamon. There are as much korvapuusti as you can imagine. You just have to add ingredients – strawberry and blueberrie jams or, even grapes.
Lonkero (Long drink) – This alcoholic drink typical from Finland is made with gin and grapefruit juice. It usually has the same alcohol level of a beer (5,5% alc/vol) and – unlike other drinks with more alcohol that you can only buy from exclusive alcohol stores, Alko – we can find it in a regular supermarket. Best served very, very cold, like the country!
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