Fantastic Food From Finland – From the Pen of Greenspire School Student, Caleb Hall

This blog was written by Caleb Hall, a student at The Greenspire School, as part of a class project called Food for Good. In this project, 11th and 12th grade students explore how food, and how we write about it, plays an incredibly important role in both our personal lives and our communities. Guided by Language Arts teacher Philip Girard, students draw inspiration from writers like Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain to shape their own food stories. Caleb’s piece offers a flavorful and insightful look into Finnish cuisine, taking readers on a journey through his study abroad experience with vivid descriptions of comforting dishes, surprising flavor combinations, and the cultural richness behind each bite.

Fantastic Food From Finland

Some Finnish Vocabulary:

Aamupalaa: breakfast

Lounas: lunch

Päivällinen: dinner

Iltäpalaa: best described as a snack in the evening

I’m not sure about you, but food isn’t the first thing I think of when thinking about the humble country of Finland. Unlike Italy or Greece, I don’t believe Finland is necessarily known globally for their food.  Because of this lack of knowledge about the food from that region, I didn’t know what to expect regarding food when I decided to study in Finland for a year. My low expectations for Finnish food led to a pleasant surprise upon my arrival in Finland. So with the introduction out of the way, I’d like to take you on a meal-by-meal journey in which I hope to introduce you to some of the most fantastic foods I’ve ever eaten.

– Aamupalaa –

Our journey starts on a cold and dark January morning in a suburb near the city limits of Jyväskylä. My first class doesn’t start until 9 am, so I have ample time to eat breakfast instead of grabbing a banana and rushing to the bus stop. A typical Finnish breakfast may cause some disappointing first impressions. However, after this initial letdown, you may find a pleasant feeling from the simplicity of your breakfast options. I’m having puuro for today’s breakfast, better known to native English speakers as (oat) porridge. As previously mentioned, puuro is not an extravagant dish. Despite its simplicity, this Nordic Staple is surprisingly delicious.  Puuro’s true power comes with its great compatibility with toppings. I usually mix frozen berries into mine but I’ve seen others put honey and even cottage cheese into theirs.

– Lounas –

The next stop on our journey will be the school canteen, swarmed by hundreds of students when lunch is served. A large variety of authentic Finnish/Nordic foods is available here, including one specific food that I want to steer your attention towards, Pinaattiletut, or Spinach pancakes. I was confused when I first saw these little green disks at the buffet in the center of the canteen.  They seemed very popular because people piled them onto their plates, but my curiosity led me to take a few. My confusion only increased when I saw lingonberry sauce to put on the pinaattiletut. All of this leads up to the point where I can finally try this strange-looking meal. The experience was love at first bite! The flavourful taste of the fluffy spinach pancakes combined with the tart and mildly sweet lingonberry sauce created a party in my mouth. Now that I finally understand the excitement that gets generated by these lovely green disks, I’m going to get back in line for more. I highly recommend you do the same.

– Päivällinen –

Now for the final stop on our journey, we will return to the house we started in. Here we will look into a particular Finnish dinner: lohikeitto, salmon soup. Even though I prefer a more vegetarian diet (I’d recommend trying everything when traveling to get the full cultural experience, even if it doesn’t fit your typical diet… unless you can’t for medical reasons), lohikeitto is one of my favorite Finnish dishes. The creamy soup goes perfectly with the distinctly rich taste of salmon, fluffy but smooth potatoes, and carrots. Paired with bread, lohikeitto is a wonderful dish to serve at dinner time.

– Iltäpalaa –

But wait, there’s more! This may or may not be considered a meal depending on who you talk to, but for many of my host families iltäpalaa (roughly translated as “evening snack”) was a thing. Typically, this would be a piece of fruit or ruisleipä (rye bread) with some butter, vegetables, cheese, and possibly a small amount of meat. Those are great options but they can barely compete with pannu kakku, or oven pancakes for those who prefer using the English language. I was appalled when I first tried one because of the large amount of grease, but over time I began to love the taste of pannu kakku. It’s especially good with sweet jam to balance out the greasiness of the hot fluffy square on my plate.

With that, our journey has come to an end. Thank you for taking the time to read about fantastic food from Finland. I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe found a new meal you want to explore.