I have been in Finland for more than two months now since I arrived from Japan for an exchange program.
And do you know what makes an exchange period more memorable? It’s trying local food! So in this article, I would like to share the foods I personally liked and did not like.
Finnish Foods I like
1. Karjalanpiirakka
(photo by Jarno Elonen)
The first thing I liked very much is “Karjalanpiirakka”. To be honest, when I saw this for the first time and when I heard what it’s made of, I thought it would be a bit gross (no offense) and disgusting. But when I had one bite of it, it blew my mind. It was amazing. I loved it so much! And what made me surprised is the price. 0.25 euro for one karjalanpiirakka at a supermarket!? THANK YOU.
2. Korvapuusti
Korvapuusti, cinnamon bun, is originally invented in Sweden, but let me count this as one of the Finnish foods.
Korvapuusti here in Finland was totally different from what I had previously had. Korvapuusti I had before was sweeter and more sugary. But that of here is more like bread, which I love so much.
At first, I expected it to be sweeter, so it was a bit of a surprise, but the more I had, the more I liked. I’m so obsessed with it! I could eat it literally every day!
3. Lohikeitto
Some Finns say “we don’t have FINNISH meals”, but Lohikeitto should be counted as decent Finnish meal!
Salmon is very fatty and it goes well with tilli, which I could also have every day!
Finnish Foods I hate
1. Salmiakki
(Photo by Hanna Stolt on Unsplash)
I know that many people from outside Finland HATE this, and I’m one of them. No offense, but it is disgusting… I really don’t understand why people like the combination of ammonium chloride and licorice and sugar…! I tried to eat it once before, and that’s enough for me… I don’t dare to try again… No thank you… Actually this is so far the only thing that I am not a fan of! But there are still many things I want to try such as Rapu, Poronkäristys, Runebergin torttu, etc… so I will definitely try those things as well during the exchange period!