A FOOD TRADITION
Karelian Cuisine
Karelian cuisine is a shared eastern Finnish and northwestern Russian tradition shaped by forest, lake, and borderland cultures. Its staples include rye, barley, potatoes, mushrooms, berries, freshwater fish, and pork, with dairy used in some preparations. Baking in rye dough, simmering, smoking, salting, and making filled pastries are characteristic techniques. The tradition is strongly associated with Karelian pies, usually rye-crusted pastries filled with rice or potato, as well as Karelian stew and sultsina, a thin rye pastry with a sweet or savory filling. The cuisine has both Finnish and Russian Karelian forms, so it should not be assigned exclusively to Finland.
Dishes linked to this cuisine
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Kalakukko
A traditional Finnish baked rye loaf filled with fish and pork and served as a hearty savory meal or snack.
Karelian kalakeitto
A Karelian-style fish soup with potato, onion and leek in a lightly thickened milk broth.
Karelian kukkonen
A small enclosed Karelian rye pie, part of the region's broad family of savoury pastries.
Karelian pasties
Open, pleated Karelian rye pastries filled with rice porridge and commonly served with egg butter.
Karjalanpaisti
A traditional Finnish Karelian hot pot of slowly braised mixed meats with onion and simple seasoning.
Lohikeitto
A Finnish creamy salmon soup with potatoes, root vegetables, onion, and dill simmered in a light broth.
Sultsina
Sultsina is a traditional Karelian thin rye pastry cooked on a griddle and filled with rice porridge, butter, and sometimes sugar.
Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.