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.
ONE DISH, DIFFERENT PLACES
How the dish changes by place.
Compare regional styles of dishes linked to this cuisine: the city or region, the local name and what changes in the bowl or on the plate. These are food traditions; individual cooks have their own versions.
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