I cannot tell you how disconcerting it is falling asleep at 4am while the sun is shining. It affords me little sleep and I dream some very bizarre dreams that night although it may have been the results of a grease overload via Jaskan Grilli’s Kannibal hot dog.
Chili salt
It’s a gorgeous sunny day today so we take full advantage of it and go to the city centre and walk around the outdoor markets and the adjacent Market Hall, packed full to the brim with all sorts of Finnish delicacies. As we are hungry we walk to the Market Hall to find something to eat, on a recommendation of my husband’s uncle who recalls salivating as soon as he entered the market hall. There is an array of items not to be found in Australia that fascinates me.
Tins of bear meat-priced at €23 for a smallish tin
Huge cooked squid
Smoked fish
Lihapiirakka
Lihapiirakka €4.50
Inside Lihapiirakka
We first choose a Finnish food called a Lihapiirakka filled with beef and cheese and rice €4.50. There are plain rolls for €2. The outer is crispy fried, like a donut and the filling inside is plentiful with the sauce soaked rice, melted cheese and beef slices. My husband loves this although the meat is a touch greasy for me.
Open face sandwiches
The open sandwiches we choose are the crayfish and mayo €3 and the salmon €3 ( as recommended by the girl behind the counter). We’re not usually fans of rye bread but on these open sandwiches, the dryness is needed to soak up the extra sauce and topping so that it doesn’t fall into a heap and become a wet sponge.
Crayfish and mayo open faced sandwich €3
The crayfish and mayo one is gorgeous, with a slightly sweet mayo giving the delicate crayfish a creamy and perfect complement. At €3 it is a steal. Interestingly, we see another vendor a little further down selling the same open face sandwich for €7.50.
Salmon open faced sandwich €3
The salmon is also good, although when compared to the lovely crayfish. Ordinarily I would have been more than happy.
Sauna smoked ham
Reindeer meat-Rudolph!
Gravlax
Stomachs satisfied, we walk through the rest of the market hall where we see reindeer meat in every conceivable form, smoked, jerky, vacuum packed steaks and pate as well as Bear meat and pate which at €23 for a small can, peaks my sister’s interest.
Juicy, sweet strawberries
Heading out towards the outdoor markets and are greeted with berry vendors at every turn offering samples of strawberries and cherries. We are a little early for berry season so had we come a month later, there would have been more varieties of berry.
Lovely raspberries
Cherries-sweet but not as luscious and sweet as the strawberries
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My favourite, sweeter than sweet apricots. They tasted like those lovely plump and sweet dried Turkish apricots but they’re fresh!
The next day we sample some of the hot food on offer. All of the stands cook on large round hot plates with each selection taking up some space. It looks like the pictures I’ve seen of massive paellas being cooked in Spain. We get some Game meat balls from one stand which are superbly soft, delicious and large with 3 meatballs per serve. The garlic and herb sauce that it comes with is delicious as is the vegetable paella.
The baltic herring is, for lack of a better word, very “fishy” in taste and with some tiny bones. I’m glad we tried it although I probably wouldn’t order it again.
For something sweet we try the dreamily named “cloudberry crepe” which is filled with a sweet pipped sauce much like tamarillo although sweeter. With the whipped cream, it is a delicious ending to the market meal.
Other fabulous finds at the Market Square were
A mysterious looking plant! If anyone knows the name of this, please let me know.
Cloudberry ice cream
Birch tree branches-for whacking on yourself during a sauna. Apparently these are very effective!
Kauppatori Market Hall and Square
Eastern end of the Esplanade
Helsinki, Finland
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11 Comments | Add your own
What a cool market to spend the day wandering around! I love markets for their unique and wonderful finds! The seafood on that crayfish and mayo sandwich looks so plentiful. What a bargain!
Irrelevant side note: loving your nail polish in all the photos! I get lazy with mine but you alway have pretty pretty nails. Have a great day!
Hi Maria-It was definitely very cool seeing the different types of food available. I agree, there was so much topping which I love!
Thanks so much! At that stage I think I had changed to Chanel’s Blue satin
Amazing – I lived in Finland over 20 years ago and some your photos of the Kauppatori are identical to some I took then. I think some of the vendors are probabaly the same! Gorgeous place. Very envious. We’re hoping to visit next year so am reading your restaurant adventures with interest.
Whoa!!! That bear meat in those tins! I wonder what they would taste like! Very interesting!
The bear meat will be definitely can not go into Australia, ASIO will banned these, rite?
I almost want to ask you where is the view, all of those are food pictures. Then I realise this is food blogger and it will always about food.
Bear meat! And wow all those lovely fruit! Did you buy much? Too bad Oz customs doesn’t allow many things to be brought back into the country, eh!
1. the giant squid picture gives me the heebie-jeebies.
2. your rock is huge.
3. i wonder why we don’t eat reindeer here in the us. hmm.
lovely pictures, great post.
My mum used to have that red furry plant in her garden. as a child I enjoyed pulling the fur out bit by bit! no idea what its called though
Hi Tracy-It’s good to know that some things don’t change!
Are you going during the Midnight sun season? It’s wonderful then! 
Hi carolyn-I know, I would love to know too. We weren’t wiling to pay 43euros for a small tin in case it didn’t taste very good. It also didn’t pop up on menus at all either
Hi Lilia-I’m not sure, I think meat is allowed isn’t it?
Hah I exercise my right as a food blogger to feature food only
But actually there are pictures in the following day’s story.
Hi Y-We had so much fruit there, it was the sweetest fruit I’d ever tasted, especially the apricots, my oh my they were sweet and delicious, like dried Turkish apricots but fresh.
I know, there was so much delicious food that we couldn’t bring back
Hi grace-1. I agree, the giant squid looked pretty errk to me too
2. Thanks!
3. Perhaps it’s too close to being Bambi? I mean that in all seriousness, I felt a bit like I was eating Bambi too
Hi sarah-Oh wow, so it’s available in Australia? I’ve never seen it! It would be great around Christmas time
Hi NQN. I know this is a little late, but I’ve just discovered your blog,and subscribed, and am going back to read all of your posts -phew! Anyway, I too recognised that plant, and I think it’s ‘Acalypha hispida’ aka Red hot cat’s tail. But being a tropical plant, they’d have to grow it indoors in Finland? You should be able to get it here though. Thanks for all the great reading. We get down to Sydney a few times a year, (wish it was more!), and we now have a great selection of restaurants to try out. Thanks, and keep up the great work!
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