Typical Finnish breakfast-oatmeal with blueberry soup
Going to a new country means that I do try and respect local customs and not embarrass myself (or my half Finnish husband). I have something of a head start as we are close to his Finnish mother and aunt and her family so we have an idea of what the Finnish people are like. I thought that I should brush up on dining etiquette so I found a website that gave me the lowdown on Finns, those curious not-Scandinavian-but-rather-Nordic people that are shy at first but genuine and warm on subsequent meetings. My mother in law theorises that Finns are not used to a lot of social contact and years ago especially in Winter and houses being apart you’d not often come into contact with another person.
Finnish Dining Etiquette
If you are invited to a Finn’s home:
- Arrive on time. Finns are punctual in both business and social situations (this does not apply to my mother in law who is frequently late
) - Remove your outdoor shoes before entering the house.
- Contact the hostess ahead of time to see if she would like you to bring a dish.
- Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served.
- If you are invited for coffee and cake, there may be as many as 7 cakes to sample (woohoo!! Caaaaaaake!!)
- Do not discuss business (fine, I’d rather discuss food).
- Thank the hosts for the hospitality before saying good-bye to the other guests (I should think this is probably logical to everyone but those raised by wolves).
Table Manners
- Wait to be told where to sit (good to know, I tend to view a table place like real estate and try to get the best spot)
- Table manners are Continental – hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
- Always keep your hands visible when eating. Keep your wrists resting on the edge of the table (Interesting! What else would one be doing with their hands? I shudder to think why this rule is in place…)
- Do not begin eating until the hostess invites you to start (must remind hungry husband about this)
- Bread and shrimp are the only foods eaten by hand. Even fruit is eaten with utensils (very Seinfeld Snickers bar episode, I like it)
- Accept second helpings (not a problem here)
- When passing salt and pepper shakers, put them on the table within the person’s reach. Do not give them directly (interesting! seems very Japanese)
- Men should keep their jacket on at meals unless the host removes his (that is, if my husband is wearing a jacket!)
- Finish everything on your plate. Finns do not appreciate waste (why a hungry husband always comes in handy).
- When you have finished eating, place your knife and fork across your plate with the prongs facing down and the handles facing to the right (different to what we do)
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/finland-country-profile.html
I follow with some examples of Finnish food, of course
Finnish food
Kareljan rice pie – delicious when heated
Pineapple chili ice cream-absolutely gorgeous!
Megapussi just means mega large bag! Chips €2.69
Leippajusstoa and pikelets (Porkkanaohukainen) €2.49 and €1.35. Leippajusstoa is a squeaky cheese, like a less salty halloumi and is absolutely delicious.
Daim bar ice cream-Daim bar chocolate outer (a bit thin, a little more Daim would be better. Vanilla ice cream underneath.
Blueberry ice cream
Cloudberry ice cream
Kotiuunin €3.59 (bear paws). Fried bread outer filled with blueberry filling. My uncle in law’s favourite.
Berliinimunkki irto (strawberry jam filled donut bread) €1.00
Lihapyorykka (meatballs and sausages) €1.09
Fresh Peas €5 for 2 litres. Finns eat these as a snack-they’re unlike peas you get anywhere else, fresh, juicy and sweet.
This was a lunch meal from a Vesanto restaurant, a beef stew that was actually delicious despite the look.
Veal Oscar from the above restaurant, not as good as the beef stew
Delicious creamy vegetable soup. I think this had sweet potato or pumpkin in it but also other vegetables. Something was Lost in the Translation so we didn’t get the actual names of the vegetables.
Finnish apricots €2 a litre
Seurasaari island
My husband couldn’t resist taking a picture of this sign…
Squirrel at Seurasaari island
The Finns promote Australia
Below are some pictures of the view around husband’s uncle and aunt’s country house, a gorgeous little log cabin in Vesanto, Finland,
The walk from the traditional Finnish wood sauna to the lake to cool down
The walk
Rowing along the lake
Lovely reflection 11.45pm at night
Another reflection 11.45pm at night
Another reflection 11.45pm at night
Another reflection 11.45pm at night
I leave you with some tips on holidaying in Finland, not that I’m an expert by any means.
- Buy a three day tourist travelpass for €12-it allows you access on all buses, trains, trams and some ferries and includes Suomenlinna Island.
- Go during the time of the Midnight Sun/Midsummer. It’s gorgeous during Summer and around August, all of the berries ripen
- Most Finnish people speak English and are quite friendly. We had so many strangers start talking to us, which didn’t really happen in other countries unless we were lost.
- Beer o’clock is about 9am Finns love to drink but are generally fairly pleasant drunks
- Beg, Borrow or Steal a few days at a country house (ok don’t steal, that’s not nice) but the country areas of Finland are spectacularly beautiful. Watch out for mosquitoes though, bring repellent if you’re going to the country areas by the water before August. Repellent can be expensive.
- Eat berries and fruit! Finnish berries and fruit are definitely the sweetest and juiciest I’ve ever had in the world. Same goes for the peas, which they snack on, they’re juicy and sweet and not in the slightest bit starchy.
- Finnish Rye Bread is an acquired taste, one that I nor my husband or sister did not acquire, but it’s worth a try.
- Finnish food is definitely worth trying, there isn’t anything particularly squeamish except for the whole cooked squid that I saw at the markets
- For coffee lovers, the less said about Finnish coffee, the better
If you’re desperate for a good coffee fix, try Fazer cafe.
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28 Comments | Add your own
oh my godness I think I would go all way to finland just for that Dime icecream!!
I pay $3.50 for a 25 gram bar everyweek, its my weekly treat!
sorry ” Diam”!
Amazing pictures! I never have thought about visiting Finland for a holiday but your beautiful photos have changed my mind to a must see! The photos of the lake and water were magic and the squirrel had me in a heap of giggles (they have that effect on me after seeing an ad for chocolate bars with squirrels in it). Thank you NQN
I imagine that one advantage of coming from the no-night Finland back to Australia would be that it would reduce jetlag?
Some of the food looks interesting, some looks a bit deep-fried and stodgy but in the interests of research one must some artery-clogging goodness.
I’ve been forwarding these posts to a friend of mine who is heading to Finland soon. IF she eats the reindeer liver terrine I’ll owe her money.
The Daim ice cream cone reminds me of childhood — never quite finished the entire thing except the chocolate coating each time
Good grief. Sod Japan, I’m going to FINLAND. (Joking. My lowly student budget can’t handle the Europe!)
The photos are stunning, NQN! What’s the wood sauna like? I think of log huts with piping steam coming out of the chimney.
Have a wonderful time at your next stop!
clean, calm and quite… love the pics they show the vast beauty of this amazing landscape.
Your photos of the luminous summer night lake are truly beautiful.
Rye porridge with blueberry soup and wild berries from the forest is my favorite Finnish breakfast food.Karelian pies are delicious
okay, so i’m moving to finland. it sounds like the perfect place for me, as i like for people to abide by most of those rules. and a morning filled with seven types of cake? yes please! i’m wasting my time here in america.
Finland is such a wonderful country.
I really like the Finnish custom of removing shoes in homes. I have an whole blog dedicated to the subject of removing shoes in homes. You might want to take a look.
Hi Jess-I know, Daim bars are criminally expensive here
If it helps Ikea sells them by the bagful a lot cheaper. However that also means that you will have a bag of the delicious bars in your possession and resistance is hard… 
Hi Maria-It’s funny, it’s one of those countries people never think to go to. Honestly, if my husband didn’t have family there and we didn’t fly Finnair we probably wouldn’t have gone either. But it along with Tokyo were my favourite legs of the trip!
Haha we were squirrel stalking, we had heard that there were squirrels all over the island but could only see a few so we followed them
and the lakes are absolutely breathtaking!
Hi SydneyGal-I’m not sure, we’ll see how we go
Yes they do like the meatballs and deep fried things but I suppose every culture does have those items, especially when they have cold weather. Hah well it is rather tasty so you’re not too late to cancel the bet?
Hi Julie-the chocolate coating is my favourite part too!
Hi M-It is gorgeous and not too expensive for a European country (although it’s not what I’d call cheap exactly,damn strong Euro!
)
The wood sauna smells amazing and it is quite liberating to go into it where there are few neighbours and then go for a nude swim afterwards in the lake! There were a couple of neighbours that came past fishing but the trees provided ample coverage
Thankyou so much!
Hi Onni-Thanks, my husband took the last set of photos at 11.45pm!
Hi tuulikki- I developed a taste for a lot of the Finnish food. The porridge is very filling for breakfast and keeps you full until lunch (and then some) and I love the Kareljan rice pies (only when heated though). I think I ate one every day!
Hi grace-You could be “A Northern Grace”!
It’s such a lovely country and well worth a visit-although I don’t know if I could live there in the Winter. Summer yes, I could definitely make full use of the Midnight sun 
Hi Matthew-I think a lot of people have that custom now. Thanks, I’ll have a look!
More about my favorite Finnish foods which I really miss – the many different varieties of black breads are so delicious that I haven’t found anywhere in the world as tasty breads. Also the many different wild berries, which ripen in the forests mainly around August are much sweeter and tastier than I have had anywhere else. My unproven theory is that the cold winters and summertime’s midnight sun somehow improve the taste of berries and rye-grains…
Cute squirrel! I love all that food. The ice creams look great, and I’m all for megapussi sized bags of crisps.. heh heh.
Hi tuulikki-It sounds like you’re missing Finland! I agree that the berries and fruit are amazingly sweet, I really loved the apricots and peas that I had although I understand that we were a little early for the really sweet berries to come out. I’m sure the Midnight Sun must do some magic to the fruit!
Hi Y-I’m convinced that squirrels know exactly how to pose, it was really “working it” for the camera
Oh these photos make me drool so much… yum
Ali
Hi pea & pear-Hehe that’s a good thing no?
Thank you so much for this – I’m heading to Helsinki for a weekend and was wondering what I should look out for – to eat, of course!
Hi Su-Lin-Oh great! Enjoy your time there, it’s so lovely in Helsinki during the summer
I just stumbled across this post (well, your series on Finland). I was in Finland July last year, too (Helsinki and Turku)! My partner is also half Finnish. Too funny. Oh, and I had to get a photo of the megapussi as well.
Hi Julia-Oh very cool! It’s a gorgeous country, I wish I could back soon
LOL yes the megapussi! 
Japan is also a good country for funny sounding products!
I love your site and your photos. I especially liked this post about my home country (I have been in the U.S. for 30+ years). I just got back from a trip to Finland and the photos and your descriptions brought back some good memories – especially of the food kind!
Hi Maria-Thankyou so much!
Finland is such a beautiful country and yet so unkown to so many. Glad that it brought back some good memories 
My American husband cracks up about the megapussi every time we go visit. I bake a lot and he loves rye bread and there is definitely a lot of different types. We ate so much ice cream this summer that we’re still paying for it. There’s a lot of foods I miss but I’ve been finding more and more in the US.
Loved your pictures, made me almost a bit homesick.
Oh wauw,,,! always wanted to visit finland,now im for sure. The pineapple chilli icereaam looks amazing!
ah the squirrels in seurasaari. you’re lucky the ones you followed didn’t attack you. one time when i was visiting with a friend, a squirrel jumped on me and started climbing up my leg. after i shook him off, he proceeded to follow us for quite some way.
also, i have to agree with your comment about the finnish coffee.
I was a bit alarmed when I first noticed that you’ve written several entries on Finnish food: lately I’ve been bumping into many foreign blogs and articles which treat Finnish cuisine and ingredients like a bad joke, describing Finnish food as universally bland and uninteresting if not downright unpalatable.
However, this time there was no need for me to be alarmed or to get sulky: thank you for your positive and fair reviews, they were a really nice and interesting read – as usual!
What a great post! I love Finland. My grandfather was Finnish and I have been several times. I have been to Juuri and Fazer and several other places you have mentioned. Thanks for the information.
Debra
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