Finland

Country - Finland

Cuisine Description - The Finnish cuisine is characterized by healthiness, as the whole grain and the berries are used frequently. People utilize the whole grain from Rye, Oats and Barley. The types of berries that are used in the Finnish cuisine are sea buckthorn, blueberries and cloudberries.
Finland has implemented some cooking concepts that are specific to the Western and Eastern civilizations. One of these concepts is the usage of spices. These influences are specific to the most modern side of the Finnish cuisine. Besides the continental dishes that gain popularity, there are the traditional foods. The dishes have a great taste, but also have a strong visual effect.
Most of the traditional dishes are based on fish, meat, vegetables and mushrooms. However, the cooking styles differ from one part of the country to another and in consequence, the Eastern Finland makes use of some ingredients, while the Western regions have their specific recipes, based on the local ingredients. The mushrooms began to be utilized by the Finnish people during the World War Two.
Nowadays, the Finnish cuisine features dishes that are easy to digest, as the main ingredients are vegetables. Also, these dishes are served in small quantities. This is evidence that some European countries, along with America, have affected the cooking style of Finland. People have imported some recipes and implemented them in their daily meals. This way, spaghetti Bolognese, pizza, fast-food and various types of salads, are very common to the Finns. The main cities of Finland feature restaurants where Chinese, Indian and Thai food is served.
The cuisine of Finland has been criticized on many occasions. This resulted after comparing it with some of the great cuisines of the world, such as the Italian and the French cuisines. However, other people claimed that the Finnish food does not lack diversity and furthermore, appreciated the freshness and the good taste of the Finnish traditional dishes.

There are two major cuisines in Finland. One of them is specific to the Western side of the country, while the other one represents the Eastern regions. These cooking styles emerged from the possibilities to use some ingredients or others, and furthermore are the result of the Swedish and Russian cuisines.. The dishes of the Western Finns are based on fish and meat, while the Finns from the Eastern areas have developed many recipes that include vegetables and mushrooms. Copyright Recipes Wiki