Tag: food

How Nordic are Baltic countries

Are Baltic countries Nordic at all? I explored Latvia and Estonia, noting their ties to Nordic culture, from languages to Rye bread and Midsummer.

Last summer i visited Latvia and Estonia. They are not too far from Scandinavia, and I was curious to find what they have in common with Nordics.

1. language and identity in the Baltics

While Latvians and Lithuanians are Baltic people – speaking an Indo-European language, related to Slavic languages- Estonians are Finnic, and their language is very close to Finnish, making Estonia the most ‘Nordic’ of the Baltic countries. Livonians are a small Finnic minority in Latvia.
Estonia in particular has deep ties with Scandinavia – it used to be under Swedish and Danish rule. Though you can find a Swedish gate in Riga too!

There is actually a Swedish minority in Northern Estonia and coastal areas, that has existed since the 13th Century: eestirootslased or rannarootslased in Estonian, estlandssvenskar or aibofolket  in Swedish, similarly to Finlandssvenskar, Finland’s Swedes.
Its number shrinked however significantly due to the USSR occupation in the 20th century, that urged many to flee to Sweden, being very small today.

There is also significant proficiency in Finnish in Estonia, thanks to its linguistic proximity with Estonian and exposure to Finnish broadcasts during the Soviet era. Nowadays, young Estonians are not as exposed to Finnish media as older generations were during those times, and Finnish is not as intelligible for them as it used to be for their parents.

According to a poll done in 2013, about half of the young Estonians considered themselves Nordic, and about the same number viewed Baltic identity as important.

2. Baltic cuisine

estonia bakery
latvian cookies
  • Rye bread is king! As dark as night! Rye bread chocolate is a things both countries!! Says enough..
  • Herring, Redbeet, (potato) pancakes are staples – all stuff to be found at LIDO chain self-service restaurants, Latvian of origin.
  • Soups in Latvia are a very common part of meals as in Slavic countries, notably the redbeet cold soup. Something typical Latvian are the dumplings Pelmeni, similar to Polish Pierogi etc.
  • A galore of Baked goods were everywhere in Latvia, maybe not as much in Estonia. Nordic style buns were in both! Something that seemed very common were custard buns, and coconut coated buns. Latvians seem to love cookies.

Kalev is Estonia’s chocolate brand, Latvia also has its national confectionery brand Laci.

3. Nordic stores and products in Baltic

  • Stockmann department stores are present in both countries – you can find a lot of Nordic stuff, including Norwegian Brunost and carelian pastries!! Though I saw carelian pastries in Estonian supermarkets, and ICA cloudberry and lingon jam at a Rimi supermarket.. Finnish fast food chain Hesburger is present in the Baltics – I have to say I did not see any special items from it though…
  • You can get bulk candy in supermarkets like in Nordics. But it seems in the Baltics they enjoy bulk cookies as well!

Finnish brands as Fazer chocolate and some moomin stuff is common in Estonia. At Tallinn airport they had a whole selection of more Finnish and Swedish candy brands, and even a Pippi + moomin merch corner!!

4. architecture

Looking at some buildings, you could be in Scandinavia, though others make you think of Eastern European cottages.

Old buildings in the centre of Riga and Tallinn. I think these could be mistaken for Danish or from Stockholm?
Countryside houses in Jūrmala and in Estonia. I guess these look more like Eastern European cottages. Birch trees give a pretty Nordic vibe though.
Orthodox churches in Jūrmala and Tallinn

Folk Culture

As in Sweden and Finland among others, Baltic celebrate the Summer Solstice, a.k.a. Midsummer – or Saint John’s night – jääni in Estonian, Jāņi in Latvia. People go to the countryside to gather and eat, drink, sing and take part to old pagan traditions. Among others lighting a bonfire and gather herbs to make flower crowns and oak leaves wreaths!

Folk costumes are also quite distinct from Scandinavian ones, and are often characterized by a headgear in both Latvia and Estonia.

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7 fun facts about Lucia, Sweden’s pagan saint

Lucia brings light in the darkest night of the year and is a mix of pagan and christian traditions. It is celebrated in Scandinavia with processions, saffron buns and church concerts.

Chiara's avatar by Chiara

Fika in Nijmegen, lunch with smørrebrød

Fika in Nijmegen is a cafe/lunchroom with Scandinavian vibes: smørrebrød, knäckebröd, buns, cakes and books!

Some time ago I went to Fika in Nijmegen, a Scandinavian inspired Café / Lunchroom, focused on open-face sandwiches. high fika with friends. It is also possible to use your laptop at certain times for remote working! Next to the café you have the Fika Kiøsk for a treat and drink on the go.

NL: Een tijdje geleden ben ik bij Fika geweest in Nijmegen. Daar kun je lunchen met skandinavische boterhammen, een lekkere koffiepauze hebben met kardemombollen of cakejes, en zelfs een gezellige ‘high fika’ met vrienden boeken. Andere Zweedse broden als Knäckebröd en polar brood kan je hier ook eten.
Fika heeft een ruime ‘smørrebrød’ selectie: boterhammen van meergranen desembrood met vis, vlees en vega opties. Borrelsnacks met wat skandinavisch gevoel zijn er ook.
Je mag hier ook je laptop gebruiken, aparte flexwerk-ruimte.

Here is what you can eat at Fika:

A highlight of the café is the wide ‘smørrebrød’ selection: multigrain sourdough open-face sandwiches with fish, meat and vegan options. Shrimp salad and köttbullar (meat- or vegan balls) among others.

For a sweet break, of course you can have a fika at Fika – some classic Scandinavian treats to choose from are buns, cardamom or almond; and Kladdkaka (Swedish chocolate cake with gooey filling).

Other snacks to share I noticed on the menu are cheese and meat/vegaballs with a cranberry sauce; knäckebröd with goat cheese and veggies; mini Polar pizza – polar bread with mushroom or salmon; and dill potato chips!

Something I like was the good assortment of Naturfrisk Danish drinks they have!

If you are with friends, it is also possible to book a ‘high fika’, what they call a High Tea elsewhere here. For 26,- euros per person you will get warm drinks and:

  • a soup
  • small open face sandwiches
  • polarbread pizza with mushrooms
  • small cakes
  • skyr
  • fresh fruit

Being with someone else, I managed to try quite a few Smørrebrød, the fish versions- tuna-cheese, salmon, shrimp – and one with mixed vegan- and meatballs. They might not be on the ‘proper’ Danish rye bread, but they did look and taste good! I advised my friend to try the Elderflower Naturfrisk drink.

smorrebrod nijmegen fika

Before entering the backyard to sit outside, I saw a nice collection of Scandinavia-related books: novels by Nordic authors (translated or in the original version, travel guides, and more.

pippi langkous zweedse literatuur
An old Dutch edition of Pippi Longstocking
denemarken gids
zweedse literatuur

Underneath there were some toys, and I found one featuring a dammsugare, I am a sucker for this small details.
After checking out the books, it was time for dessert. I really wanted to mke my friend try cardamom buns and try an almond bun myself (Swedes would call it a Tosca), but unfortunately there were not any left, so we went for another Dessert lemon velvet, and a Matcha-mango latte. Not particularly Nordic but good.

I loved how the café has a lot of maps of Scandinavia hanging here and there as well!

And here is the journal spread for this smørrebrød fika experience in Nijmegen!

We left, with me being kind of disappointed the buns were already finished when we were there, and because of that I had and even bigger craving for a kardemummabulle…

Since you never know, we went to the Albert Heijn to Go to see if they had the more Swedish-looking cinnamon knot. They did not only have that, but CARDAMOM knot too!! Sometimes life surprises you. Not sure if this is only a temporary promotion for Wereldse Smaken – international treats together with miso cookies and pandan muffins.

Volg de blog voor meer Skandinavisch eten aanraders in Nederland:

Nordic findings in japan

Nordic culture experienced in Japan: Moomins, Dala horse stationery, Nordic-inspired foods and books about Scandinavia seen by the Japanese.

Chiara's avatar by Chiara

How Nordic are Baltic countries

Are Baltic countries Nordic at all? I explored Latvia and Estonia, noting their ties to Nordic culture, from languages to Rye bread and Midsummer.

Chiara's avatar by Chiara

Guide to Ice Creams in Scandinavia

Discover Ice creams to try in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway: all-time classics,
Popular flavors, and curious novelties.

Since travelling to Scandinavia for the first time, i got quite acquainted with ice lollies available there, they have of course the magnum ice creams you see everywhre, but also quite a few interesting national classics, which vary. Here is a guide, so you are prepared..

Liquorice is a Nordic favourite!

One thing you see everywhere in Nordic countries is liquorice, lakrits/lakrids. You find tons of liquorice candy, in chocolate, and of course as ice cream flavour, and there are several options.
A pan-Scandinavian ice cream type is a round DAIM chocolate covered cream cone with a few variations, and it got recently a salt liquorice version!

liquorice in sweden scandinavia
raspberry liquorice ice cream and a liquorice-only shop!
Danish Scandinavian ice creams

During my Denmark-Sweden holiday of last summer, I got the Daim Mint variation at a 7/11 of Copenhagen station last year though. And I did try a berry-liquorice combo in Sweden though.

The Danish Classic ice creams

Frisko in Denmark, GB Glace in Sweden is the ice cream brand with the heart symbol present everywhere with different names, and many Ice creams I will mention are sold by it. Denmark has a set of all-time favourites, some have been around since the 50s!

Ice creams at the 7/11 at Fredericia station
danish ice cream
Filur: haven’t you got cold feet on saturday? Champagne Brus: No, I am bubbling from excitement!


I have tried Københavner stang, Champagne Brus and Solbær of them. the former is just a plain lemon one (picked it because of the logo), but I enjoy Champagne brus contrast of lime-ish freshness with the chocolate covering. Solbær – which changed name from Kæmpe Eskimo for political correctness reason – is just chocolate with berry creamy filling. Still good! Kung Fu is lime and liquorice, Filur is the cute orange-raspberry water ice cream.

Sweden: pear flavour, Pippi and Emil

Other than liquorice being king, a particularly common flavour in Sweden is pear, or at least much more than it seems to me in other countries. A Finnish Swede friend told me it probably is because you cannot grow many other fruit…Piggelin by GB Glace is a pear ice cream classic.

Swedish ice creams
Pressbyrån always making puns, here with ‘Vilken är fin glassiga favorit’: Which one is your classice cream?


SIA is the main competitor of GB in Sweden I guess, based in Halland. It has introduced Emil and this year Pippi ice creams!! The former is Krumelurglass (which i got in the original candy form last year, krumelurpiller), a fruity ice cream. The green part is -you guess it- pear. Emil has blueberry flavour.

pictures (c) SIA Glass

I actually tried the raspberry liquorice ice cream, the lemon cornetto, and the Swedish classic 88, read åttioåtta. Shoutout to my friend Linda & her husband who made me try it. I would have also tried a Hilda, marshmallow/strawberry-ish? ice cream covered in rainbow sprinkles, or Godisregn (‘candy rain’), basically the same concept but in a cone. Glassbåt (‘ice cream boat’), also looks interesting. There are a few versions of it.
I have seen other new ones from this year with very Nordic vibes:

  • Konfetti gul & blå (blue-yellow as the Swedish flag) from Hemglass, lemon and blueberry ice creams with sprinkles on them.
  • Punschrulleglass, inspired by the green and chocolate dammsugare pastry. Hence it looks like a Danish Champagne Brus.
  • a Kanelbulle flavour one
  • Geisha ice cream- ice cream version of the famous chocolate candy by not Japanese, but Finnish Fazer.

Norway’s 17 mai ice creams

In Norway you see Diplom-Is or Hennig Olsen instead, not sure if Unilever is still behind them – Whatever. There are ‘regular’ strawberry or chocolate and cream cones, which around May get fancier for the National Day, 17 Mai, with bunad-like patterns.

I have not eaten any ice creams in Norway, but I have to say I saw nothing that stood out compared to the other countries! Please invite me to Norway to prove me wrong, haha.

That was all for now, I will probably update this post for the future summers…Or add it for Finland and Iceland and hopefully try out their ice creams!!

So subscribe to stay update on Scandinavian Ice creams:

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3 easy and fast iconic Nordic dishes

simple and iconic Scandinavian recipes to make yourself for a typical Nordic dinner

I have been testing Nordic dishes as someone with not-so-incredible cooking skills who likes to cook simple things, and these are three delicious and easy meal ideas I can present you, in time/complexity order from the easiest:

1. Räkmacka – Swedish Shrimp open sandwich

Typically found at cafés as savoury option for a fika, but you can easily make it yourself – (rye) bread with Shrimps, cucumbers and tomato slices on salad, often egg and lemon – add whatever you like and make it look fancy!

2. Lohikeitto – Finnish salmon soup

soup with chopped salmon, based off milk and lemon juice, and enriched by veggies as potatoes and carrots.

3. Fiskefrikadeller – Danish fishballs

Make balls after mixing fish chunks (I have used pangasius and cod) with egg, flour, spring onion – I also like to add carrot bits -, Fry them in a pan on both sides. Garnish with herbs as parsley. Complete the plate with some fresh veggies to the plate as cucumber and red cabbage. Enjoy the fishballs with remoulade sauce as the Danes do!

Here are pictures of my experiments:

räkmacka
lohikeitto
fiskefrikadeller

Disclaimer: these are my creative versions, and I do not follow 1:1 classic recipes. You find plenty of other references online! You can still see more Scandinavian and Nordic food on this blog, from my trips in Scandinavia and to Nordic cafés elsewhere.

Please let me know if you will try making these!

Semlor at Selma’s and Danish pastries in Amsterdam

Trip to another Nordic bakery to enjoy a fika with a semla, and surprises on my way

After getting a lussekatt during the Christmas season, I was really eager to also eat a semla, the whipped cream-filled bun which is eaten in the shrovetide season instead, culminating on Fettisdagen (fat Tuesday).

So I picked Selma’s Nordic Bakery in Amsterdam! On my way I randomly saw Danish flags at the Noordermarkt and happened to discover Raw Betty (Raw_betty42 on instagram), selling Danish delicious buns, cookies and cakes at Amsterdam markets. Read the article till the end to find out what I chose…

Raw Betty stand at Noordermarkt, Betty’s son also runs a hotdog stand, maybe I’ll get a pølse once!

We then walked forward on our way to Selma’s, located in Amsterdam West, around 30 minutes walking from Amsterdam Centraal. Which I was not upset about at all, because it would mean a well-deserved fika.

Selma’s also has a to-go location closer to the station, in the Jordaan area, but this time we wanted to sit and enjoy it.

The interiors are also in a quite Nordic and pastellish style. The restroom even had moomin posters!

nordic baakery amsterdam
moomin posters

Rye bread loaves, cinnamon and pistachio buns and smørrebrød were among the sold products, among others classic fika treats as chokladbollar, biskvi and kladdkaka. Of course at this moment semlor had their own spotlight!

They sold 2 versions: the classic Swedish one with almond paste, and Finnish one, laskiaispulla with a fruit compote. Since I had already tried the classic one in Sweden last year, I went for the fruit compote. We had matcha latte as drink, which is not particularly Nordic but always delicious.

journal art nordic bakery

While at Selma’s, i also got my birthday present from my friend: liquorice Marabou (Sweden’s favourite chocolate brand)! I had actually got a salmiakki Fazer bar (Finland’s favourite chocolate brand) when I went to the Finnish seamen church for their Christmas market month before, and it was actually fun to compare! the Fazer one is slightly darker, with a bigger liquorice chunk, also a bit juicy, while Marabou has smaller, crispier pieces.

As for the Danish treat I got, that was a Napoleonshat! The name is as you can imagine a hint to its shape, a sort of butter cookie with marzipan inside, coated with chocolate, and in this case pistachio. mega lækker!

I already have plans for other Nordic trips to Amsterdam, so stay tuned to see more interesting places…!

Cozy things Norwegians do around Christmas

Traditions and popular things to do in Norway around and on Christmas day: from movies to cookies

After Scandinavian Christmas Traditions and Finnish Christmas facts, I am continuing this series with Norway!

Watching Czech Cinderella

An iconic Christmas movie In Norway is actually Czech, from 1973: 3 nøtter til Askepott (3 wishes for Cinderella), broadcasted on Christmas eve in Norway since 1996 – Norwegians made a remake in 2021 though. Another popular Christmas movie in Norway is Reisen til Julestjernen (journey to the Christmas Star), a Norwegian production from 1976, in which a princess disappears to look for the Christmas Star…

‘Going Yule goat’ or Christmas trick-or-treating

In the period of Romjul, between Christmas and New Year, some Norwegian children go around with a Nisselue (Santa hat), with red cheeks and freckles painted on their face, or as angels, shepherds and other Christmas figures, singing Christmas Carols from door to door, in exchange for sweets. This is called å gå julebukk – to go Yule Goat..a sort of christmasy halloween. According to the Store Norske Leksikon it 14% of interviewed Norwegians or their children was going julebukk in 2017.

Baking 7 cookies

Some Norwegians bake the ‘Seven types’ – 7 different type of cookies, de Syv slag in Norwegian. Baking seven different types of cookies is a tradition that exists also in Sweden. There is no fixed list, but the classical types are Sandkaker, Pepperkaker (gingerbread cookies), Fattigmann ‘poor man’, Goro from Danish god raad, one of the oldest types from the 1800s- made with an iron press with patterns – Krumkaker, Berlinerkranser, Serinakaker.

Kransekake, kokosmakroner, sirupsnipper, sandnøtter and smultringer are also popular to be included in the syv slag according to godt.no.

Typical Finnish Christmas things

3 typical unique Christmas symbols and traditions in Finland

Here are country-specific facts about how Christmas is celebrated in Nordic countries, after an overview of Scandinavian Christmas I actually keep updating… Next up will be Norway and Iceland, so stay tuned!

Joulutorttu: pinwheel pastry

Also called tähtitorttu “star cake”. it has the shape of a star or pinwheel, with apple or plum filling. It was already mentioned in the 1830s by Zacharias Topelius (Swedish-speaking Finnish writer), and it still is a Christmas classic in Finland, being present on 76% of Finnish tables on Christmas eve.

the Santa Claus Hotline

In Finland they have had the Joulupukin kuumalinja ‘Santa Claus Hotline’ for 33 years on tv. Here is the Finnish tv program for the day in 2024: There are breaks between one Christmas-themed cartoon and the other, where children can call, elves will take the call and some lucky children will be able to talk to Santa..It is also possible to send pictures, and some of these will be shown!

Himmeli Christmas decoration

Himmeli are wooden straw geometrical pendants, of various sizes, decorating Finnish houses. It comes from himmel, sky/heaven in Swedish and Germanic languages. Himmeli traditionally hung above dining tables until summer to ensure a good crop, as Finlandi.fi mentions.

Interrail trip – stop in Denmark

I went on an interrail trip and had a stop in Denmark, back to Grenaa and Aarhus

Last summer I wanted a little holiday for myself, and as I already had to go home to Italy, I realized I could just do that by train and visit people on the way. My first idea was going to Sweden, and stop by in Denmark. However, I ended up not going to Sweden (I ended up doing that for my birthday in February..)

I returned to where I had been 2 years ago, on a workaway holiday in Djursland!

21 August: Departure

Starting from Eindhoven I went up through Germany: > Venlo (border NL-DE)> Wuppertal > Hamburg >(border DE-DK)> Fredericia > Aarhus > then the letbane (local train) till Grenaa: 5 trains! I took the first train at 7:40 and arrived at 20:50: 13 hours! Long journey, but I enjoyed it! Besides the initial delays in Germany, the train to Hamburg was 35 minutes late when I was supposed to have 39 minutes waiting time for my train into Denmark …. but I made it ..

DSB (Danish state railways) uses many figurative expressions which would confuse non-experts: for example a ‘dog’ is a thing put under a wheel to prevent it from moving. Or an ‘Half English’ is a spor track which can only turn in one direction.
Kolind

At Aarhus station I saw the entrance into the letbane platform, which I had not found in 2021… It was cool to be riding it again! I hopped off in Trustrup where I was picked up, the air was cool but going through the Danish countryside was so nice. I ate fish and couscous for dinner +the Dutch stroopwafels I brought as gift! The house was super cozy – I kind of miss its smell 🙂

22 August: Grenaa centre

The following day I got my wish granted – seeing the centre of Grenaa I had totally missed back in 2021!! And we got food for the dinner – chicken with sweet potato fries and carrots with rasins 🙂 Then a discount version of Champagne Brus ice lollies – eating one again was my second wish!

and here my journal of the first day:

23 August: Aarhus and Den Gamle By Museum

On 23rd August I went to Aarhus according to my plan! Main reason was meeting another friend 2 years later :). It started kind of bad, I could use my friend’s bike, but the saddle was way too high for me, so I first went on foot, which meant walking 1,5 hours. But I enjoyed the place and for once it was okay. Then I realized I should have taken the phone charger, and went all the way back. At that point walking again would take too long.. So I took the bike. Well, that wasn’t the most hyggelig thing. But despite falling once (I had to bike with the tip of my feet) I got to the letbane stop 30 secs before the train arrived!! Just in time to lock the bike..

So once in Aarhus I went to my friend’s place, her dad arrived in the meantime and we chatted a little. They convinced me to go to Den Gamle By, even though there wasn’t soo much time left before the closing time.

I walked headed there, and on the way I entered a second hand shop (genbrug) where I found a nice green-white striped tshirt, for just 20 DKK (3€), the brand was Finnish Marimekko, so a bonus point.

I reached Den Gamle By and went through it very fast, though I didn’t have the time to read most signs.. oh well. It did cost me 25€ but I wouldn’t be there soon again..

I took a lotta pics, so will make an additional post just for Den Gamle By…Here is a taste of it, bakery and home, from the 1800s and in the 70s:

Once i got out I decided to head to AroS, the art museum.

Though I didn’t enter the museum, had nor energies nor time nor will to spend more money on the ticket (Although one day I should walk in the rainbow circle) . What I did was going up the stairs and then straight to the museum shop! I got my first books in Danish, written by Aarhus university professors, from a series of booklets called Tænke Pauser (Breaks to think(?): one about Dreams (Om Drøm) and one about Europe (simply ‘Europa’). Fast forward 1 month I finished and really enjoyed them! The museum sold also quite a lot of Moomin and Pippi Longstocking (in Danish Pippi Langstrømpe) things… But i resisted..

Then, super hungry and a bit tired after an intense day, I wanted to eat something. I got into a 7-Eleven and had to get some Wienerbrød (‘Viennese bread’, Danish pastries that the Danes took from Vienna apparently), I picked a Tebirkes and also bought an ice lolly I had wanted to try for a while, Solbær, which used to be called Kæmpe Eskimo (changed the historic name for politically-correctness reasons, whether it was right or wrong to do that is not up to me to judge). I quickly ate up the lolly and got into a Netto, getting a Studenterbrød!!

So I had the exact same things my friend got as a welcome thing to Denmark on my very first day 2 years before, and I sat at the same place to eat them, Dokk1! God I loved that so much. So Calming. Would be there every summer evening if only I could! I then got the Letbane home and biked again home, really enojoyed that even though the bike comfiness was what it was!

24 August: Grenaa Beach

On my last full day in Denmark we went to Grenaa’s beach, another thing I longed to do again. Later we went into the town and in another second hand shop I found a 1936(!!) figurine album about all European countries, so cool! Besides Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and all that it even had Gdansk/Danzig …

I had to get food for the journey of the following day. We went to a Lidl (I guess cheaper than Kvickly?) and of course I got Rygbrød , cheese and a Spandauer, I guess the most iconic Wienerbrød? My friend told me I had to try the Dagmartærte too. I also bought a cronut. Not really Danish but I had yet to try that…We ate one by one all the rolls of the Dagmartærte while sitting in the garden…

On the evening we watched a Danish horror-ish series called Equinotium, Not my thing, but watching stuff in other languages is always a good idea. Also some random tv-reality shows. I had a lot of trouble understanding my friend’s sarcastic comments in Danish though, gotta improve.

25 August: farvel.. for now

Trustrup letbane stop, on the rainy morning of the day I left Denmark..took the train to Federicia in Aarhus, and there I got a kærnemælkhorn at the 7/11 because why not…

So I am glad I got to fulfill some wishes I have had for a while – Seeing the centre of Grenaa, Eating Danish Ice lollies again and Wienerbrød and getting books in Danish! My journey then continued south to Germany, but I hope I will get to see new parts of Denmark soon! Hej hej!

Days to celebrate Finnish culture

Days on which the Finnish language, suomenkieli, and culture is celebrated in Finland, on birthdays of Finnish poets and artists

Finland celebrates its language and culture during special days chosen for birthdays of Poets and artists. Most are flag days in the country, on which the Finnish flag Siniristilippu (“blue cross flag”) shall fly.

Runeberg day – 5 February

In Finnish Runebergin päivä, it is the birthday of the national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804–1877). The highlight of the celebration is eating Runeberg’s torte (Finnish: Runebergintorttu; Swedish: Runebergstårta).

Runeberg lived in Porvoo/Borgå and although he is considered the national poet of Finland, he only wrote in Swedish! His Vårt land (“Our Land”, Maamme in Finnish) became an unofficial Finnish national anthem.

Runeberg ate the torte now carrying his name everyday, baked by his wife Fredrika. it is an almond and rum flavoured pastry with raspberry jam, and a ring of icing on top. You can find it in shops from the beginning of January until 5 February. The exception to this is Runeberg’s hometown Porvoo, where you can enjoy the torte the whole year round!

Kalevala day – 28 February

In Finnish Kalevalan päivä, it also known as Finnish Culture Day because of the central role Kalevala has as the national epic of Finland and Karelia. Elias Lönnrot (1802 – 1884), a Finnish physician and philologist, compiled it in the 19th century by collecting traditional Finnic oral folklore in Finland, Karelia, the Kola Peninsula and the Baltic countries.

Kalevala means land of Kaleva, and its main character is Väinämöinen, a sort of godlike shaman with a magical voice, and it tells about the hero’s search for a wife.

As a symbol of Finnish culture and history, Kalevala has inspired many Finnish artists, among others the classical composer Jean Sibelius and the painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

A. Gallen Kallela, Aino Myth, Triptych, 1891
A. Gallen Kallela, Aino Myth, Triptych, 1891

Something as old and quintessentially Finnish can be described as kalevalainen “Kalevala-esque”!

Finnish Language day – 9 April

On 9 April Mikael Agricola, the “father of literary Finnish” died, and Elias Lönnrot was born. For this reason it is celebrated as Finnish language day, suomen kielen päivä.

While the previously mentioned Elias Lönnrot compiled the Kalevala, Mikael Agricola was a Bishop and scholar who created Finnish as a written language in the 1500s, with all its lovely double vowels.

Agricola’s role for the Finnish language was similar to that of Luther for German. Both translated the bible into their people’s language. He did that with other Finns while living in Wittenberg, Luther’s town. Agricola also wrote the Abckiria (ABC Book), the first piece of literature in Finnish.

Other important days for Finnish culture

  • 3 February – Day of Finnish architecture and design, Arkkitehtuurin ja muotoilun päiviä. It is the birthday of Alvar Aalto
  • 12 may – Day of Finnish Identity, suomalaisuuden päivä, birthday of the statesman Johan Vilhelm Snellman
  • 9 August – Tove Jansson day, Since 2020 this day, Tove Jansson’s birthday, is a flag day in Finland, celebrating Finnish art. Tove Jansson was a painter and illustrator, most known as the creator of Moomintrolls. Her novels and other written work have been translated into more than 50 languages
  • 8 December – John Sibelius day, Birthday Jean Sibeliuksen päivä/ also day of Finnish music

Sweden’s sweet calendar: kanelbullensdagen and other pastry-themed days

cinnamon buns, waffles, semlor and more: there is a special day dedicated to each in Sweden

Soon it is time to eat semlor pastries in Sweden! Swedes have a few days dedicated to eating a specific thing. Whether it started to honour a king or just find an excuse to bake, time to mark some days on your calendar and join them in celebrating Swedish confectionery!

Semlor: February/March – Fettisdagen

On Shrove Tuesday (fettisdagen, fet tisdag = fat Tuesday), 21 February in 2023, tons of of semlor are purchased in Sweden. A semla is a cardamom-spiced bun with almond paste and whipped cream. A perfect pastry you’d want to devour before the fastening time preceding Easter starts! Semlor are eaten in Swedish Finland too, but called fastlagsbulle there, and Fettisdagen is called fastlagstisdagen. Slightly different versions of semlor exist in the other Nordic countries too, and they are usually eaten on Shrove Monday instead: Bollur in Iceland, Fastelavnboller in Denmark/Norway. Unlike the Swedish semlor, they often have chocolate on top…

Waffles: 25 March – Våffeldagen

The christian feast of the Annunciation, in Swedish Vårfrudagen, lit. “Our Lady’s Day”, ended up becoming for most Swedes the similar-sounding våffeldagen (“waffle day”). This turned a religious day into a chance to eat heart-shaped waffles! It is also ”observed” In Norway and Denmark!

Cinnamon buns: 4 October – Kanelbullensdagen

Cinnamon bun day has been celebrated since 1999, and it was actually invented for commercial reasons: the person who made it up, Kaeth Gardestedt, was at the time working for an association of baking products producers. After almost 25 years people still bake cinnamon buns on 4th October!

Gustav Adolf pastry: 6 November – Gustav Adolfsdagen

6th November is the date of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf’s death in 1632. The king was very generous with universities as the one of Gothenburg, where a pastry was invented in his remembrance: Gustav Adolfsbakelse. It has been popular since the late 1800s. You can see it in a lot of variations, but what makes it a Gustav Adolf pastry is the chocolate bust of the king on top!

Gingerbread biscuits: 9 December – Pepparkakansdag

Gingerbread cookies, known as pepparkakor in Sweden, probably originated in Nuremberg, Germany, in the middle ages. Mentioned in Swedish in 1444 for the first time, the word pepper was used to mean spices in it, as pepper was the most common spice at the time. Baking them became a typical Christmas thing in Sweden and other countries, remember the episode of Pippi were she cuts them in the shape of her horse and monkey? Pepparkakansdag was, similarly to Kannelbullensdag, invented in 1996 by gingerbread maker Annas Pepparkakor.

Apparently there is also a Polkagrisensdag (candy cane day) on 20th April, but it mostly promoted in Gränna, near the Vättern lake. There Amalia Eriksson invented the polkagrisstång in 1859, the red-white peppermint candy cane, and many local shops celebrate this day.

Does your country have any days like these?

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