National food of Karelia. Karelian cuisine. Northern-style pancakes

A story about the sights of a particular region would be incomplete without mentioning the peculiarities of the local national cuisine. After all, it is the traditions of cooking that largely influence the character and mentality of the people, revealing their traditional culture from a new side. We have been talking with you for a long time about Karelia, about the brightest and other amazing cities of this northern region. It's time to get acquainted with traditional Karelian cuisine and find out what national Karelian dishes you can try in local restaurants and cafes.

Karelia is a wonderful land of forests, lakes and rivers. It is this national wealth of the region that has influenced the formation of gastronomic traditions since ancient times. Agriculture is not very developed here, but hunting, fishing and gathering have at all times served as the basis for a well-fed life for Karelians.

It is not difficult to guess that fish in Karelia is the king product on the table. Fish is boiled, steamed, simmered in an oven, dried, marinated, fermented, smoked, baked... Most traditional Karelian dishes are made from fish.

It's hard to imagine lunch in Karelia without traditional fish soup (Kalakeitto), which is prepared from the meat of white fish, mainly whitefish or cod, with the addition of milk. There is also a holiday version of this fish soup. It's called Lohikeyto and, unlike Kalakeitto, is made from fatty salmon with the addition of cream. It would seem that dairy products and fish are completely incompatible. Actually this is not true. The rich, creamy fish soup is not at all like traditional Russian fish soup. It is tender, does not smell of fish at all and literally melts in your mouth. I definitely recommend trying it.

In traditional Karelian cuisine you can also find another fish soup, better known among the people as Yushka. The ancestors of modern Karelians cooked yushka from whole, unpeeled pieces of fish. Flour, eggs, Icelandic moss and birch buds were added to the soup. Nowadays such exotic things can only be found in distant villages. At least we didn’t see it on any menu.

If you are not a fan of experiments, traditional fish soup without cream can also be found on the menu of almost any cafe and restaurant.

As a main fish dish, we recommend trying local vendace- a small freshwater fish similar to herring or capelin. Tourists especially revere smoked vendace, although in the tradition of preparing Karelian dishes, fish was never smoked. Let's just say that this is a modern trend, loved by both residents and guests of Karelia.

On a note! It is best to buy smoked trout from the Valaam Monastery. You will not find more juicy and tender fish anywhere else in Karelia.

A common dish in Karelia are fish pies. In addition to fish, sour cream is added to this pie, sometimes mushrooms and finely chopped onions are added. The pie turns out juicy and tasty.

In the markets you can also find traditional Karelian suschik– dried small fish. Previously, it was not only eaten in its usual form, but also added to the traditional strong fish soup.

Kallalaatikko - one of the dishes of Pomeranian cuisine

We also had a chance to try several fish dishes of Pomeranian cuisine. The Gandvik Hotel, where we spent the night on the way to Solovki, is famous for its restaurant, which serves national Pomeranian cuisine. The north of Karelia is especially harsh, and the inhabitants of this region require a hearty and nutritious lunch. I was especially impressed by the local fish fry with an unpronounceable name. Kallalaatikko. As in most Karelian dishes, fish here is stewed together with potatoes in cream, and a thin crust of cheese is sprinkled on top. It's incredibly tasty and satisfying!

Meat in Karelian cuisine

In ancient times, Karelians rarely ate meat. Now the situation has changed and traditional Karelian meat can easily be found on the menu of cafes of national cuisine. Typically this will be forest game(venison, elk, game birds). Hunters appeared in these forests quite a long time ago, and the traditions of preparing similar dishes in Karelia have accumulated quite a lot. Quite tender and pleasant-tasting deer or elk meat can be enjoyed with traditional sweet lingonberry sauce right in the capital of Karelia -.

Later, when livestock farming began to develop in the region, more familiar varieties of meat such as beef, lamb and pork came to Karelian cuisine. It was these types of meat that began to be actively used as food. You can try traditional meat dishes Jelly, Mash, reminiscent of a puree of meat, pearl barley and peas, or Karelian roast, containing three types of meat (beef, lamb and pork) with the addition of offal.

Currently, the option is also widely known - roast in Petrovsky style. Why in Petrovsky? It's simple! This is the signature dish of the Petrovsky restaurant. Prepared in pots from meat, potatoes and sour cream, with the addition of porcini mushrooms, onions and tomatoes.

On New Year's Eve, Ladoga Karelians also prepared traditional eve in Karelian, from three types of meat with the addition of fish and vegetables.

Vegetable and mushroom dishes of Karelia

It is difficult to imagine Karelian cuisine without the addition of mushrooms. A wide variety of mushrooms grow in Karelia. The most common: porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, milk mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms. They are used to make soups, add them to main courses, salt, marinate, dry, and prepare various sauces and porridges from them.

Mushrooms are an integral attribute of traditional Karelian cuisine

But the choice of vegetables in traditional cuisine is not great. This is explained primarily by the fact that agriculture in the northern rocky soils is poorly developed. The king of vegetables on the Karelian table has always been the turnip. It was consumed in large quantities in steamed, dried, boiled and raw form, sometimes called “second bread”. Later, in the recipes of many dishes, turnips were replaced by the more familiar, but less healthy potatoes.

Radishes, onions, rutabaga, cabbage, zucchini and peas are also popular in Karelian cuisine. They are included in many Karelian dishes.

Desserts and pastries in Karelian cuisine

Confectionery and desserts have never existed in traditional Karelian cuisine. For sweets on the Karelian table you can find the usual wild berries, porridge or your favorite pastry.

Cloudberry is one of the most expensive and rare berries in Karelia

Popular wild berries include lingonberries, cranberries, blueberries or cloudberries. They will not be difficult to find in local forests. Every Karelian family always prepares berries for the winter. The berries are used to bake pies, boil jelly, and eat fresh with sugar, cottage cheese, milk or oatmeal porridge. By the way, the latter is a real highlight of national Karelian cuisine.

Kareliancake - dessert made from cottage cheese with lingonberries

People in Karelia also love baked goods. Most often, coarse rye flour is used in its production. In addition to berry and fish pies, you can always find on the Karelian table wickets- open pies made from rye flour. Gates are so popular in Karelia that you can even buy them on the street. The shape of the gate resembles a boat, inside of which all kinds of fillings are placed. The most common of them are mashed potatoes and millet. Also on the menu you can find wickets with rice, cottage cheese, berries, fish or meat. The baking itself, due to the fact that it is made from rye flour, turns out to be a little harsh. Therefore, according to tradition, in Karelian families, immediately before eating, pies are “bathed” in hot milk with the addition of butter.

Kalitki - traditional Karelian pies

On a note! In Karelia you can not only taste traditional Karelian wickets, but also learn how to cook them. Many excursion routes include such master classes.

An equally popular traditional pastry in Karelian cuisine is sulchina- a pancake made from rye flour with filling, most often baked over hot coals. Rice, millet or potatoes are used as filling in sulchina.

Sulcina - pancake with potatoes, baked on coals

We recommend trying the famous Scans, which are often popularly called “pies for son-in-law” or “matchmaking pies”. Traditional skants are crescent-shaped pies made of rye flour, inside which rice or millet porridge was placed. Skans were prepared for matchmakers and the groom when they came to woo the bride. Hence the name “pies for son-in-law.” Modern pies are most often made from wheat flour, and sugar or honey is placed inside instead of porridge. It makes a delicious treat for tea.

Drinks in traditional Karelian cuisine

The most popular drink in Karelia is considered milk. It is not only drunk, but also added to many dishes as one of the main ingredients.

No less popular kvass. It is made from malt, bread, turnips or cranberries. Love here and berry fruit drinks. Of the warm drinks, the most widely consumed is considered tea, and forest herbs are often added to it and drunk for medicinal purposes.

Alcohol has been known in Karelia since ancient times beer, although at present the traditional recipe for Karelian beer is considered lost. Later, vodka appeared in these places. It was strong alcohol that became the basis for numerous tinctures based on local herbs and berries. You can easily find it on store shelves liqueurs from cranberries, lingonberries or cloudberries. A popular gift from Karelia will be “ Karelian balsam"- tincture of local herbs and berries with the addition of honey. There are at least thirty ingredients in Karelian balsam. Most of them are used for medicinal purposes, so drinking it is not only pleasant, but also healthy. The main thing is to drink in limited doses!

Where to try national Karelian cuisine?

The most popular and famous establishment with traditional Karelian cuisine in Petrozavodsk is the Karelian Gornitsa restaurant (13 F. Engels St.). Here you can not only taste delicious dishes, but also enjoy the traditional northern interior. Each room in the upper room is filled with a certain meaning and creates an amazing atmosphere.

Restaurant of national Karelian cuisine “Karelian Gornitsa”

Interior of the “Karelian Upper Room”

Each room of the Karelian Upper Room is decorated in a special style

National dishes are served in the Karelia restaurant (Gyullinga embankment, 2) at the hotel of the same name in the center of Petrozavodsk, and in the Petrovsky restaurant (Andropova str., 1), and in the Kivach cafe (Ave. Lenina, 28).

Our national lunch at the Kizhi Museum-Reserve

You can try the traditional cuisine of Karelia not only in the capital of the republic, but also beyond its borders. For example, we had the opportunity to taste Karelian dishes in the only cafe, and in the refectory, and even in a roadside cafe not far from.

Well, for Pomeranian cuisine it’s worth going to Belomorsk, to the Gandvik hotel.

That's probably all for today. When planning a trip to Karelia, be sure to try some of the local Karelian cuisine. I am sure you will remember it for a long time with its rich taste and simple recipe. Well, for those who are planning to stay in Petrozavodsk, I recommend reading the post with a selection. Bright travels and new delicious discoveries!

Like any national cuisine, Karelian cuisine consists mainly of what grows, lives and lives in a certain territory. The Karelian region, mostly located in the north-west of Russia and in Finland, is rich in its forests and lakes. And Karelian cuisine is replete with a variety of fish dishes. It is boiled, dried, salted and even fermented. There is very little meat in local cuisine.

In addition, gifts of the forest are widely added to dishes - mushrooms and berries: strawberries, blueberries, blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries. Wheat flour is practically not used in cooking. It is replaced by rye and barley. Dairy products are not as common as in neighboring Estonia. The heat treatment of products in Karelian cuisine is also special. They don’t have the concept of “Frying”. They even call fried pies boiled in oil. Smoking fish is also not typical for them, as in Estonia, located next door.

Fish is the basis of Karelian cuisine

Speaking about Karelian cuisine, one cannot fail to mention the signature Karelian fish soup - kalaruokka. This is fish soup prepared in a very special way. It is cooked mainly from whitefish. Unlike traditional Russian fish soup, which is transparent like a tear, kalaruokka is somewhat cloudy in appearance. The peculiarity of its preparation is that shortly before the end of cooking it is passed through a thick layer of coal. This is done to ensure that all bitterness and unnecessary impurities are removed. After all, it is cooked with the addition of moss, pine and birch buds. Egg, milk, and also dried small fish – sushik – are added to the kalaruokka.

Fish is the main component of all Karelian cuisine. It was prepared in incredible quantities. They salted and fermented fish in pits according to grades. Thin sticks were placed on the fish placed in the pits and pressure was placed on top so that all the fish were under the brine. Small fish also did not disappear. It was dried and added to various dishes for fat. The valuable caviar was mainly sold, and the leftovers were used to make filling for pancakes. Some peoples ate raw salted fish, while others cooked it after soaking it.

Features of the national cuisine of Karelia

Another characteristic feature of Karelian national cuisine is the almost complete absence of main courses. They were replaced by a variety of pies with the same fish made from unleavened dough. Pies were baked in a variety of shapes, but mostly they were crescent-shaped or semicircular pies. Mainly rye flour was used for baking. An unexpected feature of Karelian fish pies for us is that they put it without cleaning it first, right with the scales.

Vegetable dishes in Karelian cuisine include turnips, potatoes, and in smaller quantities radishes, carrots, and onions. Moreover, potatoes began to be grown in Karelia quite recently.

In Karelian cuisine there is no such thing as dessert. Almost no sweet dishes were prepared. Among the delicacies familiar to our understanding, the Karelians had only pies with wild berries. The favorite delicacy for the peoples of Karelia was milk with the same berries. They collected quite a lot of berries in the rich local forests.

Kvass is a very popular drink. It is made from malt, turnips and bread. Also in Karelia they drink coffee and tea, including infusions of various medicinal herbs.

Traditional Karelian pastries differs from modern ideas about sweet buns and pies. In Karelia, baked goods were most often filled with porridge boiled in water or milk, later with potato filling, and often fish, meat, and vegetables were used for filling. Pies, wickets, rybniks, and kurniks were not desserts, as we are now used to thinking of baked goods, but accompanied the main course. They were eaten together with thick soups, porridges, and jelly. On the contrary, sweet pies, most often in traditional Karelian pastries, have no filling at all. For example, scans, various cupcakes. Or sweet pies were also filled with porridge, less often with cottage cheese, potatoes, and even less often with berries.

Rybnik

A traditional Karelian and Vepsian dish, widespread throughout the region. Karelians (southern and middle) call fishmonger kurnik. They borrowed the shape of kurnik (chicken baked in dough) and its name from the Russians. For the fishmonger, sour (yeast) dough is prepared from rye or wheat flour. Unleavened dough is very brittle, and juice may leak out of the fish during baking. The flatbread is rolled out 1 cm thick, fresh salted fish is placed on it, butter is added, wrapped in a boat, the edges are pinched and baked in the oven.
In northern Karelia, open-faced fishmongers also bake from fresh salted fish. In this case, pour a little sour cream into the existing hole. Fish in an open fishmonger is tastier and more crumbly. In central Karelia, open fish soup is usually made from fatty fish. Finnish Karelians put thinly sliced ​​pork fat on top of the fish in the fishmonger. The quadrangular kurnik was usually made from pike and burbot (the fish was cut into pieces). Triangular-shaped fish soup was also baked from pike. Sometimes a round fishcake was baked from vendace, leaving a small area open on top.
The readiness of a closed fishmonger was determined as follows: take the product out of the oven and shake it slightly. If the fish “walked” in it, it means the fishmonger was ready. It was smeared with water or turnip kvass and covered with a towel.
The top crust of the fishmonger was cut off - it replaced bread. No wonder people said: “Huttu da kurniekkukuori on leibal abu” - “Thickness and crust from the fishmonger help the bread.”

Rybnik

An old Karelian product of the Northern Karelians, who called rybnik fish pie. A rectangular flat cake was rolled out from bread dough, and cleaned and gutted fish (small ones - whole, large ones - in pieces) were placed in the middle of it. A little rye flour was sprinkled on top and a layer of pork or lamb cracklings, pieces of fresh or salted meat were placed. The edges of the cake were folded over and pinched. Nowadays, fish pies are baked without meat, but cracklings or lard are sometimes added to the filling.

Rybnik made from burbot milk and liver

A dish widely spread among the Karelian population of eastern Finland. Fishmongers usually baked burbot milk and liver when there was a rich catch of this fish. The milk and liver were pre-salted, boiled in water, crushed, and finely chopped onions were added. A small flat cake was made from sour dough, the filling was placed in the middle, and the edges were pinched. The shape of the product resembled a closed fishmonger. The pies were baked in the oven, the finished ones were greased with water and covered with a towel. These fishmongers were taken with them on the road.

Meat chicken

Previously, meat chicken was prepared from raw or light meat. Pieces of meat or lung were salted and finely chopped. They made a flatbread from the bread dough, put the filling on it, added onions and, if the meat was lean, melted butter, wrapped the dough in an envelope, brushed it with sour cream or egg and baked it in the oven until done. Nowadays, in some villages, meat chicken is baked from yeast dough (wheat flour). A rectangular cake is made from it and placed on a baking sheet greased with oil. Place the filling on half of the flatbread, cover it with the other half and pinch the edges. After brushing the surface with egg and making 3-4 small holes on it with a knife, bake in the oven until done. The finished chicken is taken out of the oven, placed on a board, greased with butter and covered with parchment paper and a towel on top. Minced meat: 300 g beef, 300 g pork, 2 onions, salt to taste.

Pie with cracklings

Yeast (bread) or unleavened dough. For the filling, pearl barley porridge cooked in water is used. Grinds from lamb, deer or beef fat are finely chopped into it. Roll out the flatbread and place minced meat on it. The shape of the traditional pie resembles that of a fisherman. After baking, the top of the pie is greased with oil and covered with a towel. Eaten both hot and cold. Previously, such pies were also baked with turnip filling. The turnips were first finely chopped (planed), placed on a flatbread of dough, salted and sprinkled with a little flour. Cracklings or finely chopped fat were placed on top. In northern Karelia, such pies are still baked from yeast or unleavened dough. Filling: 500 g fat in pieces, 2 cups pearl barley porridge or boiled turnips, 1 - 2 tbsp. spoons of flour, salt to taste.

Liver pie

Yeast dough. The liver (lungs, kidneys) is cleaned of fat and films, boiled in salt water, and crushed. Cook porridge (rice, pearl barley) in milk, cool it and mix it with chopped liver and fried onions. Place the filling in the middle of the dough cake and wrap the edges with an envelope. Before putting in the oven, brush with beaten egg or brewed tea. This pie was considered festive.

Pea pies

Small flat cakes are made from sour dough (bread), and a filling of boiled peas and oatmeal is placed in the middle. You can add onions. The edges of the cakes are connected and pinched. The finished pies are greased with sunflower oil. Pea pies were usually baked on fasting days.

Pies with oatmeal

The sour dough is rolled out into small flat cakes (1/2 cm thick). Oatmeal is mixed with curdled milk and sour cream, a beaten egg is added, some salt is added - and the filling is ready. It is placed in the middle of the flatbread, the edges are joined and pinched. The pies are coated with sour cream and baked in the oven.

Mushroom pie

Old Karelian and Vepsian product. Yeast dough (bread). Salted mushrooms were soaked in slightly salted water, and dry mushrooms were soaked or boiled in water. Finely chopped both of them, added onions fried in butter (you can add chopped eggs, pearl barley or rice porridge cooked in milk), and mixed everything well. The dough was rolled out into a rectangular layer 1 cm thick. The filling was placed in a heap on one half (you can fill it with a mash of raw beaten egg and flour), the other half of the rolled out layer was covered with the filling and the edges were pinched. The top was greased with egg or strong tea, several small holes were made in the top crust with a knife so that excess moisture evaporated through them, and baked in the oven. In Karelian and Vepsian villages they also prepared small pies filled with salted mushrooms. Filling: 100 g of dried mushrooms, 300 - 400 g of salted mushrooms, 2 - 3 onions, 3 - 4 eggs, 50 g of butter, a cup of cereal, 1 teaspoon of flour, salt to taste.

Koloby

In former times, Karelians baked kolob from sour (bread) rye dough. In many villages they were called shangs. Modern housewives, as a rule, prepare kolobos from white flour with yeast. The dough is cut into small flat cakes, a depression is formed in the middle with a pestle, into which a filling of mashed potatoes or semolina porridge is placed. The edges of the cake are not folded. The top of the kolob is coated with sour cream and baked in the oven. The finished kolobos are flavored with melted butter. Dough: 1 glass of warm milk, 200 g margarine, 1 tbsp. spoon of vegetable oil, 1 egg, 1/3, packs of yeast, 1 tbsp. spoon of granulated sugar, salt. Mashed potatoes: 1 kg of potatoes, 1 - 2 eggs, 1/2, a glass of hot milk, 1/2, a can of sour cream (100 g), 2 tbsp. tablespoons butter, salt to taste. Semolina porridge: 3 teaspoons semolina, 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 tbsp. spoon of butter.

Potato Pie

Knead soft yeast dough, and while preparing the filling, it stands in a warm place. For the filling, boil the potatoes (preferably in their jackets), and make a puree (not thick). The dough is rolled out, the cake is transferred to a baking sheet or large frying pan, mashed potatoes are added, and the edges of the cake are folded. Top with sour cream and bake in the oven. 200 g margarine, 1 glass of milk, 1/2 pack of yeast, 1/2 teaspoon of soda, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of salt.

Pie with lingonberries

Yeast (sour) dough. Fresh or soaked lingonberries are mixed with granulated sugar. If available, add candied orange peel, mix everything and place it on a rolled out flatbread on a baking sheet. The edges of the cake are carefully folded. To prevent lingonberry juice from leaking, you can sprinkle starch or streusel powder on top of the berries. Streusel powder: place a tablespoon of flour on a plate, a piece of butter (preferably melted) butter (20 - 30 g), 1 tbsp. a spoonful of granulated sugar and knead everything well with your hands. You can add egg yolk. The result is mealy-buttery crumbs, which are used to sprinkle on berry (very juicy) pies. Start sprinkling the pie from the corners, as these are the most vulnerable places for juice to leak.

Blueberry Pie

Karelians baked a pie with blueberries on the holiday of Makovey (August 14) - farewell to summer. The dough is yeasty and sour. The berries were previously boiled, but now many housewives use raw blueberries mixed with granulated sugar for the filling. Lightly sprinkle the blueberries with potato flour on top, especially the corners of the pie, so that the juice does not leak out, but it is better to sprinkle with streusel. Previously, small pies like cheesecakes were baked with blueberries (lingonberries). The filling was crushed berries with granulated sugar. I can also recommend this recipe for blueberry pie. Sort the blueberries, wash in cold water, and rinse with boiling water in a colander. Sprinkle the berries with granulated sugar and let stand for 1.5 - 2 hours. The dough is suitable for both yeast and shortbread. Shortbread dough composition: 200 g butter margarine, 2 yolks, 1 white, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 2 cups of flour.

Russian pancakes

There are many recipes for pancakes, but the principle of preparing them is the same, the only difference is in the proportion of ingredients used. Dissolve 20 g of yeast in 800 g of warm milk or water, add salt, add yolk and 500 g of flour. Mix everything well and place in a warm place for 2 hours. After this, add butter or margarine (150 - 200 g), whipped egg whites, stir and leave for another 2 hours, stirring the dough from time to time. Before baking pancakes, beat 2 - 3 eggs into the dough and pour a cup of hot milk. The finished dough should have the consistency of liquid sour cream. It is important that the dough does not sit too long, otherwise the pancakes will turn out sour and pale. If you start baking without allowing the dough to ferment, the pancakes will be unleavened and not lacy. The frying pan (cast iron) must be wiped with vegetable oil and heated well, so that smoke comes out. After this, wipe it again with a cloth - and you are ready to bake. The finished dough is poured with a ladle or a large spoon onto a hot, greased frying pan and, tilting it, the dough is distributed in an even layer. Pancakes are fried on both sides. The finished pancakes are greased with oil and, to keep them warm, they are placed in a saucepan with a lid placed in a bowl of warm water. It is good to put a clean towel under the lid - it will absorb the steam and the pancakes will not become wet. Many housewives add buckwheat flour to the dough for Russian pancakes, about 1/3 - they turn out dry and crispy.

Pretzel in Finnish

Dilute 1/2, packs of yeast, pour into 1/2, liter of warm milk, salt, add 3 eggs, melted butter (250 - 300 g), 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sunflower oil, 1 - 2 tbsp. spoons of granulated sugar, a handful of washed and dried raisins, 6 - 8 pieces of cardamom (peel and crush). Knead a thick dough and place it in a warm place. As soon as the dough begins to rise, it is kneaded and allowed to stand. Three ropes are made from the dough, braided and rolled into a pretzel. Brush with the yolk whipped with milk and place in the oven. If the pretzel starts to burn on top, cover it with parchment paper or foil soaked in water. The readiness of the pretzel is determined by piercing it with a match or a thin stick: if it is dry, the pretzel is ready. Removed from the oven, the pretzel is brushed with egg and milk mixture. Sprinkle the slightly cooled pretzel with powdered sugar. Serve on a tray or platter. You can put candy in the middle or put burning candles (birthday cake).

Finnish buns

In a cup of hot milk, dissolve softened cream margarine (200 g), add salt, pour in 1/2 packets of yeast dissolved in warm milk with granulated sugar and knead the dough. Let it come up (40 - 50 minutes, you can hold it longer if you have time). Then roll out a large flat cake 0.5 - 1 cm thick, grease it with melted butter on top, sprinkle with granulated sugar and wrap it in a roll. Cut small slices (10-12 cm) from the end of the roll and, pinching them on one side, place them on a baking sheet. The buns are brushed with egg yolk whipped with milk or brewed tea and placed in the oven. Bake in moderate heat until done.

Skantsy

A traditional festive dish of the Karelians and Vepsians, now almost forgotten. Skants were prepared from rye or barley flour, sifted several times. They kneaded a thick dough with water, yogurt or skim milk, and added some salt. The dough was used to make the same cakes as for gates. Very thin flat cakes were rolled out (“skali”) from them. The Karelians said that a good skane, if you blow, should rise above the table. Skans were baked on coals in front of the mouth of the oven. Sometimes the coals were raked and the skants were baked directly on the hearth of the oven (nowadays you can use a frying pan for this purpose.) The finished skants were greased on one side with melted butter and stacked. They were filled with porridge cooked in milk already during lunch, when the soup was eaten. A pot of porridge was taken out of the oven, the skants were covered with it, then they were folded along the edges, and again in half. It looked like a tube, which was generously lubricated with oil. When Skans ate, it was customary to break them in half, even for themselves. Anyone who did not do this was considered greedy. They ate skants, dipping them in melted butter or heated sour cream. Wash it down with cold milk or curd milk.

Wickets

To prepare the dough, pour 1 cup of yogurt into a bowl (it can be replaced with fresh milk or sour cream), add a little water, salt and stir well. Then add flour, preferably rye, and knead into a thick dough. If there is no rye flour, the dough can be made from black bread. The rind is cut off, and the pulp is poured with kefir or sour cream and allowed to stand. Knead the dough with wheat flour, then put it out of the bowl onto the board and continue kneading until it stops sticking to your hands and the board. Allow the dough to stand for a while and then roll it into a sausage, cut off pieces of the same size, make balls, and from them small flat cakes (7 - 8 cm in diameter), which, sprinkled with flour, are placed in a stack so that the dough does not dry out.
Take one flat cake from the stack and roll out thin skants, 1 - 1.5 mm thick and 30 - 35 cm in diameter. The finished skants are also stacked on top of each other. To prevent them from sticking together, they are lightly sprinkled with flour.
The filling can be from cereals (boiled or soaked), oatmeal, or mashed potatoes. The cereal filling is prepared from barley and millet cereals. Barley groats are not boiled, but are soaked in yogurt with a small amount of melted butter in the evening. By morning it becomes soft and slightly sour in taste. To prevent the wickets from being sour, fresh milk is sometimes added. The good thing about barley wickets is that they are also tasty when served cold.
Millet for gates is washed, boiled in milk, salted and butter is added. The porridge should be viscous. The wickets are filled with rice porridge cooked in milk, as well as oatmeal thickly mixed with fresh salted yogurt or sour cream.
Mashed potatoes for the filling are always made from potatoes boiled in their jackets. Hot potatoes are quickly peeled, mashed with a masher, hot milk, sour cream, salt, eggs (yolks), and butter are added. The puree should not be very thick.
Olonets and Tikhvin Karelians and Vepsians bake wickets with cottage cheese.
Previously, when the housewife ran out of filling and there were still some skants left, they would quickly make a garve - finely ground barley flour was mixed with curdled milk, milk or sour cream and stuff the skants with this mixture.
The scans are pinched or the edges are folded, brushed with salted sour cream mixed with raw yolk, and baked in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes. While the gates are hot, generously grease them with butter.
Wickets were baked on Sundays and also on holidays. They were eaten with fish soup, soup, and milk.
Potato gates were never prepared for a funeral dinner. This is apparently explained by the fact that potatoes are a rather late crop in Karelia.
Gates are still very popular in the region today. They are made everywhere, and not only by Karelians, but also by representatives of other peoples living in Karelia.

Pies for son-in-law

In the past, it was a traditional ritual dish of the Karelians and Vepsians. Such pies were fried when matchmakers came to the house. The first scan was to be rolled out by the bride. They interfered with her in every possible way. Matchmakers and the groom threw wood chips into the dough to ruin the product. It was believed that only in this case the matchmaking would be successful. The son-in-law was treated to “matchmaking” pies when he came to visit his mother-in-law, hence their other name - “pies for the son-in-law.” It is no coincidence that the Karelian proverb says: “Kun on vavу kois, siit on seinat vois” - “When the son-in-law is in the house, the walls are covered in oil.” A “pie” son-in-law, in contrast to a “thick” (neighbor’s) son-in-law, was called a distant (dear) son-in-law.
Pies for the son-in-law were also served to the house builders when the frame was ready. In some Karelian villages they were baked from the flour of the new harvest after the last sheaf had been harvested.
There are many options for son-in-law pies. We offer three of them.
1. Prepare unleavened dough. Beat 1 egg, add 2 tbsp. spoons of sour cream, 2 tbsp. spoons of cream, 2 tbsp. spoons of water, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of granulated sugar, a pinch of salt. You can put a little butter or margarine, but in moderation, otherwise the pies will not turn out crispy. Knead a thick dough, roll it into a sausage and let stand for 10 - 15 minutes. Then the sausage is cut into pieces of equal size, from which small flat cakes are made (as in wickets), they are placed in a stack and they begin to roll out. Scans must be very thin. The finished scans (there are 18 - 20 of them) are stacked on the table. Half of each of them is sprinkled with granulated sugar and covered with the other half. The edges are carefully trimmed with a saucer (you can simply pinch them). Fry in a well-heated frying pan in vegetable oil. Such pies are sometimes called sponge cakes or sweet ones (mageapiirat). The filling for yarn pies can be crumbly millet porridge cooked in milk, viscous rice porridge with a boiled egg, and thick oatmeal porridge with sour cream. Tver Karelians also use cabbage filling or cottage cheese. The product is still widely used today.
2. Prepare a not very rich dough for pies with cereal filling. The manufacturing technology is generally the same as in the previous recipe, but the skants are made thicker. The recipe is as follows: 1 egg, 1 glass of water, flour, salt. For the filling - 1/2 cup rice, 2 hard-boiled eggs, salt to taste.
3. Prepare the dough for crispy pies. Chop 100 g of butter on a board with flour to fine crumbs, then put it in a bowl and pour in 1/2 cup of salted boiling water. Knead a thick dough, roll it into a rope, and then proceed as described in the first option.

Kosovik

A traditional holiday dish, widespread in central and southern Karelia even today. It is made from two layers - potato cake and filled pancakes. Potatoes are boiled in their jackets, peeled, mashed with a potato masher, salted, butter, egg, milk and a little white flour are added. You can knead stiff dough from rye or wheat flour and roll out a flat cake 1 cm thick. Pancakes are baked ahead of time. For the filling, boil crumbly millet porridge. Oatmeal, barley porridge, cottage cheese, blueberry and lingonberry jam can also serve as filling. Place a pancake on a potato cake greased with butter, fill half of the pancake with the filling, which is covered with the other half on top - again a pancake with filling, and so on 4 - 5 times. Then cover everything with the other half of the potato cake and pinch the edges. Lubricate with sour cream and bake in the oven (oven). The product turns out to be semicircular, “oblique” in shape, hence the name. Eaten warm or cold. 1/2 cup wheat flour, 1 egg, 1 kg potatoes, 2 tbsp. tablespoons butter, 1/2 glass of milk.

Private

This product is prepared in the same way as kosovik, but before the cakes were made from rye unleavened dough, and now from wheat flour. A thin cake is placed on a generously greased frying pan, a pancake is placed on it, and on top is a thin layer of porridge (barley, millet, rice, semolina) or oatmeal mixed with sour cream (you can have berries - lingonberries with sugar, blueberries); so several rows. Cover the whole thing with a second flatbread, pinch the edges and bake in the oven until done.

Lenten pies

Old Karelian Lenten product. The dough was prepared as for wickets, and the skants were rolled out into an elongated (oval) shape. The filling was kohahus - a gruel made from barley flour with sourdough from bread kneading. We kneaded it late in the evening so that the starter did not over-acidify. In the morning they added a little more flour and filled the skants. The edges were pinched, like gates, or bent at the elongated ends. They baked it in the oven. The finished product was lubricated with sunflower or hemp oil.

Pretzel

Pretzels were made from both unleavened and sour dough. For unleavened dough, well-sifted barley flour was diluted in fresh milk, 2-3 eggs were added, salt was added and a thick dough was kneaded, from which a rope was made on the board. They cut them into equal pieces and rolled them into small ropes. We put them side by side, bent them, and it turned out to be a pretzel. It was dipped into boiling salted water, cooked for 2 - 3 minutes, then taken out, placed on a sheet covered with flour and placed in the oven. The technology for making pretzels from sour (bread) dough is similar to that described. They took pretzels with them on a long journey or to work in the forest. They didn't go stale for a long time. They also baked keittileivat - custard bread.

Pancakes

A traditional product of Karelian cuisine. The son-in-law was treated to pancakes; they were often prepared especially for him. Pancakes with filling were usually baked on holidays. Nowadays, pancakes have become an everyday food, but they are baked from wheat flour and without filling. A Karelian proverb says: “Kyrzy kyzyy kuuzi”, which is lit. means: “Pancakes ask for six,” that is, six components: flour, curdled milk, butter, milk, water and filling. Southern Karelians made pancakes from well-sifted oatmeal, northern ones from barley flour. The dough was made with yogurt, milk, but more often with water, without salt, liquid (it was stirred for a long time). Thin pancakes were baked in a frying pan, which was placed on coals. The finished pancakes were placed on a plate in a stack or folded with corners, bent in half and folded in half again. We ate pancakes with barley porridge cooked in milk. The porridge was placed on half of the pancake, covered with the other half, the filling was put on again and the pancake was folded again or rolled into a tube. Dip in melted butter or sour cream. Pancakes without filling were baked for breakfast any day. During Lent, pancakes were baked in vegetable oil.

Cottage cheese pies

An ancient ritual item. Usually they baked for Peter's Day (July 12) - the beginning of haymaking. We made curd paste (see rahkakabu-pacxa). Small flat cakes were rolled out of it and baked in a frying pan or on sheets in the oven. There they were dried a little. In this form, kabuds were preserved for a long time. They were taken for haymaking - they are very filling (high in calories). In some villages (Kondopoga region) cottage cheese pies were not baked, but small balls made from curd paste were placed on a “cake” board and placed in a cold place. Ate without heating.

Crumbly pies

A simple and quick dish to prepare. Knead 200 g of softened margarine (do not melt it under any circumstances!), add 200 g of sour cream and 2 cups of flour, add salt and knead into a thick dough. It’s a good idea to put it in the cold for 1 - 2 hours, but if you don’t have time, you can do without it. They make small flatbreads and fill them with cabbage (fresh, fried), fish, apples, and minced meat. The edges are pinched. Each pie is brushed with egg yolk whipped with milk and baked in a heated oven for 10 minutes. There is another way to prepare unleavened dough. 1 - 2 eggs are poured with milk to make a full glass of liquid, salted. Flour is poured onto a cutting board in a heap, 200 g of creamy margarine is placed on it and chopped until fine grains are obtained, pouring the contents of the glass. A semi-thick dough will form. It is kneaded, adding flour, and left in the cold for 2 hours. Roll out a large flatbread, cut into circles with a glass and stuff them with prepared minced meat. Bake in the oven. Ready-made pies should not be covered with a towel - they will get wet and lose their loose structure.

"Hare skins"

A very common culinary product among the Finnish population of Karelia. If you have boiled potatoes left over, you can bake delicious pies from them. The potatoes are pounded, a little wheat flour is added, salted, flat cakes are made and stuffed with fried cabbage. The edges are pinched and baked in the oven. You can fry these pies in a frying pan

Potato pies

The boiled potatoes are wiped, lightly dried flour, salt and eggs are added. Knead the dough and cut the flat cakes. Place crumbly millet porridge seasoned with butter in the middle of each flatbread. You can fill potato pies with mushrooms (dried, pre-boiled, or salted). The edges of the cake are connected and pinched. The pies are brushed with egg and baked until done.

Karelian cake ("Centenary")

To make the cakes, you need 1 cup of sour cream, 1 egg, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of soda dissolved in vinegar, salt to taste. All this is thoroughly ground, flour is added and a thick dough is kneaded. A tourniquet is rolled out of it and divided into 13 parts. Each piece is rolled out into a thin sheet the size of a large plate and baked in the oven. To make the cakes, you need 1 cup of sour cream, 1 egg, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of soda dissolved in vinegar, salt to taste. All this is thoroughly ground, flour is added and a thick dough is kneaded. A tourniquet is rolled out of it and divided into 13 parts. Each piece is rolled out into a thin sheet the size of a large plate and baked in the oven. To prepare the cream, grind 1 cup of sour cream with 1 cup of granulated sugar. The finished cakes are coated alternately with sour cream and lingonberry or cranberry jam and placed on top of each other. The finished cake is covered with parchment, a small weight is placed on top, which is kept overnight. In the morning they decorate.

"Cake without a stove"

The milk is boiled and cooled slightly. Moisten one side of the cookies in hot milk (for such a cake you need 3 packs of any cookies, but not round ones) and place the dry side down on a tray. When one pack is laid, a layer of cottage cheese mixed with a glass of granulated sugar and an egg is placed on top, then another layer of cookies - only now they are completely dipped in milk - again a layer of cottage cheese and finally - a third layer of cookies, soaked, like the first, on one side , but lay it so that the top is dry. All this is filled with glaze. It can be made from chocolate bars (200 g) - cut them, add 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of butter. Mix all this, boil, cool and pour onto cookies. It’s good to put this cake in the refrigerator overnight. In addition to cottage cheese, a layer can be butter cream (100 g butter and 1/2 can of condensed milk or 100 g butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar, etc.).

Cake "Anthill"

Mix 4 yolks with 3/4 cup granulated sugar, add 300 g of softened butter, mix everything thoroughly. Brew coffee from two glasses of water (3 tablespoons), you can use instant coffee (2 tablespoons), boil for 10 minutes. Then carefully, one teaspoon at a time, pour it into the cream, whisking. The coffee should be hot all the time (but without grounds). “Karelian snowballs” (meringue) are dipped in cream and placed in a heap on a dish. The remaining cream is greased with the “Anthill” and chopped nuts are sprinkled on top. Consumption of “Karelian snowballs” is 350 g. The cake should stand in the refrigerator for some time. And here is another version of "Anthill". Knead the dough and put it in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hours. Make a thin crust, place it on a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven until done. After cooling, chop into crumbs, mix with cream and the resulting mass is placed in a heap on a dish, sprinkled with chocolate shaved on a coarse grater. Dough: 200 - 250 g butter or margarine, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 cups flour, salt to taste. Cream: 1/2, cans of condensed coffee or cocoa are ground with 200 g of softened butter.
There is also a cake that is easier to make, not the festive “Anthill”. Knead a stiff dough from two eggs, 1 pack of creamy margarine, a glass of granulated sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. The dough is passed through a meat grinder, scattered in grains onto a sheet, put in the oven and baked until cooked (until it turns brown). The finished “grain” (half the norm) is placed in a greased bowl, poured with a can of condensed milk and lightly compacted. Then the bowl is overturned, the mound is sprinkled with grains and nuts and placed in the cold. Before eating, cut the cake into pieces and place them on a plate with a spatula. The second half of the “grains” can be placed in a jar for the next cake.

Rozantsy

The product became widespread among the Karelians. Typically, rosans are baked for major holidays and, as a rule, for the New Year. To make them, take 5 egg yolks and the white of one egg, beat with a fork, adding 1 tbsp. a spoonful of cream (or vodka, or even better - both), on the tip of a knife - baking soda, 2-3 teaspoons of granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, and knead a stiff dough. Scans are rolled out of it, preferably very thin. In an aluminum mug or saucepan with a handle, heat up sunflower oil or vegetable fat (a mixture can be used) and begin to fry the rosants. There should be more than half of the container with fat. 3-4 cuts are made on the skantze at equal distances from each other, with a wooden stick they are “picked” through the cuts onto the end of the stick and lowered into boiling oil, without separating it from the stick, which should be held vertically and with its help rotate the skanetz in the oil so that it took the form of a flower. As soon as the rozanets begins to turn pink (this will take no more than a minute), carefully remove it from the pan, allow the excess fat to drain off and transfer the product to a plate to cool. When all the rosans are baked (there should be 18 - 20 pieces), they are placed on a large dish and each rosan is sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Finnish cupcake

A very simple and quick product to make. Grind a glass of granulated sugar with 2 eggs until white, add a glass of flour, a jar of sour cream (200 g) or 200 g of margarine (melted) and a teaspoon of baking powder. Beat the mass well, salt, pour into the mold and bake for 15 minutes in the oven over moderate heat.

Cottage cheese pies

200 g of softened margarine is mixed with 200 - 300 g of cottage cheese and 2 cups of flour, salt, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder (or vinegar with soda - 1/2 teaspoon). Knead the mass with your hands, roll it into a ball and put it in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hours (preferably in the freezer). Then they roll out the dough into a rope, make small cakes, sprinkle each one with granulated sugar, fold the cake in half, sprinkle it with sand again and fold it again. Lightly pinch the edges and bake in the oven.

Butter croutons

The product is “capricious” and does not always turn out successful, but if you put all the components in the proper order, you will get tasty and crumbly crackers. 250 g of softened creamy margarine (preferably 150 g of margarine and 100 g of melted butter or butter) are ground until white with 3 yolks, 1.5 cups of granulated sugar. The more time spent on this procedure, the tastier the product. Simmer about a teaspoon of soda in vinegar, let it sit for a while, and then pour it into the ground mass, add salt and mix well, add 200 g of sour cream (you can replace it with mayonnaise), 100 g of raisins and mix everything again. The dough should be slightly thicker than average. Roll 4 ropes from it along the length of the baking sheet, grease them with brewed tea or whipped yolk with milk, and put them in the oven. The readiness of the bundles is determined by piercing one of them with a match. If it is dry, the product is ready. The baking sheet is taken out of the oven, but the fire is not turned off. Cut the bundles into small slices, place them again on a baking sheet and place in the oven over low heat so that the crackers brown and dry. It is better to store sweet crackers in an enamel pan with a lid. Place a clean cloth on the bottom.

Finnish lemon pie

To prepare the cake, mix 75 g of butter or margarine well with 1/2 cup of kefir, add 2 cups of flour and a spoonful of baking powder (or 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, quenched in vinegar), a pinch of salt and knead the dough. A flat cake is rolled out of it. Its edges are folded so that they hold the filling. It is convenient to bake the flatbread in a frying pan in the oven. You can also make shortcrust pastry for the crust. The filling is made this way: 2 egg yolks are ground with 1 glass of granulated sugar, add 2 tbsp. spoons of butter, stir, add 3 tbsp. spoons of flour (with top), mix well again, pour in a glass of boiling water, put on low heat and, without ceasing to stir, bring to a boil. Cool the mass, add the juice of one medium-sized lemon - pour in small doses, thoroughly mixing the filling. If it turns out liquid, you can add a little flour. The mass is poured onto the flatbread. For decoration, beat 2 egg whites with 2 tbsp. tablespoons of granulated sugar until thick and spoon onto the pie. Then place the pan with the pie in a not very hot oven for 1 - 2 minutes.

Berry pie with whipped egg white

The yolks separated from the whites are thoroughly ground with granulated sugar, mayonnaise (sour cream), softened margarine, flour and baking powder (slaked soda) are added. The mixture is thoroughly kneaded and placed in a greased frying pan. Place berry filling on top (fresh berries, jam) and bake the pie in the oven until half cooked. Then take it out of the oven, fill it with egg whites beaten with sand and finish baking. For the dough: 3 yolks, 1/2 cup sand, 2 tbsp. spoons of mayonnaise (sour cream), 100 g of butter (margarine), 200 g of flour, 0.5 teaspoon of soda. For filling: 3 egg whites + 1/2 cup sand.

Cracker

100 g of butter (or creamy margarine) is ground with 3/4, a glass of milk, 1/2, a glass of granulated sugar, 1/2, a teaspoon of soda. Pour 1 cup of wheat flour and 2 cups of potato flour into the resulting mass, knead a stiff dough, which is placed in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hours. Roll out the cake to a thickness of less than 1 cm, cut out circles with a glass or special molds, and make tattoos with a fork. The cookies are placed on a greased sheet and placed in the oven over moderate heat. The result is dry, crumbly cookies that can be stored for a long time.

Oatmeal cookies

Ancient Karelian pastries. Homemade oatmeal was stirred in sour cream, cream, yogurt, salt was added, and the dough was allowed to rise. Then they laid it on the table, kneaded it well, rolled out a flat cake as thick as a finger and cut out circles of dough with a glass, which they generously greased with butter and baked in the oven. These cookies were prepared on holidays.

Rye flour cookies

Break 2 eggs into the prepared bowl, add 3 tbsp. spoons of granulated sugar and stir well, adding 50 - 60 g of melted butter, 2 tbsp. spoons of sour cream and 1 teaspoon of baking powder (or soda mixed with flour). Then add 2 cups of rye flour and knead the stiff dough. After rolling it out in a thin layer and brushing the surface with egg yolk, cut into circles using a notch or glass, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven. Cookies from rye flour were baked on holidays.

This is a real treasure trove for seafood lovers, because they are the distinctive feature of this cuisine. Salmon, herring, vendace, whitefish, and trout became the main components of delicious dishes, many of which are specific and not found among any other people. Meat dishes do not dominate. Mostly influenced by Swedish cuisine. But the use of elk, bear and venison is typical for Finland. By the way, the presence of both fish and meat in one recipe is a characteristic combination.

The five most commonly used ingredients in recipes are:

Wild berries (cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, cloudberries, blueberries) are used in desserts with cream, jelly, jam, jelly, and even added to sauces and side dishes. Many mushrooms are used in stews and other dishes. As for bread and pastries, rye flour predominates here. Pies, pies, flatbreads, loaves are made with the addition of barley, oatmeal or wheat flour. Recipes of Finnish and Karelian cuisine have undergone changes over time, but fundamentally remain virtually unchanged. Making the treats, despite their fancy names, isn't all that difficult. The main thing is to find the right ingredients and, as they say, put your soul into it.