Karelian pancakes. Karelian cuisine. Peculiarities. Where to try national Karelian cuisine

This region is famous for its large flow of tourists. The attraction for them is the beautiful lakes and islands that captivate with their splendor. Among them, Valaam and Kizhi should be highlighted. The first island is famous for the Valaam Monastery located on its lands, and the second has many wooden monuments.

Tourists are also attracted by the famous Karelian cuisine, which attracts with its diversity and unique taste.

Fish dishes

Due to such an abundance of lakes, Karelia has a wide variety of freshwater fish. They learned to cook it in a variety of ways. Fish dishes were served baked, salted, dried, pickled and fresh.

The catch was sorted and stored in special pits and wooden barrels. The top of the fish was covered with a splinter and a heavy stone weight, which ultimately produced brine. It covered the fish, which ensured that it was in its own juice.

The northern side of Karelia used a different type of preparation of the dish, which was called fish “with flavor.” Residents of the north often ate fish raw. South Karelians preferred to soak fish in water and then cook it with spices.

Small fish were dried, it was called sushik. After this, it could be used to make fish soup, which would have a strong, rich taste. Fish oil was also consumed in food, as it is a source of many fat-soluble vitamins and microelements, which has a beneficial effect on the immune system. Fish oil is obtained by rendering the internal organs of perch and bream.

Eating fish among Karelians has no waste; even the bones were used to make flour. It was a nutritious raw material for livestock, which significantly saved feed costs. Sometimes fishmeal was added to the soup to make the soup seem thicker and richer. Fish scales also found their use - they were added during the preparation of jellied meat.

The caviar was mainly sold and brought in a lot of income. The rest of the variety, which was of no value, was eaten hot or cold. Karelians even baked pancakes from caviar.

Cooking fish soup

The number one dish has always been considered a fish soup called ukha. To prepare this dish, a fish from the whitefish family is used. Some housewives added milk to the soup, and fish soup made from pickled fish is also considered very tasty. Unfortunately, this type of soup can only be prepared in rural conditions, since the recipe for a successful fish soup requires passing it through birch charcoal 4-5 minutes before the end of cooking. This approach makes the fish soup more tasty, because charcoal takes away the unpleasant smell and bitterness. For urban residents, mining birch coal is a difficult task.

In addition, it is customary to add chicken eggs to traditional fish soup, which makes it cloudier and the broth richer. This is precisely what distinguishes fish soup from Karelia from Russian fish soup.

In addition to the above, moss, rye flour, dried fish, birch and pine buds can be added to the fish soup.

Fish pies

Second courses include so-called fish pies. They are made from rye dough, which has no taste (unleavened), and are baked in Russian ovens. Moreover, the slave was added to the pie along with the scales. The typical shape for this dish is rectangular. But, for example, porridge pies were crescent-shaped. This is explained by the fact that the sickle was a symbol of peasant labor.

As for porridges, they are an integral part of the dinner table. The diet of a resident of Karelia is not complete without this side dish: they eat oatmeal, barley, wheat, pearl barley and pea porridge.

A few words should be said about the Russian oven, which plays a big role in the preparation of Karelian dishes. Along with its appearance in the kitchen of Karelian houses, the technology in cooking also changed. The Russian oven was suitable for baking, stewing and cooking Karelian food. By the way, in the vocabulary of the inhabitants of this region there is no word “fry” at all, and pies were called boiled in oil.

Other dishes of Karelia

As for first courses, in addition to fish soup, Karelians also prepared other types of soups or cabbage soup. The main component for cabbage soup is cabbage, in any form: pickled or fresh. In addition, the soup also contained other vegetables: turnips, onions and potatoes. For greater thickness, barley was added. Such cabbage soup is an everyday food for Karelians, which is consumed as lunch and dinner. For greater satiety, many housewives put meat products in cabbage soup.

Another type of soup is potato soup. Its main components were potatoes and sour cream. Sometimes dried mushrooms and onions were added.

Meat products

Previously, meat appeared infrequently in the diet of Karelians, and often these were wild varieties (boar, venison and elk). Later, when the inhabitants of Karelia began to acquire livestock, beef, pork and lamb appeared in the diet. This product was mainly used in winter. For longer storage of the carcass, it was salted and dried. People who traveled took such meat with them on the road.

Vegetables on the Karelian table

The main root crop of Karelia is not potatoes at all, but turnips. It goes into preparing many dishes. These can be turnip soups, porridges, casseroles; Kvass, compote are made from it, and even eaten dried.

Soon turnips were replaced by potatoes (at the beginning of the 20th century). In addition to these two products, the Karelian diet also contains other vegetables: onions, white cabbage, carrots, radishes and rutabaga.

Dairy

Milk is highly valued in Karelia. Among dairy products, cottage cheese is the most favorite. Karelians made cottage cheese themselves, and made homemade cheese for winter supplies. It was suitable for a hearty dinner with boiled potatoes and sour cream.

On the Karelian table there was also yogurt, which was mixed with whole milk. Since the 1930s, the use of goat's milk has become famous. Colostrum was also consumed as food, which was baked in Russian ovens to produce something similar to cheese.

Reindeer milk is not widely used among the inhabitants of Karelia. This product was not eaten, although the noble animal was bred in the north.

Butter was also produced by Karelians. It was used in the preparation of porridges and added to mashed potatoes. It is interesting to know that butter was not spread on bread at all, as the Russians do.

Baking bread

Karelian bread is baked from different types of flour: barley, oatmeal, rye and barley. In the old days, when there was not enough flour, the Karelians managed to add straw, moss and pine shavings to the dough. In addition to bread, pies called wickets were often baked in Karelia. They had a filling made from crushed potatoes, wheat and barley porridge, and so on. There was even a saying among local residents that a wicket requires eight ingredients: water, salt, flour, curdled milk, milk, butter and sour cream. The eighth component was the filling itself.

The abundance of Karelian cuisine does not include confectionery and fruit sweets. If the Karelians wanted to enjoy dessert, they baked pies with berry filling: blueberries, wild strawberries, cranberries, etc. As for blueberries, they were practically not collected at all, since they were considered to be the cause of headaches.

The most favorite dish for the residents of Karelia is milk and fresh berries, which replace all sweets.

Karelian drink

Kvass is considered a traditional drink in Karelia. It is made not only from bread; the main components can be turnips or malt. In addition, in the Karelian kitchen there is always tea, as well as herbal decoctions that are used as a therapeutic agent.

Among alcoholic beverages, the famous beer of Karelia should be highlighted. However, the traditional brewing recipe has been lost. On the Karelian holiday table you can find vodka and wine, but they are not prepared independently. This alcohol is borrowed from Russian and Finnish cuisines.

Dishes for celebrations

During the celebration of any special events, Karelians always prepared ritual dishes. For example, birthdays and weddings have always been accompanied by the ritual of drinking oatmeal jelly. There has long been a custom when the drink is served to the husband after the wedding, when the newlyweds spent their first night together. It was important where he would start drinking the jelly: if from the edge of the dish, then the night went well, but if from the middle, then the wife was no longer a virgin. In those days, this was considered a disgrace for the whole family by the wife.

Oatmeal jelly was mandatory on the Karelian table and during a sad event - a funeral. But at funerals, preference was given to bread kvass. It is interesting to know that the drink was in a large container, which was common to everyone. People slurped kvass with spoons.

In addition to oatmeal jelly, they also drank rye jelly at the wake, but today the traditions have changed somewhat. Currently, they commemorate the dead with jelly made from various berries.

In addition, the main treat was kulaga, which was prepared from sprouted varieties of rye or wheat. Malt cereals were thrown into boiling water, and after cooking, they were eaten. Moreover, the dish must be hot. Kulaga can be eaten together with bread.

It was also a ritual to bake cottage cheese cakes on Peter’s Day, and to see off the passing summer, blueberry pies were baked.

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 pastries.

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, no. 2) at the hotel of the same name in the center of Petrozavodsk, and in the Petrovsky restaurant (Andropova str., no. 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!

Taste Karelia December 9th, 2016

Over the course of centuries and centuries, the traditional national cuisine of peoples has evolved. And it influences its characteristics a lot. The traditions of ancestors and the recipes they prepared are respected and carefully preserved, passing from generation to generation with all the secrets, ingredients and magical methods of cooking. Karelia is a land of lakes, so fish has always been one of the main dishes in the national cuisine. The fauna is also rich, so the Karelians often had dishes made from wild animal meat on their table. Valuable are useful vegetation and mushrooms. Drinks, infusions, fruit drinks, teas and various tinctures are prepared from herbs. At first glance, all the dishes are simple and unpretentious, but they have a special zest, the taste of which cannot be compared with anything else.

Are you ready to taste Karelia? I invite you to the best restaurant of traditional Karelian cuisine, located in the very center of Petrozavodsk. Keep me seven, there is food under the cut.

Welcome to the Karelian Upper Room. The place is unique. This is not just a restaurant, but also a museum of Karelian life, where objects from the 18th and 19th centuries are carefully collected, clearly and accurately characterizing the life of Karelians of those times. Everything here is imbued with the spirit and history of the Karelian north.

Our company: I, zhzhitel , silver_slider And stabbut Of course, I had worked up a good appetite, but before the meal we enjoyed walking around the halls of the restaurant. Primitive Karelia, mysterious and enigmatic. Here is a street with an ancient Karelian hut. Beautiful carving, and the porch is hidden under the roof. The spinner sat down to rest.

And this is a hall for a small company - a “nook” for young people. Everything here is simple, modest, they haven’t settled in yet. Bassinet with baby.

They say that if you rock her, there will definitely be an addition to the family. This is how many couples come here and then become parents.

And this is a merchant's living room. Richer, more elegant.

There is also a separate hall where you can celebrate weddings and anniversaries without disturbing other guests with noise and fun.

Supplies are stored in the cellar - pickles, jams, vegetables. This is how it was in the Karelian huts.

On the stove there is a regular in the upper room - the brownie. He is loved and respected, treated to sweets, for which he is very grateful.

That's it, it's time to go to the table! We were treated to different things, everything was very tasty.

Kalitka is the national and most popular Karelian dish. These are a type of cheesecake made from thin unleavened rye dough stuffed with potatoes or millet, fish, cottage cheese or cheese, berries or something else, greased with butter or sour cream and baked in the oven. Well, they are called that from carols - Christmas songs for which they were prepared.

We tried it with potatoes and millet. Amazingly delicious!

There were also salads. “Valaam” of white mushrooms with cucumber, peas, onion and delicate creamy sauce.

“Kizhi” made from fresh vegetables, the highlight of which is the very last lingonberry sauce. I love him.

What's lunch without soup? “Lohikeyto” made from trout from local lakes - rich, satisfying, creamy. The fish just melts in your mouth!

And mushroom soup made from aromatic white mushrooms and fried onions. Well, very tasty!

How did you have lunch like this without the famous Karelian liqueurs, you ask. And they were.

To get acquainted with the tastes and then choose a more preferable drink, we took this set of six types of branded liqueurs and liqueurs with fresh cranberry. “Pomeranian Tale” turned out to be the best for my taste.

Do you think that's all? No, let's get to the hot stuff. Garnish with grilled vegetables and three types of meat dishes.

I tried the “Hunting Farm” elk roast, prepared according to an old recipe in a pot under a rye dough lid.

There was also roast beef and pork on wheat tortillas.

And bear meat “From King Gustav”, stewed in a bag of rye dough with carrots, onions and rosemary.

Ugh. I have tea. For a restaurant various fees and teas collected by a real herbalist. There are also amazing fruit drinks made from cloudberries and lingonberries. We tone up and start desserts, although we no longer have the strength or space. But it’s all so delicious that it’s hard to deny yourself.

Delicious honey "Stoletnik" with sour cream and blueberries.

"Karjalancake" made from creamy cheese soufflé with blueberry sauce.

And from the blazing heat, Karelian pies made from the finest dough “For the son-in-law.” There is sugar inside, very similar to brushwood, and tastes like chak-chak.

All. We're rolling out of here.

Many thanks to the Karelian Upper Room for the hospitality and delicious lunch! We go to the store for souvenirs and liqueurs and, satisfied, go for a walk around the city.

Yes, it’s a little more expensive here than in other places, but for the taste, atmosphere and hospitality that you get here, it’s worth it! With restaurant menu can be found on the website gornica.ru. By the way, the restaurant offers master classes, home delivery, and off-site events. If you're in Petrozavodsk, be sure to stop by at least for some tea.

Partners of our trip to Karelia:

Like any national cuisine, Karelian cuisine consists mainly of what grows, lives and inhabits 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 cuisine is an element of the culture of the people. Food is one of the most important elements of the material culture of a people. Its specificity depends on many factors, and, first of all, on the geographical environment in which the people live, on their economic activities, social and economic living conditions; contacts with neighboring peoples also affect it.
Traditional cuisine is the most consumed and widespread dishes among the people, prepared from those food products that are provided by flora and fauna, the main economic activity. It took shape over many centuries. Cooking skills, food processing features, and food preservation are passed on from generation to generation.

“The earth will not feed, the water will”

Since ancient times, one of the first places in the Karelian diet has been fish, which was consumed in a wide variety of forms: fresh, salted, dried, etc. Everywhere they prepared dried fish for future use - sushik (kabakala), which was boiled for a year. Strong soup made from dry bean was an excellent medicine for stomach diseases. They used fish oil melted from the insides of perch and pike for food and medicinal purposes.
The traditional national cuisine of Karelians has evolved over many centuries. Since ancient times, the first place on the Karelian table was occupied by lake fish, which was consumed in a variety of forms: fresh, dried, salted, dried. Meat of wild animals (elk, deer), forest products (berries, mushrooms).
Salted fish - kaba - was prepared for future use and eaten all year round. Fish, as a rule, was not fried; it was baked in milk and sour cream. There is no word for “fry” in the Karelian language. Even pies that were fried in oil were called keitinpiiroa, literally “boiled” pies. Flour was made from fish bones, which was added to cattle swill in winter. And jellied jellied meat was made from the scales of large fish. Caviar of valuable breeds was sold, others were baked, consumed hot and cold. The favorite food of Karelian-Livviks still remains fresh fish soup, fish soup and jellied meat. Despite the importance of fish, the basis of food was still grain products. Round-shaped bread (leiba) was baked from rye, barley and oat flour and was grown everywhere. And pelenitsa was cultivated mainly on the Olonets Plain.
Various porridges were very popular - pearl barley, barley, pea, bearberry and oatmeal. Traditional dishes of Sunday and holiday tables are kalitki, skants, rybniki. Karelians were skilled cooks.
Along with fish, Karelians almost always had milk and dairy products on the table - sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, baked milk.
Various stews and soups made from fish, meat, turnips, and salted mushrooms were widespread, and the soup was served not only for lunch, but also for dinner and breakfast.
Among the drinks, the Karelians' favorite drink was tea; they made kvass (turnip kvass, bread kvass) and jelly.
The Karelians had many special ritual dishes that were prepared on the occasion of one or another event in a person’s life. For example, fish soup is a mandatory dish at all celebrations and at funeral dinners.
National Karelian cuisine is a kind of symbiosis of Old Russian cuisine and the cuisine of Northern Europe.

The most popular first dish of Karelian cuisine, which is mandatory for all guests, is fish soup - “Kalaruokka”. There are a lot of options for its preparation, but the most typical use is whitefish. In addition, milk soup and fermented fish soup are also distinguished. Quite an unusual combination for our people, isn’t it? Nevertheless, the taste of this dish is not inferior to the traditional Russian fish soup. The secret to preparing Karelian fish soup is this: five minutes before it’s ready, the fish broth is passed through a thick layer of birch coals. Unlike Russian fish soup, which is more transparent, the tastier, “Kalaruokka” is slightly cloudy: it contains not only eggs and Icelandic moss, but also rye flour, birch or birch buds, and dried fish.

It is interesting that despite the rather diverse assortment of first fish dishes, there are few recipes in Karelian cuisine for preparing second courses. First of all, these are fish pies, which are usually prepared from the same fish, which acts as a filling, and unleavened dough based on rye flour. Not many people know that, just like in Udmurt, in Karelian cuisine they put fish in pies without cleaning them - along with their scales. Other versions of pies are baked with porridge, but unlike elongated fish pies, they are usually made crescent-shaped or semicircular.

Among vegetables, Karelians eat turnips, radishes, potatoes, cabbage and green onions. But local residents practically do not know fruits and confectionery. So, malted dough – “Myammi” – is used as sweets here.

A popular drink in Karelia is kvass, which is prepared from completely different raw materials: turnips, malt or bread. In addition, you don’t mind enjoying a cup of hot aromatic coffee or tea here. Karelians prefer wine and vodka when it comes to alcohol, but beer is no less in demand.

Salted fish is used to prepare soups, main courses, and is also served with hot potatoes. Fish is included in vegetable salads, it is boiled, fried, baked in dough. The Karelians' favorite snack is salted fish with boiled potatoes. It is typical that finished fish products are not topped with sauce when serving.

Traditions of cooking fish soup in Karelia

The first courses of local cuisine are the inimitable fish soup. Moreover, it can be not only in fish broth, as we are used to, but also with the addition of cream, milk, butter. This traditional white fish stew is called Kalakeitto (kala-keito) on restaurant menus. Salmon soup - a festive version with the addition of cream, is already called Lohikeitto (lohi-keyto) and is known under this name throughout the world.
It was customary to prepare such rich fish soup for dear guests, because it has a special, velvety taste, devoid of fishy smell. Even an avid gourmet and picky eater will not refuse a bowl of this amazing soup.

Unlike a restaurant recipe, the method of preparing yushka (“yushka” is the more traditional name for fish soup in Karelian use) is somewhat different. According to the old recipe, pieces of fish were boiled whole without cleaning. To make the fish soup more satisfying, it was also coated with flour, eggs and exotic items such as Icelandic moss or birch buds were added. The result was not only satisfying, but also very healthy food, because all these original seasonings are a storehouse of vitamins that are so necessary to support the human body during the long northern winter.
Before the meal, they always took out pieces of fish from the fish soup, which they ate separately as a second course, adding a lot of salt. It is interesting that even during fishing there was a kind of “division” of the catch: the offal and head went to the rower, the best piece went to the cook, and the tail went to the slackers.

In the old days, fish soup was also cooked from dried fish, which was filled with water and simmered in a Russian oven for about a day. Often this dish resembled a dense and satisfying fish porridge.

Another recipe for making Karelian fish soup is fermented fish soup. However, this dish has become rare. V. Pokhlebkin in his book “National Cuisines of Our Peoples” writes that the art of fermenting fish has been lost, and modern cooks do not master it to the same extent as they could in the old days; their fish turns out with a bitterness or an unpleasant odor.

Speaking about simmering as the main component of recipes for preparing all kinds of dishes in Karelia, one cannot fail to mention such a dish as stewed fish for the main course. The secret to preparing such juicy and tender fish with a tantalizing olfactory aroma lies in prolonged heating of the cast iron with its contents in the oven. Naturally, the contents of the cast iron pot were fish and a filling made from milk or an egg-milk mixture. The peculiarity of uniform heating of cast iron in a Russian stove is an important component of a successful result. Trying such fish, poached in the oven, is a rarity not only for guests, but also for the average Karelian; If you manage to come across such a recipe on the menu, be sure to try it, you won’t regret it!

Recipe for Lohikeitto (Karelian soup with cream)

The recipe for lohi-keito is quite simple: salmon is cut, separating the fillet from the bone and skin. Putting the fillet aside, make broth from the rest, to which, after boiling, add salt, black pepper, bay leaf and onion head. Then, after straining, the broth takes in potatoes, leeks, and carrots. After 15 minutes of cooking over low heat, add flour and butter to the soup, then diced fillet and, at the very end, cream.

The traditional national cuisine of Karelians has evolved over many centuries.

Among the second courses, products made from rye and wheat flour, potatoes and various cereals predominate. Pancakes and flatbreads made from unleavened dough are served along with porridge, mashed potatoes, generously sprinkled with butter.

Maitokalakeitto (fish in milk)

A piece of fish is placed in a portioned frying pan, poured with milk and placed in a hot oven. Serve with oil.

Cod fillet 180, butter 15, milk 50, salt.

Kalalimtikko (fish and chips)

Raw potatoes, cut into slices, are placed in an even layer in a frying pan, and thin slices of herring are placed on it, sprinkled with chopped onions, flour, poured with oil and baked. When the potatoes are ready, the fish is poured with a raw egg mixed with milk and baked again.

Potatoes 150, egg 1/2 pcs, fresh herring 40, onions 20, sunflower oil 10, milk 25, wheat flour 3, salt.

Lanttulaatikko

Prepare rutabaga puree, dilute it with milk, add sugar and eggs, put it in a pan greased and bake.

Rutabaga 160, butter 5, milk 25, sugar 10, egg 1/5 pcs.

Rice baked with beets

The rice is boiled and combined with pieces of boiled beets. Raw eggs are diluted with milk, salt is added and mixed. This mixture is poured over rice mixed with beets and baked.

Kalaladika with pork (casserole)

Fresh or salted herring fillets are cut into pieces. Slices of raw potatoes are placed in a layer on a baking sheet, sprinkled with pieces of herring and chopped onions; Place another layer of potatoes and a layer of fatty pork on top. Sprinkle with onions, cover with a layer of potatoes, pour in fat and bake. The finished dish is poured with eggs mixed with flour, salt and milk, and baked a second time. Serve hot.

Potatoes 150, salted or fresh herring 20, pork 20, onions 20, egg 1/5 pcs., flour 3, milk 25, fat 5.

Kalakayareytya (fish farmers)

The yeast dough is rolled out into a flat cake 1 cm thick, fish fillet is placed on it, salted, sprinkled with fat, the dough is wrapped and baked.

Wheat flour 145, sunflower oil 10, sugar 5, yeast 5, fresh cod or herring, or trout or whitefish 120, butter 5.

Potato gates

Kalitki is another popular and well-known pie of Karelian cuisine in many countries of the world. The housewives said: “Kalitoa - kyzyy kaheksa” - “The gate requires eight,” i.e. to make them, 8 components were required: water, salt, flour, milk, curdled milk, butter, sour cream and filling. A wicket is a kind of open small pie, like a cheesecake, often square or polygonal in shape. The filling for the gates could be the same porridge, as well as potatoes or berries. The unusual name “wicket” has two possible origins. According to one, the name of Karelian pies comes from the Finnish “kalittoa - spread”, because the viscous filling is spread on a base pancake made of unleavened dough. According to another, from the Russian “kalita” - that is, a wallet or bag, which is reminiscent of a wicket in shape. In such a “bag” you can put almost any contents - filling to your liking. Perhaps the most delicious and beloved by many are the berry ones. They are generously greased with oil and placed in a deep pan, which is carefully wrapped. Fragrant, oozing with berry syrup, they are loved by all those with a sweet tooth. They say that such pies were made already in the 9th century, that is, even before the baptism of Rus'. Today, wickets are a popular type of baked goods not only in the north-west of Russia, but also in Finland and the Scandinavian countries, where wickets made everywhere are called “Karelian pies”. A meal with wickets in Karelia resembles a kind of family ritual. A large bowl filled with hot milk and butter is placed in the middle of the table. All pies are placed in a bowl and soaked in the creamy mixture. After the pies have become soft, they are taken by the hostess, who places them on the plates of everyone present, according to seniority. They eat this dish only with their hands, wiping them on a towel lying nearby. Round cakes are formed from unleavened dough, and a filling of mashed potatoes diluted with hot milk and mixed with butter or margarine is placed in the middle of each. The edges of the cakes are pinched, the products are greased with sour cream and baked in the oven.

Flour 230, potatoes 750, milk 250, butter margarine 50, sour cream 75, salt.

Kakriskukka (turnip pie)

The unleavened dough is placed in a warm place and allowed to rise. Roll out thin layers, place turnips cut into thin slices on them, sprinkle with salt and flour, cover the filling with a second layer of dough and bake. The finished pie is cut into portions.

Flour 550, water 230, sugar 38, yeast 15, turnip 440, margarine 30, melange 30, fat 5, egg 1/2 pcs., salt.

Pannukakku (pancake)

Sugar, ground with egg, sour cream and milk, is added to wheat flour. The dough is thoroughly kneaded, placed in a greased frying pan and baked in an oven. The hot flatbread is cut into portions.

Wheat flour 390, milk 390, sour cream 80, sugar 80, egg 2 pcs., butter 15, salt.

Kapkarat (unleavened pancakes in a frying pan)

Pour a little cold milk into wheat flour mixed with salt and mix thoroughly. Then pour in the rest of the milk and stir with a whisk. The dough is poured in a thin layer into a frying pan greased with lard and fried on both sides. Before serving, place a thin layer of viscous rice or wheat porridge on the pancake. Drizzle with butter.

Wheat flour 50, milk 125, egg 1/2 pcs., lard 2, butter 15, salt.

Ryyunipiiraita (fried pie)

The unleavened dough is rolled out into a flat cake 1 mm thick, and crumbly wheat porridge with sugar is placed on it. The edges are connected, giving a semicircular shape. Fry in melted butter.

Flour 30, butter 10, millet 20, sugar 5.

Makeita piiraita (sweet pies)

From choux pastry, rolled out in a thin layer, cut out mugs with a notch, place granulated sugar in the middle, fold them into a semicircle and fry.

Wheat flour 30, sugar 17, melted butter 10.

Scans (flatbread with cheese)

Skants - or, as they are also called today, “pies for son-in-law” - are a traditional type of pastry for Karelian cuisine. Classic skants are a crescent-shaped rye flour pie filled with millet or rice porridge. According to tradition, the dough was rolled out (hence the name “skanets”) when matchmakers came to the house, baked and treated to the groom and matchmakers, hence the name “pies for son-in-law.” Today, when preparing skants, the dough is often made with white wheat flour, and instead of rich porridge, they prefer a sweet filling of sugar or honey. The result is a wonderful holiday pastry and an excellent treat for tea - which is quick and easy to prepare. Thin flat cakes are rolled out from unleavened dough and lightly dried in the oven. The flatbread is placed in a frying pan, sprinkled with grated cheese, covered with another flatbread, poured with oil and baked.

Flour 30, sour cream 10, water 50, grated cheese 15.

Sulchins

Sulchiny is a recipe from Karelian cuisine, known in Rus' since time immemorial. Essentially, these are hearty filled pancakes. Dissolve 1 tsp. salt in a glass of water and mix it with 200 g of rye flour. Divide the resulting dough into lumps the size of a chicken egg, roll out the pancakes and bake in the oven for 5 minutes at 200 °C. Grease the hot sulchins with oil and place them in a stack. Bring 250 ml of milk to a boil, add ½ cup of rice and cook until tender. At the end add salt and sugar to taste. Season the pancakes with rice porridge and roll them into rolls. Sulchini for breakfast is a very tasty and unusual dish.

Coconut with cottage cheese

From unleavened dough, roll out a skaniets (flatbread) 2 mm thick, grease it with butter and place two pancakes on it, greased with oatmeal mixed with butter and cottage cheese. The layered pancakes are folded in half, greased with butter, covered with skeins, the product is given a semicircular shape, pinched and baked. Served with butter.

Wheat flour 50 (including for pancakes 20), sour cream 10, water 50, ghee 5, oatmeal 30, cottage cheese 15, butter, salt.

Potato bulbs

The yeast dough is rolled out into flat cakes 1 cm thick, onto which mashed potatoes are placed, brushed with sour cream and baked.

Wheat flour 40, potatoes 115, yeast 1, milk 50, butter 10, sugar 1, sour cream 15, salt.

Perunapiyraita (potato pies)

The boiled potatoes are stirred, flour and salt are added and the flatbreads are cut, millet porridge is placed in the middle of each, the product is shaped into a semicircle, greased with oil and baked.

Potatoes 75, flour 18, butter 8, millet 10.

Kulebyaka with mushrooms

The yeast dough is rolled out into a strip 18–20 cm wide and 1 cm thick. Minced salted chopped mushrooms and onions are placed in the middle of the strip. The edges of the dough are connected and pinched. Brush with egg and bake.

Wheat flour 160, sugar 8, sunflower oil 8, yeast 3, egg 1/6 pcs., onions 35, mushrooms 150.
Kokachi pea

Flatbreads are formed from yeast dough. Place minced meat in the middle of each, join the edges of the dough and pinch them together. The products are greased with vegetable oil and baked. Minced meat is prepared from peas, minced and mixed with oatmeal, chopped onion and butter, and salt.

Rye flour 60, sourdough 10, oatmeal 10, peas 15, onions 10, sunflower oil 15, salt.

Oatmeal spikes

Flatbreads 1 cm thick are formed from yeast dough. Minced meat made from curdled milk mixed with oatmeal and egg is placed in the middle of each. Spread with sour cream and bake.

Rye flour 30, sourdough 10, oatmeal 20, curdled milk 20, egg 1/10 pcs., melted butter 5, sour cream 10, salt.

Lingonberries with oatmeal

Lingonberries are washed, then pounded and mixed with oatmeal and sugar. Lingonberries 100, oatmeal 50, sugar 50.

Oatmeal jelly

Oatmeal is poured with warm water and placed in a warm place for 24 hours, the mixture is filtered, salt is added and boiled, stirring frequently, to form a thick jelly. Butter is placed in hot jelly, then poured into molds and cooled. Served with milk. When serving, you can sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Cereals 60, water 240, salt 2, milk 200, butter 4.

Semolina mousse with rhubarb

The rhubarb is cleared of fibers, washed, finely chopped, boiled in water with sugar for 5 minutes, wiped, cottage cheese is added and mixed, and then brought to a boil. Add semolina and cook until thickened. After cooling to 40°, the mass is whipped into foam, poured into molds and cooled. Served with fruit or berry sauce.

Semolina 100, water 700, sugar 175, rhubarb 350.

Fish in Karelian style

A dish loved by many residents of Karelia. It occupies an intermediate position between the first and second courses. It is prepared from any fish. It is especially tasty from vendace or cod fish. The cleaned and washed fish is placed in a deep frying pan, with chopped potatoes, bay leaves, pepper, and finely chopped onions on it. After salting, pour the whole thing with cold water so as to just cover the contents, and put it on the fire. After the water boils, turn down the heat and pour a little sunflower oil into the frying pan. The fish should simmer slowly for 30 - 40 minutes. Eaten hot or cold. 500 g fish, 2 medium potatoes, 2 onions, 1 bay leaf, 4 - 5 peppercorns, 2 tbsp. spoons of sunflower oil (can be replaced with butter).

Pies with fish.

All kinds of fish pies are very common in Karelia, oblong in shape, with a hole into which sour cream is poured, which makes the filling unusually tasty. To flavor fish, Finnish Karelians sometimes cover it with a layer of finely chopped pork fat. The fish is placed in this pie whole, in layers, sometimes layered with mushrooms and onions. The filling simply comes out with juice that soaks into a thin layer of rye dough, and the taste of such a pie can tempt any gourmet, even if he doesn’t like fish dishes.

One of the notable varieties of fish pies is the Finnish “Easter” pie - Kalakukko (kalakukko). Outwardly, it looks like a closed loaf of rye dough, but instead of bread crumb, inside it is a juicy fish filling mixed with onions and lard. Easter fish bread is served warm with a crispy crust and eaten with a spoon from the loaf like a stew.

Desserts are almost never found in Karelian cuisine. Steamed lingonberries, so beloved in the north, are difficult to classify as one of them. But you can bake a delicious pie with it, so a lingonberry preparation will come in handy. In the old days, berries were steamed in a Russian oven, but a slow cooker will help us. Pour 500 g of washed lingonberries into a bowl, select manual mode and temperature 90 °C. After 30 minutes, reduce it to 70 °C and simmer the berries for half an hour. Then we switch the multicooker to the “Warming” mode and keep the lingonberries for another 30 minutes. Now you can put it in jars, tightly closing the lids. By the way, tea with such berries is a thousand times tastier and healthier.