Karelia is a historical landscape in north-east Europe that is now divided between Russia and Finland. The region is characterised by its border location between eastern and western cultures, which is reflected in its complex history, language and religion. There have been repeated border shifts over the last few centuries. Finland had to cede large parts of Karelia to the Soviet Union in 1944. This included Wiborg, for example, which was one of the largest cities in Finland at the time. The city is strongly associated with the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and his Karelia Suite, but Finland also lost important industrial areas and harbour cities. Around 400,000 people were forced to leave Karelia as a result of the Second World War and resettle in Finland. However, the common cultural roots remained. Karelia is known as the home of the Finnish national epic poem ‘Kalevala’. But Karelia is also known for its cuisine. Eastern and Western culinary traditions meet and combine here. Typical dishes such as Karelian pierogi are now served throughout Finland.
Karelian cuisine is served in the restaurant of the Parppeinvaara museum village in Ilomantsi. Service staff member Tanja explains the buffet with its various specialities. "The focus is on the products that nature and the local garden have to offer. These include wild berries, mushrooms, fish, game and potatoes. Many dishes are prepared in the oven."
Karelian pierogi are the best known. This is a stuffed dumpling that is baked in the oven. The thin dough is made from rye flour. Traditionally, the pocket is filled with barley porridge. Today, the filling usually consists of unsweetened but lightly salted rice pudding. It is traditionally served with a mixture of butter and egg pieces, known as ‘egg butter’. ‘Every region has its own pierogi recipe,’ explains Tanja. The shape of the dumplings is also different. In Ilomantsi they are oval, while further north in Karelia they tend to be round. ‘Shaping and folding the dough is done by hand,’ says Tanja, ‘it takes some skill and practice.’ One speciality from Ilomantsi is ‘Ilomantsilainen vatruska’, a potato pastry filled with rice. In the kitchen, you can watch employee Anja skilfully shape vatruska and pierogi.
Tanja also describes the various salads as a speciality, for example salad made from boiled white cabbage in sour cream sauce or cucumbers in a dill vinegar marinade. Sauerkraut with cranberries, beetroot and Pickled cucumbers are also on the buffet. Normally, mushroom salad is also part of the buffet. "But last year's mushroom season was so bad that not enough mushrooms could be collected. We have potato salad instead." The fish on offer includes smoked roach, a typical freshwater fish of Karelian cuisine, and salmon. Tanja recommends carrot and lingonberry jam to accompany the meat stew, which is braised in the oven at a low temperature. For dessert, berry soup, a kind of red fruit jelly made from various local wild berries, awaits on the buffet.
Tanja has one more request: "Hospitality is an important part of Karelian cuisine. Guests should feel at home. We live that here in the museum village."
