Sweetened potato casserole (
Finnish ''imelletty perunalaatikko'') is a traditional
Finnish dish from
Päijät-Häme, eaten elsewhere in
Finland at
Christmastime. It is prepared by letting puréed
potatoes, mixed with
wheat flour, stand at a temperature of around 50°C (122°F). The
amylase in the flour will start to break down the potato's starches to shorter
carbohydrate chains, that is sugars. The temperature cannot exceed 75°C (167°F); otherwise, the amylase molecules will break down.
Through this process, the dish gets its distinct sweet flavour; nowadays, however, dark syrup (Finnish ''tumma siirappi'') can be added to give it sweetness. Dark syrup is made from sugarcane and it's the most common type of syrup in Finland. It has a similar taste to molasses, but is sweeter.
See also
*
List of casserole dishes
*
List of potato dishes
References
External links
Glossary of Finnish dishes
Finnish cuisine
Potato dishes
Casserole dishes
{{Finland-cuisine-stub