''Joulupöytä'' (; translating to "

Yule Yule is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples. In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern ...

table") is the traditional assortment of foods served at

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It contains many different dishes, most of them typical for the season. The main dish is usually a large Christmas ham, which is eaten with mustard. The ham is served with beetroot-carrot-potato-salad called rosolli, mushroom salad and casserole (''laatikko'') made with swede, carrot or potato or all three kind of casseroles, occasionally also a liver casserole.

Gravlax Gravlax (), gravlaks or graved salmon is a Nordic dish consisting of salmon that is cured using a mix of salt, sugar and dill. It is garnished with fresh dill or sprucetwigs and may occasionally be cold- smoked afterwards. Gravlax is usuall ...

and herring is also often served, and sometimes

lutefisk ''Lutefisk'' ( Norwegian, in Northern and parts of Central Norway, in Southern Norway; ; ; literally " lye fish") is dried whitefish, usually cod, but sometimes ling or burbot, cured in lye. It is made from aged stockfish (air-dri ...

(lipeäkala) along with boiled potatoes, peas and ryebread. Christmas dessert consists of prune jam tarts, gingerbread and rice porridge with plum kisel. The traditional dessert beverage is alcoholic or non-alcoholic

mulled wine Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is ...

(''glögi'' in Finnish).

Dishes

Most popular dishes in Finnish Christmas table are: * Christmas ham with mustard * Rutabaga casserole * Carrot casserole *Potato

casserole A casserole (French language, French: diminutive of , from Provençal dialect, Provençal , meaning 'saucepan') is a kind of large, deep cookware and bakeware, pan or bowl used for cooking a variety of dishes in the oven; it is also a categor ...

( sweetened or not, depending on the region and preference) *

Rosolli In Finnish cuisine, rosolli is a salad eaten mostly as a cold side dish, in particular as part of the traditional Finnish Christmas meal. Overview Rosolli is made of cooked, diced root vegetables, especially beetroot, carrot and potato, ofte ...

- salad from boiled beetroots, carrots, potatoes, usually also apples and pickled cucumber. Served with a sour cream based sauce and sometimes with eggs or herring *

Potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es (boiled or smashed) *Rye bread *Lax (usually

Pickled herring Pickled herring is a traditional way of preserving herring as food by pickling or Curing (food preservation), curing. Most cured herring uses a two-step curing (food preservation), curing process: it is first cured with salt to extract water; th ...

and roe, often served with chopped onion and

sour cream Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturall ...

*Mushroom salad *Boiled peas * Liver casserole * Karelian stew * Lipeäkala with melted butter and white sauce

Beverages

Beverages most often served are: *

Schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to ...

such as '' Koskenkorva Viina'' as an appetizer *

Beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

. Most Finnish breweries have also seasonal beers for Christmas. Homemade non-alcoholic beer is also common. *

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

Mulled wine Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is ...

(glögi) either alcoholic or non-alcoholic * Cream liqueur

Desserts

Most popular desserts in Finnish Christmas table are:4 ruokaa ylitse muiden - tässä ovat suomalaisten suosikkijouluruoat. https://www.iltalehti.fi/ruoka-artikkelit/a/d4fa6421-4a9c-4db7-aa89-db10a0703fbc *Prune jam pastries also known as '' joulutorttu'' *

Gingerbread Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger root, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a moist loaf cake to forms nearly ...

called piparkakku - commonly as flower or star shaped, and sometimes even as 3-dimensional houses, that are decorated with sugar * Confectioneries and other sweets, especially

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

s and fruit marmalade candies *Rice porridge (riisipuuro) with cinnamon, sugar and cold milk or with raisin or mixed fruit soup (Usually the rice porridge is served from a large, common kettle and an

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

has been hidden in it. The one who gets the almond gets his or her Christmas presents first or gets a wish. Sometimes rice porridge is served as breakfast.) * Glögi, glögi is usually served with almonds and raisins in it and is alcoholic or non-alcoholic *Mixed fruit soup or kiisseli which is a plum runny dessert commonly served with rice porridge or sometimes with whipped cream *Fruit- date- or other type of cake *Coffee - the Finns prefer a mild roast; tea is less common.

References

Finnish Christmas recipe links by Santa ClubChristmas cookbook by thisisFINLAND
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joulupoyta Christmas in Finland Finnish cuisine Christmas food Christmas meals and feasts Yule