Karelian cuisine
Authentic local specialities
How Karelian cuisine differs from other dishes? What connects the cooking techniques of our hostesses at Karelian kitchens? The heart of our food culture is, first of all, how we preserve and prepare it. The food is most often prepared by fermenting, drying, salting, or stewing in the oven, the latter being one of the trademarks of Karelian cuisine. The oven has almost always been warm in the Karelian kitchen. The most famous food made by stewing in the oven is the Karelian meat stew, which is a familiar cuisine in Finnish tables on Finland's Independence Day and Christmas.
The closeness of the Karelian cultural heritage with nature and the appreciation of it is reflected in the ingredients we use as well. The plate typically has what you get from nature, such as mushrooms, herbs, berries, game, and fish. Therefore, the salted fish, meat, mushrooms, and sauerkraut that once dominated the Karelian dining table still appear on our menu today.
You can enjoy and taste Karelian cuisine in the summer season by stopping to dine at Restaurant Bomba. We believe that by favoring natural dishes and local food, we offer the best possible Karelian culinary experience for you.
Dishes for you from authentic Karelian kitchen
Karelian pies
Karelian pies are traditional pasties filled with rice porridge or cracked barley and have thin rye-crust. Karelian pies are one of the most famous Karelian delicacies both in Finland and abroad. The region of Bomba is naturally known for its Karelian pies, which are requested throughout Finland. However, there are many versions of this popular Finnish delicacy, and it is up to you to find the most delicious of them.
So, make your own pie-tasting tour on your visit to Bomba, and try out the Karelian pies made by Männikkölän Pirtti, Pielispakari and Porokylä Bakery. You can also enjoy these pasties lactose-free and gluten-free. At their best, Karelian pies are enjoyed heated and with egg butter, and you can taste these at the summer café of Männikkölän Pirtti, café Supikas and the café of Porokylä Bakery.
We warmly recommend trying to make this classic treat with your own hands too! You can learn how to make Karelian pies in Karelian pie workshops organized by Männikkölän Pirtti, at which you get the chance to prepare them together with the true “grand old lady” of Karelian cooking.
Sultsina
Sultsina is a traditional Karelian dish that resembles Karelian pies. It is made of rye flatbread filled with pearl barley, rice porridge, or cracked barley. If you haven’t tasted sultsina before, it’s possible in Bomba. You can taste sultsina either at the summer café in Bomba or buy them at the grocery store baked by Pielispakari.
Karelian meat stew
Karelian meat stew is the national dish of Finland, which is a mixture of beef, pork, and lamb seasoned with peppercorn and allspice. The dish is slowly cooked in a pot placed inside an oven. The longer the meat is stewed, the better the result will be. The dish is complemented with boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes.
We recommend tasting this famous Karelian dish on your visit to Bomba. Restaurant Bomba, for example, offers this delicacy in its summer buffet.
