What you should know about Finnish Easter desserts

On Sunday most of the Finns will end their Easter meals with a sweet touch. Some will eat mämmi, a kind of pudding made from flour and rye malt. And some lucky ones will receive a Fazer Mignon Egg, the second oldest product of the confectionary (1896). Every year, about 2 millions eggs are sold. Of course, other sweet are eaten such as the Orthodox Pasha and other chocolate eggs (e.g Kinder Surprise, Moomin or Angry Birds).

Mämmi

Photo: Flickr.com/Martin Terber

Let's be honest. Mämmi looks horrible. With its dark brown color and grainy texture, many people associate the appearence to cow shit. Finns themselves are sharply divided. You love it or you hate it. But don't give up at first sight! Here are a few tips for eating mämmi.

Easter in Finland

Easter in Finland is less celebrated than Christmas through the Lutherians. Churches offer celebrations during the whole weekend including the Orthodoxes.

According to the tradition, bonfires are lighted a bit everywhere in the country to frighten the evil spirits, witches and trolls. In western Finland, kids are dressed as witches and go from house to house to collect candies.

But as in many Western countries, Finns celebrate spring by decorating their houses with bunnies, chicks, eggs and chocolate eggs. Families plant rye grass to symbolize the rebirth of life.Many families prepare roasted lamb as main course. The dessert is mämmi (brown paste made from rye flour flavoured with malt), pasha (sweet creamy pudding) or kulista (spicy bread).

But the "must have" arethe Fazer Mignon eggs. They are real eggs, empties and filled by hand with fine nougat chocolate.

In Finnish, happy Easter is hyvää pääsiäistä.

My tip: on Saturday March 30th at 6.30pm the Easter bonfire is lit in Seurasaari (Helsinki).