Traditional Finnish Flatbread Baking Workshop at Vanha Kurimo

Vanha Kurimo Restaurant in Suomussalmi offers groups a unique and authentic Finnish experience.

The warmth of the fire in the old log house oven creates a cozy atmosphere while guests gather around the traditional wooden tables to learn how to bake Finnish potato flatbread (rieska) under expert guidance.

Bread is one of the greatest sources of pride in Kainuu’s culinary heritage. Traditionally, mothers would organize baking days at home, preparing rye bread, flatbreads, and sweet buns for the family.

Leftover mashed potatoes from previous meals were often used to make potato flatbread. Potatoes and barley flour were usually produced on the family farm. Baking took place in a wood-fired masonry oven, which was heated almost daily, as houses had no other source of warmth.

Today, fewer families grow their own potatoes and grain, as grocery stores offer a wide variety of products year-round.

The rieska dough is prepared in advance in Vanha Kurimo’s kitchen, allowing guests to focus on shaping and baking their own flatbreads. The ingredients include mashed potatoes, salt, egg, and barley flour, preferably sourced from a local mill.

The staff bake the flatbreads in the kitchen oven, after which each participant gets to enjoy their own freshly baked, steaming-hot rieska.

After the workshop, guests are invited to sit down at beautifully prepared tables and enjoy a traditional salmon soup lunch.

In Kainuu, fish soups were traditionally made from locally caught freshwater fish such as vendace, pike, perch, whitefish, and burbot. Today, salmon soup is commonly prepared using rainbow trout farmed in the Kainuu region.

In the past, fish soups were typically thickened with rye flour and seasoned with onions and a knob of butter. Nowadays, the soup is enriched with cream, while melted onion butter is served separately.

Price: €40 per person for small groups

Larger groups: Please request a quotation.