A thin rye crust pinched around a filling of rice porridge, eaten warm under a slick of egg-butter. The most everyday savoury bake in Finland, sold in every market hall.

The Karelian pie comes from Karelia in Finland's east, where rye crusts were filled with barley, potato or rice. After 1944, when Finland ceded much of Karelia, more than 400,000 evacuees carried the recipe across the country, and the rice-filled version became a national staple. Helsinki bakeries like Konditoria Hopia still make them daily, and they top the egg-butter munavoi that makes the pie complete.

Where to eat Karjalanpiirakka (Karelian pie) in Helsinki

3 editor picks for Karjalanpiirakka (Karelian pie) in Helsinki, ranked by editorial score. All Helsinki signature dishes · Karjalanpiirakka (Karelian pie) across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves 121 hr 40 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 200g rye flour
  • 100g plain flour, plus extra to roll
  • 150ml water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 200g short-grain rice
  • 1 litre milk
  • 300ml water for the porridge
  • Butter, to brush
  • For egg-butter: 3 hard-boiled eggs, 100g soft butter

Method

  1. Make the rice porridge: simmer the rice in the water until absorbed, then add the milk and cook gently for 30 minutes until thick. Cool and salt.
  2. Mix both flours, salt, oil and water into a firm dough, then rest 20 minutes.
  3. Roll the dough thin and cut into 12 ovals about 12cm long.
  4. Spoon porridge down the centre of each, then pinch and crimp the long edges up into a boat, leaving the filling open.
  5. Bake at 250C for 15 to 18 minutes, brush hot with a mix of melted butter and a little milk, then top with mashed egg-butter to serve.

Editor tip. Bake as hot as your oven allows; the crust should blister and the filling stay pale and soft.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Milk.