Food History of Helsinki

Key eras

1. 1743, the Baltic Herring Market begins

   The Helsinki Baltic Herring Market has been held since 1743, one of Finland's oldest ongoing public events. Islanders sold salted herring straight from their boats so Helsinkians could stock up for winter. In 2026 it ran on Market Square from 4 to 10 October with 17 fishermen and 99,000 visitors.

2. 1809 to 1917, the Russian century

   From 1809 to 1917 Helsinki was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state within the Russian Empire. Fredrik Ekberg opened his bakery in 1852 and a coffee room in 1862, selling coffee to officials and students, and Karl Fazer founded his 'French-Russian cafe' in 1891.

3. 1889, the market halls

   The Old Market Hall opened in 1889 as the oldest of Helsinki's market halls, designed by Gustaf Nyström, as food trade moved off the market squares for reasons of hygiene and order. Hakaniemi Market Hall followed on 1 June 1914. Both still open Monday to Saturday, 8.00 to 18.00.

4. 1987 to 2026, the Michelin years

   Palace, established in 1952, was the first Finnish restaurant to receive a Michelin star, in 1987, and Demo has held one since 2007. In the 2026 guide Palace and Grön hold two stars, and Demo, Olo, Finnjävel Salonki and Boreal one, while Grön and Nolla build their kitchens on local produce and sustainability.

   Taste it todayPalaceDemoGrönOlo

Immigrant influences

Russian

Under Russian rule Fazer began in 1891 as a French-Russian cafe, and vorschmack is tied to Marshal Mannerheim, who may have brought it from his Russian army years.

Karelian

About 420,000 people, most of them Karelians, were evacuated from lands Finland ceded after the wars. The Karelian pie is now eaten throughout Finland.

Swedish

Finnish cooking is very close to Swedish: Janssons frestelse, pyttipannu and gravlax (graavilohi) are common in Finland, and smoked herring is popular among Swedish speakers.

Ashkenazi Jewish

Forshmak, a chopped-herring dish of Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, has a meat-and-fish form that is especially popular in Finland, where it is called vorschmack.

Signature innovations

• The kauppahalli, the market hall: the Old Market Hall opened in 1889
• Nolla, a restaurant founded on environmental and social responsibility
  Taste it todayNolla
• Grön's sustainability plan: local, wild, seasonal produce, nearly all from Scandinavia
  Taste it todayGrön
• The Runeberg torte, popularised by Ekberg and sold until 5 February