‘Food is also happiness’: fourth edition of Finnish Food Week kicks off

What comes to mind when you think of Finland? You might think of long winter nights and the Northern lights, the Finnish tradition of taking saunas, or the fact that the country has headed the UN’s World Happiness Index for the eighth year in a row.

When it comes to the results of the happiness index, says Irene Mäkelä-Brunnekreef, “we’re laughing and asking: who answered this questionnaire?!” Mäkelä-Brunnekreef is the president and co-founder of the Finland Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg, which has been involved in organising the annual Finnish Food Week in the Grand Duchy.

“I think that we have a bit of a ‘sarcastic’ approach to the whole happiness thing,” she said. “But I think what it often boils down to is the relationship with nature.”

Forests cover over 70% of Finland, says the EU’s statistics bureau Eurostat. The country also counts thousands of lakes; 17.4% of its total area is covered by water, wetlands, and/or bare land (which either has no vegetation cover or is covered by lichens or moss).

The principle of “everyman’s rights” grants everyone – whether residents or visitors – the freedom to fish or forage for berries and mushrooms in Finnish forests. And as outlined in its Climate Act, which entered into force in 2022, the country aims to be carbon-neutral by 2035.

For Mäkelä-Brunnekreef, the food items represented here at Finnish Food Week – taking place at the Technopolis cafeteria and MIN bistro in Gasperich from Tuesday 30 September to Friday 3 October – highlight the Finns’ close relationship to nature.

So what’s on offer? This year, the menu will feature sustainably grown rainbow trout, cheddar cheese with spruce buds, and bilberry pie, explains the Espoo-based food consultant and trainer Kati Pohjanmaa, who is coordinating the Finnish food producers bringing their goods to Luxembourg.

The Lohi fish farm – whose name stands for “low in waste, high in taste” – grows rainbow trout indoors, using recirculating aquaculture systems to filter water and monitor its production chain. “It’s a very sustainable way of producing fresh, tasty fish,” said Pohjanmaa. The trout will be served both in a creamy soup and in a smoked version as part of a sandwich.

Bilberry tart © Photo credit: Kati Pohjanmaa

The Lohi fish farm – whose name stands for “low in waste, high in taste” – grows rainbow trout indoors, using recirculating aquaculture systems to filter water and monitor its production chain. “It’s a very sustainable way of producing fresh, tasty fish,” said Pohjanmaa. The trout will be served both in a creamy soup and in a smoked version as part of a sandwich.

Figures from the Natural Resources Institute Finland, a research institute under the country’s agriculture and forestry ministry, state that 85 litres of milk were consumed per capita in 2024. Total consumption of liquid milk products came to 130kg, and Finns ate roughly 26kg of cheese.

The country’s milk consumption is among the highest in the world. Though one might think of countries like France or Switzerland when it comes to cheese, you’ll also be able to taste Jukolan Juusto’s artisan cheddar – which won a silver prize at the World Cheese Awards in 2021 – during Finnish Food Week.

Spruce is one of the major native tree species growing in Finland, along with pine and birch, and the cheese will have spruce buds embedded within. Its anise-like taste brings to mind the Finnish forests, said Mäkelä-Brunnekreef.

Finally, visitors to the Technopolis cafeteria and restaurant will be able to taste pie with bilberry puree, produced by Bonnejuomat. Thanks to high concentrations of blue or violet pigments called anthocyanin, bilberries – which grow plentifully throughout the country – are much darker than cultivated blueberries, notes the Natural Resources Institute Finland.

Simplicity and happiness

Pohjanmaa hopes that Luxembourg grocers might consider partnerships with the producers from Finland presented during the week.

Since their participation at the Finnish Food Week two years ago, Kuohu Water has continued active work to expand in central Europe and has now established a supply chain across Benelux, followed by confirmed collaboration with two Michelin-starred restaurants in Luxembourg: Léa Linster and Ryodo Kajiwara.

There are between 1,200 and 1,500 Finns living in the grand duchy, said the president of the Finland Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg, which was established in January 2022.

“We aim to do some things that – in a concrete way – connect the countries, and also bring something that everyone can enjoy,” said Mäkelä-Brunnekreef. “It’s not just a VIP club, but something that can bring happiness to everyone.”

“Food is also happiness. When you taste Finnish food, it’s simple,” said Pohjanmaa, “and this simplicity can also bring happiness.”

Finnish Food Week will take place from 30 September to 3 October during lunchtime at the Technopolis cafeteria and MIN bistro in Gasperich. Open to all.