What food do Lapland people eat?

Freshwater fishing is widespread, and whitefish such as Arctic char are eaten in various ways: boiled, fried, dried, smoked, lightly salted, or raw (as sushi or sashimi). Fish, especially salmon and trout, are often grilled over an open fire. Dried fish is still a popular travel provision.

Meat

Traditional dishes include reindeer meat: reindeer steak, minced reindeer, dried and smoked reindeer meat, reindeer tongue and liver, reindeer heart stew.

Moose, elk and bear are also eaten, mainly in the northern parts. Beef and pork are relatively new additions to the Lappish diet.

Some of the most popular ways of preserving these meats include drying, smoking and salting. This was traditionally done when the hunting season was at its peak.

Poultry

Poultry farming has been common since the 1950s, and eggs are often eaten at Christmas, Easter, and other holidays.

Bread and pastries

Rye has traditionally been the most important grain in Lappland. Bread is leavened with yeast, and flatbread is also made.

Common ingredients in Lappish pastries are reindeer or goat milk, eggs and rye.

Milk products

Milk, especially reindeer and goat milk, is a staple of the Lappish diet. It is often consumed as filmjölk ("sour milk" in English), a fermented form of milk. Sour milk is also used as a base for other dairy products such as cheese. Lefse is a soft and thin unleavened traditional bread that is often made with potatoes and eaten with butter, sugar, lingonberries, or a brunost (a brown goat or cow cheese).

Some Lappish cheeses have gained international fame, especially the distinctive squeaky cheese, leipäjuusto.

Berries and mushrooms

Berries such as lingonberries, cloudberries and cranberries are common and highly prized. Traditionally they have also been used to combat vitamin C deficiency.

Edible mushrooms such as chanterelle, milk-cap and birch bolete are very popular.

Herbs

Herbs such as angelica, garden thyme and mugwort are used in some traditional dishes.