Business travelers spent more than a million and a half nights in Helsinki in 2014, so it's easy to think of Finland's capital as a work-first destination. But visitors with a few hours to spare can learn about the country's food—as well as its notoriously difficult-to-learn language—on a fun Words and Veggies tour from Happy Guides Helsinki.
The entertaining four-hour excursion starts at a university café, where tour-goers dine on traditional porridge and poro—or, as you learn, reindeer—for breakfast. As the walk continues, founder Karri Korppi gives a little vocabulary lesson at each stop and then, one by one, guests try to pronounce words like kiitos (thank you, pronounced KEY-toss); sipuli (onion, pronounced SEE-poo-lee); kala (fish, pronounced KAH-lah); makkara (sausage, pronounced MAH-kah-rah); porkkana (carrot, pronounced PORK-ah-nah); and juusto (cheese, pronounced YOU-stoh).
Next up is the largest of Helsinki’s three market halls, Hakaniemi, which is similar to a U.S. farmer's market. Guests take a step back into Finland’s history and try traditional Karelian pies. Today, the rye dough diamonds are stuffed with rice or potato, but the ones at Hakaniemi are a throwback to earlier times, made with barley and eaten with cured salmon. Guests then continue on to a vegetarian buffet and raw-food smoothie shop, Silvoplee, in the Kallio neighborhood, which has an abundance of veggie-centric restaurants.
Korrpi likes this spot for its ginger, aloe, and lime shots. “I can tell you it’s damn bitter but it’s also extremely healthy,” he says. “Your hair is standing on end because it’s so bitter. I love the moments when people try something they didn’t expect." Chase the drink with a coffee-and-chocolate stop, where it's also possible to try the national-favorite salmiakki, a famously distinctive salty licorice.
The tour finishes up with a visit to an organic grocery store’s cheese counter, where every choice is named after a Helsinki neighborhood, a flavorful orientation to the city.
The Words and Veggies tour costs €65 and can be booked online at foodtourshelsinki.com.
