Visit Finland has launched Have Some Finnish, a new international culinary tourism campaign inviting travelers from around the world to apply for a seat at exclusive tasting dinners celebrating the country’s rich food culture.
Selected participants will be flown to Finland to experience specially curated menus created by leading Finnish chefs, showcasing regional ingredients, local traditions, and unique dining settings that reflect the character of each destination.
The campaign aims to raise the international profile of Finnish cuisine, which remains less familiar abroad than Finland’s reputation as one of the world’s happiest countries. Through Have Some Finnish, Visit Finland hopes to shine a spotlight on the country’s seasonal ingredients, nature-inspired cooking, and distinctive culinary heritage.
The first two Official Tasting events will take place in September 2026 in Finland’s Coast and Archipelago region and in Lapland. Eight international guests will be selected for each dinner through applications submitted via social media and the campaign website.
To help shape the initiative, Visit Finland conducted a nationwide food survey in January 2026, asking residents what Finland tastes like to them. Thousands of responses were received from across the country, identifying the dishes, ingredients, and flavors most closely associated with Finnish food culture.
Tasting menu following food survey in Finland
The survey results were used to develop the tasting menus in collaboration with renowned chef and restaurateur Henri Alén.
Among the foods most frequently cited by respondents were salmon soup, Karelian pies, Karelian stew, and blueberry pie. Other favorites included pea soup, fried vendace, Finnish cinnamon buns, sautéed reindeer, gravlax (cured salmon), and traditional rye bread.
The Coast and Archipelago menu has been created by Erik Mansikka, Finland’s Chef of the Year in 2013 and co-founder of Restaurant Kaskis in Turku. Kaskis became the first restaurant outside Helsinki to earn a Michelin star in 2022 and received a Michelin Green Star in 2025.
His tasting menu celebrates the flavors of the Finnish summer and the tradition of sharing meals together. Guests will enjoy a contemporary interpretation of Finland’s favorite salmon soup, along with a series of small dishes served aboard a boat. Featured ingredients include cold-smoked pike roe, archipelago bread, and cured whitefish.
In Lapland, the menu has been designed by Joel Manninen, Finland’s Young Chef of the Year 2025 and silver medalist at the 2026 Young Chefs World Championship. Manninen serves as head chef at Sky Kitchen & View in Rovaniemi.
His menu draws inspiration from the Arctic landscape, incorporating northern ingredients, the tranquility of the wilderness, and the tradition of open-fire cooking in the fells. Dishes highlight Arctic char, reindeer, and wild forest herbs, while desserts showcase iconic Lapland flavors such as cloudberries and spruce shoots.
By connecting international visitors with authentic local flavors and food traditions, Visit Finland hopes to position gastronomy as a compelling reason to visit the country. More information and applications are available at havesomefinnish.com.
