Do Finns usually make the Christmas casseroles themselves?

[Hank W.]

Were we the only family that had a 'plain' macaroni casserole? And its done with those big thick hollow long macaronis too? I remember that been a Christmas special as my mom didn't make it so otherwise. The liver casserole we skipped... potato, swede, carrot and the macaronis, but they were with the hot foods, karelian stew on occasion, but my mom made a meat pie sometimes as well. Then of course for the starters there was two-three kinds of salmon, and herring, (also herring in the rosolli) though my moms and gran's recipe was heavier on the beets (and they boiled them themselves, the store-bought rosolli is far too vinegary). I remember whole boiled potatoes, lipeäkala (a delicacy for my dad everybody else was holding their noses and told him off on it - was quite a tradition) and then the white sauce with hard-boiled eggs. And *thick* rice porridge and that sekametelisoppa of dried fruits.... a bucket please, and a plum pie with your coffee Mr Creosote?

Yeah, hum. I was just thinking even I am these days too cranky to attend any festivities I should really host the Christmas one year. Now that I still remember how to make some of the stuff. And those old ladies are still around... how much arsenic was it now you put in the almond biscuits...

What I remember of the dinner it was a celebration of "side dishes" that were rare, and you never ought to stuff yourself with anything as the next round had some more delicacies.

I think most of the foods, if you analyse them - are daily fares from different parts of the country. Why they became a christmas tradition is not that hard to say, you made more than one fare for the feast, and as people gathered together, the "countryside cooking" survived the times as "tradition" dicatated. (Much like any other "feast" food.)

And thus we know that even there is no love lost between the two, Sven Two-Beard came to drink the Yule at Harald's court, because old men have the habit of dying of too much Yule pork and beer, and it is always wise to be close to the king's treasure if that happens...

[Karhunkoski]

the store-bought rosolli is far too vinegary).
.[/i]

Yup it is!

Because they need the extra shelf-life - they have to start making it in the factories long before xmas Much better to make your own

[Hank W.]

Well it is the pickled beets they use that are too vinegary to start with. I think if you get estonian pickled beets they're a bit mellower. Cucumbers you can these days even get the russian-style soured ones... but beets, alas, all doused in etikka.

[Karhunkoski]

parempi kun itikka?

[karen]

Before I committed myself, I asked MIL if she used porkkanasose or if she grated the carrots. I was fairly certain that the texture was grated rather than overcooked. She told me that always in the past she has cooked the rice as puuro and then added grated carrots, but this year she used sose. I'll get back with you on how much I liked or disliked it. The carrot casserole is the only one I liked.

[Jukka Aho]

Were we the only family that had a 'plain' macaroni casserole? And its done with those big thick hollow long macaronis too? I remember that been a Christmas special as my mom didn't make it so otherwise.

I’ve heard of others... (See this discussion, for example.) But I admit it hasn’t been on our Christmas menu, for some reason. Might be a case of NIH syndrome; pasta being associated more with the Italians than the traditional Finnish dishes... Or perhaps it is just deemed bit too ordinary fare for Christmas (but that doesn’t explain the liver casserole, which in that case should probably share the same fate, being served regularly in school cafeterias and whatnot...)

Then of course for the starters there was two-three kinds of salmon, and herring

We tend to “do” the Christmas dinner mostly in smörgåsbord fashion these days. The warm dishes are located near the stove (some in the oven to keep them warm) while the cold cuts, hundreds of varieties of herring, salads, relishes, pickles, cheese, bread, drinks, etc. are on a side table. You take your plate and pick whatever you want, then return to the dinner table to savor your loot. Potatoes, Karelian stew, slices of ham, mustard, refills of drinks etc. might be passed around or served by someone to the main table when needed but most of the other stuff you go and pick yourself. (We don’t observe any strict order for the dishes, so everyone’s pretty much free to follow whatever scheme they want to... except that the dessert, coffee, etc. is served only after everyone has finished and the plates have been cleared away.)

Our Christmas time extended get-together family is religious enough to begin the Christmas dinner with the reading of Luke 2:1–20 and singing a couple of verses from the hymn Enkeli taivaan (aka Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her or From Heaven Above to Earth I Come (Listen)) I’m sure there are many families who are now secularized enough that they would squirm at the thought... but it’s all part of the family tradition for us, and a custom that most Finnish families would have shared in one form or the other still some decades ago. (Many still probably do. Even if not everyone sitting at the table would be particularly religious, it can be thought of as paying homage to the past, passing, and older generations and their beliefs.)

the store-bought rosolli is far too vinegary

Yep, that’s one of the big differences, too.

I remember whole boiled potatoes, lipeäkala (a delicacy for my dad everybody else was holding their noses and told him off on it - was quite a tradition) and then the white sauce with hard-boiled eggs.

(Lipeäkala = lutefisk, for the benefit of those readers who know it better by that latter name.) We bought some lutefisk for the Christmas dinner just yesterday...

Back when Grandpa was still alive and the entire family used to gather to my grandparents’ place for Christmas, lutefisk and white sauce were served as an appetizer some time before the actual dinner.

And *thick* rice porridge and that sekametelisoppa of dried fruits...

That’s still on our menu, but served during the day, at around noon and the declaration of Christmas Peace [1]...
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[1] Full text

[Hank W.]

Yeah, since for "makaronilaatikko" you get from the store or in school they use those "short curvy" and not the long ones (I think I need to go buy some if I can find them - I remember its blue and says "Torino"... try to make "mommas casserole" which is very "eggy").

Anyhow, the "plain" one was as potatoes and rice - a totally side dish.

The whole table was in the end a "smorgasbord"... only you couldn't have a plate on the table if you had all the stuff on..

My favorite though is "Juhlalimppu" - the same you get as Easter. My problem is that I can't remember the right brand as "Elanto" is no more, and they use the "evil seeds" in half of them... if I get bread spoiled by cumin seeds I'll go murder the baker.... Elannon Limppu had no cumin seeds...

But some kinkku on good limppu... I'd be lured to be nice for a moment

[Jukka Aho]

begin the Christmas dinner with the reading of Luke 2:1–20 and singing a couple of verses from the hymn Enkeli taivaan (aka Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her or From Heaven Above to Earth I Come (Listen))

According to a gallup poll published in Helsingin Sanomat (conducted by the Church Research Institute and TNS Gallup Oy), ...

• 60% of the interviewed deem Christmas their favorite festivity
• Again, 60% are going to spend the Christmas time at home with their family.
• Yet again, the same number of people are going to visit the graves of their loved ones and lit a candle or two in their remembrance.
• Going to the traditional Christmas sauna is deemed important by half of the interviewed. The same goes for giving presents. Getting presents, however, is important for only about 25%, and the same number of people deem the Christian subtext of Christmas important.
• One in six homes observe the tradition of reading aloud Jesus’ birth narrative from the Bible, and 14% are planning to attend to the Christmas service.
• About half of Finns will watch the live tv broadcast of the declaration of Christmas Peace from Turku (at 12:00 pm on Christmas Eve, YLE TV1). One third will sing Christmas carols at home, and 3/4 of the interviewed appreciate getting together with the family, the peaceful restful atmosphere, and the traditional Christmas dishes as the most important Christmas-related things.

[CH]

Were we the only family that had a 'plain' macaroni casserole?

That was my grandmother's (on my father's side) speciality. But made from small curved macaroni. She made it actually for any "nice" dinner, and sillisalaatti (well, rosolli, but sillsallad is what I call it, although it's without the silli ) where every item is separate next to each other in stipes (looked really nice... we just mix it all up). My mother used to make macaroni casserole too, but complained that she never got it as compact as my grandmother used to make it, so it was eventually left out from our Christmas table.

To the original question... I make potato casserole, as the store bought are just vile, in my opinion. I'm used to having it sweetened with siirappi, so the store bought taste to me like just mashed potato. This year there was one that professed to be "makea" (or whatever), so I had to try it out... they had added lots of cinnamon to it! WTF?!? But store bought swede casserole is quite close to home made, so that one I just buy.

[CH]

Oh, and Saarioinen has now a sweet potato casserole (Bataattivuoka), that's really good (in my opinion, at least). Finnish fusion food!

[karen]

I definitely prefer the grated carrot casserole to the carrot puree casserole.

[enk]

Oh, and Saarioinen has now a sweet potato casserole (Bataattivuoka), that's really good (in my opinion, at least). Finnish fusion food!

And thank god they dropped the price, cuz my kids love that one, too

We talked about the macaroni casserole at Christmas dinner. My MIL
says they used to serve it when she was a kid for Christmas dinner,
but she's never made it once she left home. God knows if it'll show
up on the dinner table next Christmas Other things we had:
rosolli, Karelian stew, ham, 2 kinds of rye bread, casserole (liver, carrot
and rutabaga), pickles, cukes, rice porridge with mixed fruit "soup".
To drink we were boring and stuck with milk and coca-cola.

The kids went for Christmas sauna, Santa showed up a couple of
hours later and then we sat around and put legos and Star Wars models
together until the wee hours. (Thank you, oh Anglican Christmas
Bazaar!) And the kids scarfed down candy and chocolate that they
got, too (those foul green balls)

-enk

[raumagal]

I saw one use for those "foul green balls" in kotivinkki...they stuck them on a styrofoam type craft thing and made them into a Christmas tree.

[Hank W.]

I can only say lutefisk indeed is diet food. Blergh.

[mrshourula]

My sister-in-law and family spent christmas in Finland this year so it fell to me to make the traditional casseroles (for the first time!).

I made the carrot and rutabega casserole using the recipes from the Nordic Recipe Archive.

My husband said they tasted just like his old Finnish aunt used to make and then asked me to marry him (again) so I guess that's a fine recommendation of those recipes.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!