Food in Åland - 16 delicacies to try

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Writer: Helena Bergström

Want to experience food in Åland? Although Åland is not very big, there is a surprisingly wide range of delicacies and locally produced treats. Åland is the land of apples, but you can also enjoy jams, honey, chocolate and many exciting drinks.

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Food in Åland - our experiences

We have visited Åland a few times, and in the summer of 2023 we had extra time to travel around. We did the trip in co-operation with Visit Åland, which meant that we found a lot of local restaurants, food producers and breweries.

In some places we received a small gift, such as a jar of marmalade, and when we realised how many good things there were, we started to buy more - apple juice, honey, mustard and chocolate. Our trip to Åland was a real taste adventure! Funnily enough, we haven't had time to tell you about all the good food yet... so now it's time!

1. Åland pancake

When you visit Åland, you won't want to miss trying the local speciality, Åland pancake. This is a variant of oven pancake, made from mannagryns porridge and flavoured with cardamom.

Traditionally, the pancake is served with cream and whipped cream, but it is also common to choose strawberry jam as a side dish. Expect to find this dish in almost every restaurant and café.

2. Black bread

Another Åland speciality you don't want to miss is the classic Åland black bread. This is a kind of dark, sweetened rye bread that you can find both in bakeries and regular grocery stores. It's delicious!

3. apples

You can't talk about food in Åland without mentioning apples. Åland is a major producer of apples and more than 70 per cent of all Finnish apples are grown on the island and harvested by hand.

You can, of course, try the apples fresh, or buy various products such as apple juice, apple sauce or apple chutney. We paid a visit to Öfvergårds muster which also offers various 'apple experiences', such as apple safaris and picnics in the apple orchard.

4. apple must

One of the apple products you may want to try is apple must, which is produced on many different farms. For example, you can find delicious apple must at Öfvergårds muster, Pomegranate and Snäckö Fruit.

5. Jams and marmalades

You can also take the opportunity to buy jams and marmalades. Not surprisingly, you can find many different products made from apples, such as apple sauce, apple chutney and apple jelly. In addition, there are plenty of other creative forms of jam and marmalade. We got dandelion jam, sea buckthorn jam and raspberry jam with liquorice. Delicious and fun to try!

6. caramels

On Ålands Karamelleriet colourful sweets and lollipops are made by hand, and we picked up a few jars when we visited cosy Lolo's Seaside Café & Restaurant in Geta. So many fun flavours! How about Sea Buckthorn, Gin Tonic and Piña colada? We also show a small picture from the shop at Carlsro bath hotel on Föglö - so incredibly charming!

7. Honey

If you like honey, you can take the opportunity to buy it in Åland. There are several different producers, such as Åland Honey, Beesyssla and many others. We still enjoy our Åland honey!

8. Mustard

Another flavoursome product that has a good reputation in Åland is mustard, and in fact Kitchen mustard has once been recognised as the best mustard in the world. Lasses mustard, produced by Åland mustard, is also propular and comes in many exciting variants.

9. East

When it comes to cheese, you can try Åland Special from Åland Dairy. If you want to try some more small-scale dairy products, check out Mattas Farm Dairy, which has a limited range of locally produced cheese and ice cream.

10. charcuterie products

In Åland, the traditional company Dahlmans, which has been producing meat, sausages and charcuterie since 1924. You will find, for example, products such as smoked archipelago ham, delicatessen smoked side and many different types of sausages.

11. Chocolate

Do you like chocolate? Then you might want to visit Mercedes Chocolaterie, which together with Amalias lemonade factory is located in Lemland. Here you will find delicious handmade chocolate pralines, toffee & salt and flavourful chocolate plates. Perfect for a festive occasion or as a gift!

12. lemonade

While you are visiting Mercedes Chocolaterie you will of course want to check out Amalias lemonade factory. Drinks are produced here by hand in a charming little factory, and in the equally charming shop you'll find over 40 different lemonades and other drinks in old-fashioned glass bottles. The lemonade comes in many tempting flavours such as lemon, pear and elderflower.

13. cider

Did we mention that apples are a big deal in Åland? In other words, it's no wonder that cider is made here. You can find cider both with and without alcohol and there are many different producers, such as Open Water Brewery and Mr Peter Aplagård. There are also drinks with flavours such as lingonberry or juniper.

14. oil

Stable yard is Åland's oldest and largest brewery, producing a wide range of beers. You can find the beer in shops and restaurants, and you can also visit the brewery in Godby.

In addition, there is another brewery in Åland, in the form of the more small-scale Open Water Brewery. The brewery, located in Lemland, produces many types of craft beer and cider, and during the summer you can try to tick off the brewery's opening hours for a visit.

15. Gin and long drinks

In Åland Sund you will find Åland Distillery which makes its own gin and colourful long drinks. Ready-mixed gin and tonic can also be bought at Amalias Limonad under the name "Antons GT".

16. Liqueurs and dessert wines

To conclude, we must mention some other interesting drinks produced in Åland. I Flavour Village distillery high-quality spirits are made in the form of herbal liqueurs, fruit liqueurs, berry liqueurs and fruit distillates. Another interesting drink is 'Köldknäpp', which is a kind of apple dessert wine from Open Water Brewery.

Food festivals in Åland

If you want to enjoy food in Åland, take the opportunity to visit one of the annual festivals organised in the island kingdom.

• Åland Greenery is an event in the month of May, when you can visit food producers on different farms.
• Harvest Festival is organised in September, and during this event you can buy directly from the food producers.
• Åland Glitters takes place in December and features a Christmas market and other activities.

Restaurants in Åland

If you want to experience food in Åland, you can of course also visit one of the many nice restaurants. Of the ones we visited, we can recommend The Company at the Arkipelag Hotel in Mariehamn, Called SkärGård in Vårdö and Seagram in Föglö.

More to see and do in Åland

Åland is of course more than just food! We can highly recommend a visit to Eckerö, Föglö and Kökar. If you like history, it is also very interesting to visit Bomarsund Fortress and Kastelholm Castle. You can find all our tips on what to see and do in Åland here.

Food in Åland - do you have any other tips?

Have you been to Åland? Tell us about your food experiences from the island kingdom! Maybe you have more tips about food in Åland that are worth trying!

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