Karjalanpiirakka — Karelian pasties with rice
A thin, crispy rye pastry shell, pinched into a boat shape, filled with creamy rice porridge, brushed with butter and topped with munavoi (egg butter). The national little pie of Finland.
A thin, crispy rye pastry shell, pinched into a boat shape, filled with creamy rice porridge, brushed with butter and topped with munavoi (egg butter). The national little pie of Finland.
Here are our Karelian piirakat — thin rye boats pinched at the edge, filled with a rice porridge, baked hot and kept for several days. You reheat them in the oven, brush them with water and melted butter to soften them, and spread on top the munavoi, that butter mixed with crushed hard-boiled egg. It is the humble food of my country, one that does not look like much but nourishes the spirit as much as the body. Simplicity, you see, is never the opposite of refinement.
- •Rye flour — as needed (pastry shell)
- •Water and salt — for the dough (binder)
- •Rice — a bowl (filling (after its arrival in the North))
- •Milk — abundantly (porridge)
- •Butter — generously (brush and richness)
- •Hard-boiled eggs — a few (munavoi)
Karjalanpiirakka — Karelian pasties with rice
A thin, crispy rye pastry shell, pinched into a boat shape, filled with creamy rice porridge, brushed with butter and topped with munavoi (egg butter). The national little pie of Finland.
Why this dish? An iconic dish throughout 20th-century Finland, karjalanpiirakka is the rye snack prepared in large quantities and kept for several days — the staple food common to all Finnish circles, including the modest table of a professor like von Wright.
Here are our Karelian piirakat — thin rye boats pinched at the edge, filled with a rice porridge, baked hot and kept for several days. You reheat them in the oven, brush them with water and melted butter to soften them, and spread on top the munavoi, that butter mixed with crushed hard-boiled egg. It is the humble food of my country, one that does not look like much but nourishes the spirit as much as the body. Simplicity, you see, is never the opposite of refinement.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rye flour — as needed (pastry shell)
- Water and salt — for the dough (binder)
- Rice — a bowl (filling (after its arrival in the North))
- Milk — abundantly (porridge)
- Butter — generously (brush and richness)
- Hard-boiled eggs — a few (munavoi)
Ingredients
- Rye flour — 200 g (pastry shell)
- Wheat flour — 50 g (dough elasticity)
- Water — 120 ml (binder)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
- Short-grain rice — 150 g (filling)
- Milk — 700 ml (porridge)
- Butter — 60 g (brush + munavoi) (richness)
- Hard-boiled eggs — 2 (munavoi)
Method
- Cook the rice briefly in a little water, then slowly in the milk until thick and creamy. Salt and let cool slightly.
- Knead a firm dough with rye flour, wheat flour, water and salt. Divide into small balls and roll into very thin disks.
- Place a spoonful of rice porridge in the center of each disk, then pinch the edges up into a boat shape, leaving the filling exposed.
- Bake in a very hot oven (250°C) for 12-15 minutes until the edges are golden.
- Upon removal, brush with a mixture of hot water and melted butter, cover with a cloth to soften.
- Prepare munavoi by mashing the hard-boiled eggs with softened butter and a little salt; spread on the warm piirakat.
How it was made : Originally Karelian, the filling was barley or buckwheat porridge; rice, imported, became standard in the 20th century. These pasties were baked in batches in the bread oven and kept for several days, reheated with butter before serving. Today they are a Finnish national symbol.
The contemporary twist : Top with munavoi then a sliver of vendace roe and a sprig of dill, as a chic Nordic appetizer bite.
Georg Henrik von Wright · Charactorium