To Finns, bread is almost sacred since it has traditionally formed the mainstay of the Finnish diet. In days gone by it was considered good manners never to throw away a piece of bread or eat the last piece of bread to ensure there will always be food in the house. Even today, warm, freshly baked bread is a popular gift, bringing good luck to the household and ensuring peaceful relations with the neighbours. 

Bread is made from all four cereals grown in Finland; wheat, rye, barley and oats, which are usually ground into various grades. In addition to various types of flour for baking, wholemeal flour, coarse flour, bran and flakes are widely available. Bread made with coarse ingredients has added nutritional value, and is especially rich in fibre. Naturally, baking ingredients today also include various seeds and herbs. 

Finland can perhaps boast the richest selection of bread in the world - with its vast array of dark, even black bread, delicious many-cereal bread, leavened, sweet - sour and unleavened, soft bread and crispbreads. In this large but sparsely populated country, each province has developed its own peculiar type of bread. Not only that, Finland's unique geographical position between East and West has also left its mark on bread-making. Western Finland has received impulses from Scandinavia, whereas eastern Finland has been exposed to Russian influences. The richest bread tradition in Finland is to be found in Karelia and Kainuu, where cereals have been ingeniously combined with other natural products such as berries, fish and vegetables.