On 12th June 2023, the Finnish city of Turku will play host to this year’s MICHELIN Guide Ceremony for the Nordic Countries. The ceremony celebrates the restaurants that have made it into the 2023 Guide, having impressed the MICHELIN Guide Inspectors with their high quality cooking. The countries included in the selection are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
This year’s new Michelin Stars will be presented at the ceremony, along with the Special Awards for Young Chef, Welcome & Service and Sommelier. The event will take place at the Logomo events venue close to the city centre, in partnership with the City of Turku, Business Finland and Food From Finland. Logomo was constructed specially for Turku’s reign as the European Capital of Culture in 2011.
The oldest city in Finland and its former capital, Turku is known for its coastal position in the southwest of the country. It acts as a gateway to the Finnish archipelago, which is one the largest collections of islands in the world. The vast number of islands allows plenty of opportunity to explore during a visit to Turku. Some, such as Ruissalo, are just a short distance from the city and easily accessible by bus or boat. To get a true feel for the extent and variety of the islands, take The Archipelago Trail – a famed circular route that takes you from Turku, through the islands and eventually back to the city.
The archipelago stretches across the water close to Stockholm, which partly explains the Swedish influence on Turku. As a port, it was a key city during the Swedish reign of Finland and around 5% of Turku’s inhabitants today are Swedish-speaking Finns. This number rises the further you venture into the archipelago, with some municipalities having as much as 70% of their population speaking Swedish as a first language.
There is also a Swedish influence on the cooking in Turku too, which is just a small part of the rich and vibrant food culture that makes Turku a great host of the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony. Being so close to the sea not only provides the city with stunning scenery, but also with a fantastic range of seafood to enjoy too; herring, in particular, is a speciality here. Other gastronomic influences on Turku originate from Germany, Central Europe and the Baltic region.
That’s not to say Turku doesn’t have a rich cuisine of its own, however; regional specialities here include sourdough and archipelago bread, which is a dark and dense loaf made using sour milk that has a malty, syrupy sweet taste. Rusinamakkara is also a delicacy from this part of Finland, a sweet sausage made with pork, barley and raisins, among other things. Despite sometimes being seen as a Christmas food, you can buy rusinamakkara at all times from the 125-year-old Turku Market Hall. This is a great spot to soak up the culture and find these local foods, along with an array of other marvellous produce.
The Turku dining scene also has plenty to offer, stretching way back to the opening of Finland’s first ever restaurant here in the mid-18C. Today, the riverside area of the city is buzzing with a lively collection of restaurants and cafés. There’s a great variety of styles and cuisines to choose from, with much Finnish and local produce amongst them. Those with plant-led diets are well-served too, with a good number of restaurants in Turku having heartily embraced vegetarian and vegan dining.
The jewel in Turku’s culinary crown is the Michelin-Starred Kaskis. Having opened in 2014, the restaurant was awarded its Star at the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony 2022, a well-deserved honour for a restaurant with such evidently skilful cooking. Quality local produce is key for the team here, as is devising menus seasonally to make the most of the prime ingredients and work in a more sustainable manner.
The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors were impressed by Kaskis because it has a distinctive culinary style and plenty of character. Bright, bold colours and some powerful flavours are key features of the dishes, but this is paired with a welcome lightness of touch. There is a delicate precision to so much of the cooking at Kaskis which shows impressive refinement and attention to detail. Expect to see your dishes carefully topped off with all manner of flowers, herbs and condiments that enhance the main flavours and textures. They’re pleasingly flexible for dietary requirements here too, with vegetarian and vegan menus available on request. So, no matter your diet, a visit to Kaskis promises to be a truly enjoyable experience with some of the best food Turku has to offer.
As a city, Turku has a long and fascinating history, of which food is a key part: from the very first Finnish restaurant and fresh local seafood to sweet sausages and the Michelin-Starred excellence of Kaskis. This makes it an apt choice to host the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony for the Nordic Countries 2023, a city that will be proud to represent the heights of gastronomy across the Nordic region.
