Challahpulla – Finnish Jewish foodways

The relationship between food and religion is a lived activity formed by the dynamics of both tradition and adaption. Religious commitments to food are influenced by several factors, ranging from personal spirituality and experiences to social patterns of belonging, ethical, political and doctrinal convictions. Gefilte fish, gehakte herring, gribenes – these are only a few of the traditional Finnish Jewish meals that are regularly prepared by members of the Helsinki Jewish Community. The originally Eastern European dishes are one of the last links that connect assimilated Finnish Jews to their Orthodox Jewish ancestors from mainly Russia, Poland, Belarus and Lithuania. The current paper aims at presenting the boundary negotiations connected to the multi-ethnic culinary traditions of Jews living in Finland. Finnish Jewish responses to the requirements of kashrut range on a relatively wide spectrum. How has eating habits changed within the last 100 years in terms of kosher food? Which culinary traditions are preserved and what are their roots? How are meals prepared and where are ingredients bought? Why do meals still have Yiddish names? Similarly to all other fields of practiced religion, Finnish Jewish foodways too were influenced by historical circumstances, intermarriages as well as the surrounding majority society.