From blood sausage to Pyynikki doughnuts: Markku Haapio's seven most memorable Tampere dishes

Turku food writer Markku Haapio has named his seven most memorable Tampere food experiences, which range from mustamakkara (Tampere blood sausage) to the Pyynikki Observation Tower doughnuts. He even recalls a favourite haunt with the offhand line, "A pub near the station, I can't recall the name."

The list highlights local institutions and personal taste. He praises mustamakkara for its role in everyday tradition, singles out a memorable pike-perch fillet from Henriks as a lesson in savouring the fatty bits, and calls Tampere Market Hall one of only three true Finnish market halls. He says he has often eaten the Four Seasons vendor's French fish soup.

Tamperelainen has previously covered Tampere food tourism such as the 'Have Some Finnish' food tour and new gastropubs including Gastropub Fenno. Haapio lauds Plevna for honest pub food, mentions Gastropub Tuulensuu and older favourites Ohranjyvä and Tillikka, and says he had to Google Oluthuone Panimomestari near the station to remember the name.

He celebrates peremeç as a distinctly Tampere treat and names the Pyynikki Observation Tower café doughnuts, joking that they "include an environmental surcharge."

Haapio collected the sayings and food quotations for decades. Publisher Vinha has gathered 2,057 entries in the new book Suussa sulavat sanat, which includes an index, short author bios and a look at Haapio's reference shelf.

Haapio has written on sausages, the food industry and Turku, and helped found Turun Oluen Ystäväin Seura. He previously won the State Prize for Public Information for his book on the Orthodox Church of Finland.