National Dish Finland: Rusinakeitto (Recipe)
In this article
Rusinakeitto is a sweet soup, which takes some explaining to anyone outside the Nordic countries. Raisins simmer with cinnamon and lemon peel, potato starch thickens the liquid to a glossy, spoonable consistency, and it is served warm or cold as a dessert. In Finland it belongs to Christmas, and it is entirely unlike anything savoury.
About Rusinakeitto
Rusinakeitto is a sweet raisin soup that brings together Finnish tradition and comfort. Refined with cinnamon and lemon, this dish is perfect for cold days and much loved as a Christmas dessert. Made from a handful of simple ingredients, it brings the soul of Finland straight into your kitchen. It belongs to the family of kiisseli, the starch-thickened fruit soups eaten across the Nordic countries.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 150 g raisins
- 750 ml water
- 50 g sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 strip of unwaxed lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons potato starch
- 3 tablespoons cold water, to slake the starch
- A little lemon juice, to taste
Shopping for the ingredients
Potato starch is the correct thickener and gives the characteristic clear gloss, cornflour makes the soup cloudy and slightly chalky. It is sold in most supermarkets and all Nordic and Eastern European shops. Use plump, soft raisins rather than dry hard ones.
Preparing the dish
Rinse the raisins. Slake the potato starch in cold water and keep it beside the pan, since it goes in at the very end and must be stirred in off the boil. Have a strip of lemon zest pared with a peeler, avoiding the white pith.
Step-by-step instructions
- Rinse the raisins and put them in a pan with the water.
- Add the cinnamon stick and lemon zest.
- Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 20 minutes until the raisins are plump.
- Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon zest.
- Take the pan off the boil and stir in the slaked potato starch.
- Return to a very gentle heat and stir for 1 minute until it thickens and turns glossy — do not let it boil again.
- Taste, sharpen with lemon juice and serve warm or chilled.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Rusinakeitto is naturally gluten-free, potato starch, not flour, does the thickening, and contains no dairy at all, so it is lactose-free too. No adaptation is needed.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
The soup is vegan as written. In Finland it is often served with a spoonful of cream or with rice pudding, both of which can be replaced with oat cream to keep it plant-based.
More tips and tricks
Never boil the soup after the starch goes in, potato starch loses its thickening power at a full boil and the soup turns thin again. Sprinkle sugar over the surface as it cools to stop a skin forming. And it thickens further as it cools, so leave it looser than you want it.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Prunes or dried apricots alongside the raisins give a fuller flavour. A splash of red wine or port is a common adult addition. Star anise or cloves alongside the cinnamon suit the Christmas association.
Ingredient substitutions
Cornflour works if potato starch is unavailable, though the gloss is lost. Apple juice in place of some of the water adds sweetness and body. Orange zest substitutes for lemon.
Drink pairing ideas
Glögi, the Finnish mulled wine, is what it accompanies at Christmas. Coffee follows it at any other time. A herbal tea suits it as a light dessert.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve rusinakeitto in bowls or glasses, warm in winter and chilled in summer, with a spoonful of cream or alongside riisipuuro, the Christmas rice porridge, the pairing of hot rice porridge with cold fruit soup is a genuine Finnish institution.
A bit of history
Kiisseli — starch-thickened fruit soups — arrived in Finland from Russia and became a fixture of the dessert table, made with whatever fruit was preserved or dried. Raisins were an imported luxury, which is why the raisin version attached itself to Christmas specifically. It offers a genuine window onto Finnish cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Rusinakeitto
Rusinakeitto is raisins simmered with cinnamon and lemon, thickened with potato starch into a glossy sweet soup. Keep it off the boil once the starch goes in, and serve it with rice porridge at Christmas.
