Macaroni arrived in Finland in the 19th century.
There are many types of pasta models. Adobe Stock / AOP
Horn macaroni is an important ingredient for many Finns. It was noticed in the summer, when the production stoppage of two Finnish macaroni manufacturers occurred at the same time.
Myllin Parha’s production was suspended in the summer because the line had to be repaired due to loose metal. Unfortunately, the renewal of the Torino pasta line of another domestic pasta manufacturer, Raisio, was timed for the summer.
Even though Torino had been prepared in larger quantities than usual, it was not enough to fulfill the Finns’ need for macaroni. The store shelves were empty.
But do you know the history of macaroni in Finland?
The Raisio factory produces, among other things, Torino horn macaroni. Eeva Paljakka
8 facts about macaroni
1. The first macaroni came to Finland in the 19th century. Back then, they were only a delicacy for the few.
2. Already in the 1890s, the recipe for the macaroni box is mentioned in a cookbook, but then it was a box without meat. It was only after the war in the 1950s that meat was added to the macaroni box, and it became a favorite dish of Finns.
3. In the past, tube macaroni was a common form of macaroni in Finland. It was cut into a macaroni box, among other things. Today, horn macaroni has replaced pipe macaron.
4. At the beginning of the 20th century, macaroni began to be made in Finland. At first, production was small. But after the cultivation of wheat became common and the varieties developed in the 1930s, the production of macaroni also increased.
5. Horn macaroni was, along with potatoes, an important food during the war at the front. It had better properties than potatoes: good shelf life and light weight.
6. Many macaroni models are made in Finland, but not spaghetti. The reason is that spaghetti needs its own large line with a long dryer. Other models cannot be manufactured on the same line. For example, in the early 1990s, Raisio decided to dismantle the spaghetti production line and invest in short macaroni.
7. Making a new spaghetti line would be too expensive. Finns should eat spaghetti much more than they do now, so that the line would be profitable.
8. Pasta is made from durum flour, but in Finland domestic grains are also used, mostly wheat. However, pasta requires durum to have a good texture. Finland is too far north to grow durum here.
Source: Raisio product group manager Pauliina Öhman