Finnish Families and Food Historian Shed Light on the Evolution and Significance of Travel Snacks

The Ojanperä family from Muhos is well-prepared for their long train journey from Oulu to Helsinki. They have packed nearly half a shopping bag of food and plan to visit the restaurant car if necessary. “Coffee, smoothies, nuts, cucumber pastilles, and water,” Harri Ojanperä lists the contents of their food bag. His 12-year-old son Väinö Ojanperä, who is traveling with his parents, has his own clear favorites for travel snacks: “Chips, soda, and candy.”

Food historian Ritva Kylli from Oulu says that good snacks have always been an important part of travel and a reflection of the food culture of the time. Over the centuries, means of transport have evolved and the traditional Finnish meal of ‘talkkuna’ (a type of coarse meal) mixed with sour milk has been replaced by plastic-packaged sandwiches, salads, or snack bars. “Egg-anchovy bread was a nostalgic travel snack from my own childhood, and it was still available at bus stations and railway station restaurants in the 1980s. Now you can hardly get it anywhere,” Kylli laughs. She has recently studied the history of travel food in Finland, examining what kind of snacks Finns have taken with them on their travels and how they have dined in trains, station restaurants, and ship buffets over time. Her book ‘Food on the Go’ will be published in the autumn.

Also boarding the train with their own snacks are 17-year-old friends Kaisla Nikula and Meri Jokitalo from Oulu. Both have items like salted peanuts and water in their bags. “Salted peanuts are easy to eat. You don’t have to fuss around with them, and they don’t mess up,” Jokitalo explains her choice.

One significant criteria for what travelers choose to take with them is convenience. Ritva Kylli says that one handy food item is the banana, which was already appreciated as a travel snack in the 1930s, even though it was a luxury at the time. The banana still holds its place as a popular travel snack. “The banana is a classic. It always has to be part of the snacks,” says Harri Ojanperä. Katri Ojanperä praises bananas for being easy to eat and convenient to carry. Even Kaisa Tuominen, who is waiting for the train with her grandchild, gives a thumbs up for the banana. “When it has the peel on, it doesn’t mess up. Even kids love it. That’s why bananas are almost always part of the travel snacks.”

What snacks people have taken with them in the past has depended on whether the trip was made for work or leisure, on foot or by some means of transport. Especially on work trips, people have longed for something familiar and safe. According to Kylli, sailors, for example, had to carefully consider what would keep best in damp conditions. Dry bread, salted meat, and dried peas for soup were most commonly taken as meals.

There are regional differences in the culture of snacks. According to Kylli, Kainuu has had a rich snack culture. People there have often traveled along the Oulujoki river to Oulu to bring tar and go shopping in the city. They are skilled in preparing snacks. But effort has been put into snacks elsewhere too. Kylli explains that snacks have indicated the traveler’s wealth: poor snacks gave a bad impression of the whole family and clan. “Even today, if you eat your own snacks on the train, you are subject to the gaze of strangers. Conclusions are made about what kind of person you are based on your snacks,” says Kylli.

Is this true? Kaisa Helkiö from Oulu admits that she sometimes observes the eating habits of families with children or notices that environmentally conscious people carry their own reusable snack boxes. And when you observe others, sometimes you may feel snack envy. “Some sandwiches look delicious, but I never bother to go and get one for myself,” Helkiö laughs.