Can you imagine eating 6 month-old bread?! Well, apparently that was done here in Finland back in the day. On a recent trip to the Handicrafts Museum we were told that the Finns created this bread called Ruis, but here’s the kicker, they only made it twice a year. It was made in bulk in a round, disk-like shape with a hole in the center, then stored in the ceiling rafters.
You can still buy the round Ruis with a hole in the center, but it is more commonly sold like this…
Britt and I have different feelings towards this traditional Finnish bread. She loves it, and I hate it. It is a very thin bread (I’m assuming there is no yeast, which is why they were able to store it for 6 months at a time), and a very (VERY) dark rye. A popular way to eat it is with your breakfast sandwich, or warmed with some butter. But no matter what you dress it up with, I can’t get over the heavy rye taste. However, if I had to choose, I would take fresh ruis over 6 month-old ruis any day!
The Wild Rose 
Great picture of the bread on the ceiling rafters! Grandma and Grandpa liked the ruis bread. I thought there was a small piece left, but it is gone. Can you imagine if Grandma stored her bagels on a ceiling rafter? 🙂
Ha ha! That would be very handy if she kept them in the ceiling rafters, but you would have to change them out every couple of days because there aren’t any preservatives!
I love those flat rye bread things. I didn’t know what they were, but I look for them every time I am in Finland. Thanks for the great story.
Apparently Ruis is becoming a popular commodity in some of the boutique grocery shops in New York City. If you’re a fan of rye, then this would be the bread for you!
I was living in Finland for 6 years. I really enjoyed that bread. So, one day, sitting in the summer cottage a chunk of ruis fell from the rafters after being up there for many (10?) years. Esko wasn’t too fussy, so we ate it. Other than being a bit dry and losing most of its flavor, it was just fine..
That is hilarious, and sums up the Finnish attitude and lifestyle perfectly! Thanks for sharing!