Paper short abstract:

The symbolic and heritage value of food is explicit in ethnic festivals. This paper deals with Finnish American foods and festivals. I will focus especially on two specific foods that have become typical Finnish American foods even though their interpretation as such can be contested.

Paper long abstract:

Food is an important marker of ethnic identity. It can be seen both as a personal way for someone to feel connected to their ethnic roots and as a way to publicly express ones ethnicity. Food is also one of the main expressions of cultural and ethnic identity within immigrants. In the United States many different immigrant groups maintain and celebrate their ethnic and cultural identity and often this is done with food. Although Finnish Americans may not be as famous for their food traditions as some other ethnicities, they also express their ethnic identity and background with food. The immigrant foods are often creolized or hybridization versions of the original versions. Usually specific immigrant food items become symbolic expressions of cultural and ethnical identity and heritage even if in some cases these foods are not that known in their country of origin. The symbolic and heritage value of different foods become even more explicit within different ethnic festivals and celebrations.

In this paper I’m going to show what kind of food is presented as Finnish American at different Finnish American festivals and how the heritagization of these foods is done. I will focus especially on two specific foods that have become known as typical Finnish American foods, mojakka and pasties and how they have become heritagized as Finnish American foods even though their interpretation as such can be contested.