Flavors · Tampere

mustamakkara

A black sausage made from blood and pork with ground cereal, sold hot at Tampere’s market squares and served with lingonberry jam. The city’s tourism board calls it Tampere’s emblematic dish.

Traditional dish from Tampere, Pirkanmaa

Also known as: Tampereen mustamakkara, mustamakkarat

Updated November 2026

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mustamakkara — Tampere, Finland — mustamakkara

mustamakkara — Tampere, Finland

Mustamakkara, the black sausage, is made from pork blood, pork meat and ground cereal, which gives it its dark color and soft texture. Tampere tourism mentions rye flour; other sources refer to barley, and producers’ recipes vary.

Visit Tampere presents mustamakkara as the city’s emblematic dish and says it has been made in the region since the 19th century. The custom is to eat it outdoors at the food stalls on the Tammelantori and Laukontori market squares, where it is sold hot year-round. There is also a vegetarian version.

Lingonberry jam (puolukka) is the obligatory accompaniment: the fruit’s sweet and tart flavor balances the strong taste of the blood. Some people wash it down with a glass of milk. At the stalls, orders use a special vocabulary: the full portion, two sausages joined in a U shape, is called meno-paluu, “there and back,” and it’s customary to order by price rather than by weight.

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Where it comes from

Tampere , Pirkanmaa
Tampere is the city of mustamakkara: the sausage is sold hot at the Tammelantori and Laukontori market squares.

Ingredients

Pork blood, pork meat, ground cereal (rye or barley, depending on the producer) and salt.

How it is eaten

Hot, served whole or in pieces, with lingonberry jam on top, bought at the stall and eaten in the square. Some people accompany it with milk.

When it is eaten

Everyday market food, available year-round.

Your questions

Questions about mustamakkara

What is mustamakkara?

A black sausage made from blood and pork with ground cereal, typical of Tampere, served hot with lingonberry jam.

Where to eat mustamakkara in Tampere?

At the food stalls in the Tammelantori and Laukontori market squares, where it is sold hot. There is also a vegetarian version.

What is meno-paluu?

It’s how you order the full portion of mustamakkara in Tampere: two sausages joined in a U shape. The expression means “there and back.”

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