The North Karelian Martha Organization

Koskikatu 5-7
80100 Joensuu
Website

The Martha Association celebrates its 125th anniversary next year. The Marthas are turned to for advice on food, nutrition, gardening, the environment, and consumer issues. Food traditions is one of the Martha Organization's key goals. Teaching the Karelian baking tradition and especially the Karelian pie tradition is a matter of honour for us in North Karelian Martha Organization. The North Karelian Martha Organization has had a café called Marttakahvio for 50 years at Joensuu Market Square. We at the Marttakahvio café does organize pie workshops for everyone interested. Traditionally, the art of baking pies is learned from mothers and grandmothers. We want to create the same homely atmosphere in a situation where traditions are passed on to future generations. At the pie school, everyone gets to dip their fingers into the dough and make traditional Karelian pies made from rye with their own hands. During the summer, pie schools are organised at the Marttakahvio café workshop. At the same place volunteers of local Martha associations bake hundreds of pies daily to be sold in Marttakahvio café. Those pies are said to be best in Finland, but for sure they are fresh from the oven and made with huge experience.