Kama

Kama, also known as talkkuna or tolokno, is a traditional flour mixture popular in Estonian, Finnish, and Russian cuisine. This finely milled powder is made from a blend of roasted barley, rye, oat, and pea flour. Occasionally, variations include substituting wheat flour for oat flour or adding kibbled black beans.

Originally, kama was a convenient, non-perishable food that travelers could easily turn into a filling snack by mixing it with butter or lard, as it was already roasted and did not require baking.

Today, kama is often used in desserts and is a popular breakfast option. People mix it with milk, buttermilk, or kefir to create a mush. It can be sweetened with sugar, blueberries, other fruits, or honey, or enjoyed unsweetened. In Estonia and Finland, kama is also incorporated into milk or sour desserts with forest berries. It is even sold as a souvenir in Estonia and is considered one of the country's most unique national foods.

There is a similar product called skrädmjöl, which is made solely from roasted oats. This flour is traditionally produced by Forest Finns in the Swedish province of Värmland.

Interestingly, in everyday Finnish and Estonian language, "kama" also means "things" or "stuff" and it sometimes carries a connotation related to narcotics.