Lieksa is a small town and the food scene is modest, but Karelian cooking is worth seeking out: karjalanpiirakka (the rye-crust pastries with a filling of rice porridge, eaten with butter and chopped egg), kalakukko (fish-and-pork pie baked inside a rye loaf), the lake's vendace and pike-perch. A handful of restaurants on the central streets serve standard Finnish fare; the more memorable places are at Bomba in Nurmes or the wilderness huts of Ruunaa.