Swedish cuisine tends to be practical and sustaining but due to
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
's large
northNorth is one of the four cardinal directions, specifically the direction that, in Western culture, is treated as the fundamental direction:* North is used to define all other directions....
-
southSouth is one of the cardinal directions and is opposite to the north.By Western convention, the bottom side of a map is south; the southern direction has azimuth or bearing of 180°....
extent there have been regional differences. Historically, in the far North, meat such as
reindeerThe reindeer , also known as the caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer, widespread and numerous across the Arctic and Subarctic.- Distribution and habitat :...
, and other (semi-)
gameGame is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
dishes were eaten, which have their roots in the
Sami peopleThe Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are one of the indigenous people of northern Europe inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia but also in the border area between south and middle Sweden...
, while fresh vegetables have played a larger role in the South. Many traditional dishes employ simple, contrasting flavours; such as the traditional dish of hearty meatballs and gravy with tarty, pungent lingonberry jam (slightly similar in taste to cranberry sauce). Swedish cuisine can be distinguished from that of its neighbours in
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
and
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
, with the dishes often being more sweetened.
General features
Swedish cuisine could be described as centered around cultured dairy products, crisp and soft breads, berries and stone fruits, meats like beef and pork, seafood, shellfish, fish, pickled fish (and pickled vegetables), with vegetable staples including potato and the kale and cabbage families. Potatoes are often served as a side dish, most often boiled with a sauce. Swedish cuisine has a huge variety of breads of different shapes and sizes, made of rye, wheat, oat, white, dark, sour-dough, whole grain; soft flatbreads and crispbreads. There are many sweetened bread types and some use spices. Many meat dishes, steaks, game and meatballs are served with
lingonberry jamLingonberry jam is a staple food in Scandinavian cuisine.Because lingonberries are plentiful in the forested areas of the inland, the jam is easy to prepare, has good keeping qualities and lots of vitamin C, it has always been very popular with traditional dishes such as kroppkakor, pitepalt,...
. Fruit soups with high viscosity, like
rose hip soupRose hip soup is a soup made of rose hip. It is popular in Sweden. It is often served as a dessert with milk, cream or vanilla ice cream.Rose hips have a particularly high amount of Vitamin C....
and blueberry soup (
blåbärssoppaBlåbärssoppa, blueberry soup, is a Swedish drink made from bilberries, which can be served cold or hot. The drink is sweet and contains starch which gives it a fairly thick consistency....
) served cold and warm, are typical for Swedish cuisine. Butter and margarine are the primary fat source, although olive oil is becoming more popular, as are other Italian imports, especially pasta, pizza and wine. Sweden's pastry tradition features a variety of yeast buns, cookies, biscuits and cakes, many of them being less sugary than those in the U.S. Coffeebreaks with a pastry (
fikaFika is a Swedish verb that roughly means "to drink coffee", usually accompanied by something sweet on the side.-Definition:Fika is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a break most often a coffeebreak with one's colleagues, friends, date, or family...
) is enormously popular in Sweden.
History
The importance of fish has governed Swedish population and trade patterns far back in history. For preservation, fish were salted and cured.
SaltA salt, in chemistry, is an ionic compound, and can result from the neutralization reaction of acids and bases. Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
became a major trade item at the dawn of the
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
n
middle ageMiddle age is the period of life beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings....
s, which began circa 1000 AD.
CabbageThe cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae , and is used as a leafy green vegetable...
preserved as
sauerkrautSauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in...
and various kinds of preserved
berriesThe botanical definition of a berry is a simple fruit produced from a single ovary, such as a grape or a tomato. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. The flowers of these plants have a superior ovary formed by the fusion of...
,
appleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family Rosaceae. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits...
s, etc were used once as a source of
vitamin CVitamin C or L-ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, in which it functions as a vitamin. Ascorbate is required for a range of essential metabolic reactions in all animals and plants...
during the winter (today sauerkraut is used very seldom in Swedish cuisine).
Lingonberry jamLingonberry jam is a staple food in Scandinavian cuisine.Because lingonberries are plentiful in the forested areas of the inland, the jam is easy to prepare, has good keeping qualities and lots of vitamin C, it has always been very popular with traditional dishes such as kroppkakor, pitepalt,...
, still a favourite, may be the most traditional and typical Swedish way to add freshness to sometimes rather heavy food, such as steaks and stews.
Sweden's long winters explain the lack of fresh
vegetableA vegetable is an edible plant or part of a plant. However, the word is not scientific, and its meaning is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. Therefore the application of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. For example, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables,...
s in many traditional recipes. In older times, plants that would sustain the population through the winters were cornerstones; various
turnipThe turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot...
s such as the
kålrotThe rutabaga, swede , or yellow turnip is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip...
(aptly named "swede" in
British EnglishBritish English, or UK English or English English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
) were gradually supplanted or complemented by the
potatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes are the world's fourth largest food...
in the 18th century. Before the influences of French cuisine during the 17th and 18th centuries, a lack of distinct
spiceA spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavour, colour, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth....
s made every-day food rather plain by today's standards, although a number of local herbs and plants have been used since ancient times. This tradition is still present in today’s Swedish dishes, which are still rather sparingly spiced.
Both before and after this period, some new
GermanicThe Germanic peoples are a historical ethno-linguistic group, originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Common Germanic in the course of the Pre-Roman Iron Age...
dishes were also brought in by immigrants, such as persons related to the
Hanseatic LeagueThe Hanseatic League was an alliance of trading cities and their guilds that established and maintained a trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe, from the Baltic to the North Sea and inland, during the Late Middle Ages and early modern period...
, settling in Stockholm,
VisbyVisby is a locality and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County, Sweden with 22,236 inhabitants in 2005. It is the only one with city status on the island of Gotland; it is arguably the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia and has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
, and
KalmarKalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 35,170 inhabitants in 2005 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality with a total of 61,321 inhabitants...
. Swedish
tradersA merchant is a businessman who trades in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
and
aristocratsAristocracy is a form of government, in which a few of the most prominent citizens rule. This may be a hereditary elite, or it may be by a system of cooption where a council of prominent citizens add leading soldiers, merchants, land owners, priests, and lawyers to their number...
naturally also picked up on some food traditions in foreign countries; cabbage rolls called
kåldolmar being one example. Cabbage rolls were introduced in Sweden by
Karl XIICharles XII was the King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718....
who came in contact with this dish at the time of the
Battle of PoltavaThe Battle of Poltava on 27 June 1709 was the decisive victory of Peter I of Russia over Swedish Empire in one of the most famous of the battles of the Great Northern War. It is said to have started the end of Sweden's role as a Great Power and the Russians took their place as the leading nation...
and during his camp in the Turkish
Bender- Fiction :* Bender Bending Rodríguez, a character on Futurama* Elaine Bender, detective from Blue Murder* John Bender, a character from the 1985 film The Breakfast Club played by Judd Nelson* Ostap Bender, a fictional antihero by Ilf and Petrov...
and later introduced by his
OttomanThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
creditors, which moved to Stockholm in 1716.
Kåldolmar was already described in 1755, by
Cajsa WargAnna Christina Warg , better known as Cajsa or Kajsa Warg, was a Swedish cookbook author, who is today among the most well-known cooks in Swedish history....
, in the famous
Hjelpreda I Hushållningen För Unga Fruentimber.
Husmanskost
Swedish husmanskost denotes traditional Swedish dishes with local ingredients, the classical every-day Swedish cuisine. The word
husmanskost stems from
husman, meaning "house owner" (without associated land), and the term was originally used for most kinds of simple countryside food outside of towns. Genuine Swedish
husmanskost used predominantly local ingredients such as
porkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word pork often denotes specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but can be used as an all-inclusive term which includes cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig...
in all forms,
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
,
cerealCereals, grains or cereal grains, {as a collective} are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their fruit seeds - the endocarp, germ and bran...
s,
milkMilk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce...
,
potatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes are the world's fourth largest food...
,
root vegetableRoot vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Here "root" means any underground part of a plant....
s,
cabbageThe cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae , and is used as a leafy green vegetable...
,
onionOnion is a term used for many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name "onion" but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the "garden onion" or "bulb" onion...
s,
appleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family Rosaceae. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits...
s,
berriesThe botanical definition of a berry is a simple fruit produced from a single ovary, such as a grape or a tomato. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. The flowers of these plants have a superior ovary formed by the fusion of...
etc.;
beefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle . Beef is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of Australia, Europe and America, and is also important in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia...
and lamb were used more sparingly. Beside berries, apples are the most used traditional fruit, eaten fresh or served as apple pie, apple sauce, apple cakes or apple muffins. Time consuming cooking methods such as
redningar (
rouxRoux is a cooked mixture of wheat flour and fat, traditionally clarified butter. It is the thickening agent of three of the mother sauces of classical French cooking: sauce béchamel, sauce velouté and sauce espagnole. Butter, vegetable oils, or lard are commonly used fats. It is used as a...
) and
långkok (literally "long cook") are commonly employed and
spiceA spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavour, colour, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth....
s are used in relatively sparse amounts. Examples of Swedish husmanskost are: pea soup (
ärtsoppa), boiled and mashed carrots, potato and
rutabagaThe rutabaga, swede , or yellow turnip is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip...
served with pork (
rotmos med fläsk), boiled salmon (
inkokt lax), fish meatballs (
fiskbullar), meatballs (
köttbullar), potato dumplings with meat or other ingredients (
paltPalt is a traditional Swedish dish existing in many different variants, with the common nominator them being dough-lumps filled with some kind of meat. It is traditionally served with butter and lingonberry-preserve, and cold milk on the side.*Pitepalt...
), potato pancake (
raggmunk), porridge (
nävgröt), a fried mix of bits of small potato and meat (
pytt i panna), meat stew with onion (
kalops), and potato-dumplings with a filling of onions and pork (
kroppkakorKroppkaka is a traditional Swedish dish, namely potato-dumplings with a filling of onions and pork or bacon. Potatoes, wheat flour, onion, salt and minced meat/pork are common ingredients in kroppkakor...
).
Dishes akin to Swedish
husmanskost and food traditions are found also in other Scandinavian countries; details may vary.
Sweden is part of the vodka belt and historically distilled beverages such as
brännvinBrännvin, a Swedish word; the Norwegian word Brennevin; the Danish word Brændevin and the Finnish word viina, are general terms for distilled beverages from potatoes, grain and formerly wood cellulose, which may or may not be flavored. This includes akvavit and vodka...
and
snapsA snaps is a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal. A ritual that is associated with drinking snaps is a tradition in Scandinavia, especially in Sweden and Denmark...
has been a traditional daily complement to food.
Consumption of wine in Sweden has increased during the last fifty years, partly at the expense of
beerBeer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...
and stronger alcoholic beverages.
In many countries locally produced
wineWine is an alcoholic beverage typically made of fermented grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes...
s are combined with local
husmanskost.
Husmanskost has undergone a
renaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
during the last decades as well known (or famous) Swedish
chefA chef is a person who cooks professionally. In a professional kitchen setting, the term is used only for the one person in charge of everyone else in the kitchen; the executive chef.-Various chef titles:...
s, such as Tore Wretman, has presented modernised variants of classical Swedish dishes. In this
nouvel husman the amount of fat (which was needed to sustain hard manual labour in the old days) is reduced and some new ingredients are introduced. The cooking methods are tinkered with as well, in order to speed up the cooking process and/or enhance the nutritional value or flavor of the dishes.
Swedes have adopted some foreign influences, ranging from cabbage rolls and influences from
French cuisineFrench cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of France. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought Guillaume Tirel, better known as Taillevent...
during the 17th and 18th centuries, to the
pizzaPizza is a world-popular dish of Italian origin, made with an oven-baked, flat, generally round bread that is often covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based sauce and cheese. Other toppings are added according to region, culture, or personal preference.Originating in a part of Italian cuisine, the...
and cafe latte of today. Many Swedish restaurateurs mix traditional
husmanskost with a modern, gourmet approach.
On the
fast foodFast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with low quality preparation and served to the customer in a packaged form...
side, hot dog sausage served in a bun or wrapped in flatbread is the classical Swedish fast food, but
pizzaPizza is a world-popular dish of Italian origin, made with an oven-baked, flat, generally round bread that is often covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based sauce and cheese. Other toppings are added according to region, culture, or personal preference.Originating in a part of Italian cuisine, the...
has also been an integral part of Swedish
fast foodFast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with low quality preparation and served to the customer in a packaged form...
since the 1960s. Twenty years later, the same could be said about
kebabKebab refers to a variety of meat dishes in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Caucasian, Central Asian, South Asian and some of the African cuisines, consisting of grilled or broiled meats wrapped in bread accompanied by lettuce and tomatoes with garlic sauce.The...
and
falafelFalafel is a fried ball or patty made from spiced chickpeas and/or fava beans. Originally from Egypt, falafel is a popular form of fast food in the Middle East, where it is also served as a mezze....
, as many small restaurants specialise in such dishes.
Dishes
Swedish traditional dishes, some of which are many hundreds of years old, others perhaps a century or less, are still a very important part of Swedish everyday meals, in spite of the fact that modern day Swedish cuisine adopts many
internationalInternational or internationally most often describes interaction between nations, or encompassing two or more nations, constituting a group or association having members in two or more nations, or generally reaching beyond national boundaries...
dishes.
Internationally, the most renowned Swedish culinary tradition is the
smörgåsbordSmörgåsbord is a type of Scandinavian meal served buffet-style with multiple dishes of various foods on a table. In Norway it is called koldtbord and in Denmark it is called kolde bord. Smörgåsbord became internationally known as Smorgasbord at the 1939 New York World's Fair when it was offered...
and, at Christmas, the
julbord, including well known Swedish dishes such as
gravlaxGravlax or gravad lax , gravad laks , gravlaks , graavilohi , graflax is a Scandinavian dish consisting of raw salmon cured in salt, sugar, and dill...
and meatballs.
In Sweden, traditionally, Thursday has been soup day because the maids had half the day off and soup was easy to prepare in advance. One of the most traditional Swedish soups, still served in restaurants and households every Thursday together with pancakes is the yellow
pea soupPea soup is soup made, typically, from dried peas. It is, with variations, a part of the cuisine of many cultures. It is greyish-green or yellow in color depending on the regional variety of peas used; all are cultivars of Pisum sativum....
, or
ärtsoppa. It dates back to the old tradition of peas being associated with
ThorThor is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder in Germanic mythology and Germanic paganism, and its subsets: Norse paganism, Anglo-Saxon paganism and Continental Germanic paganism....
. This is a simple meal, a very thick soup, basically consisting of boiled yellow peas, a little onion, salt and small pieces of pork. It is often served with a little mustard and followed by thin
pancakeA pancake is a thin, flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Most pancakes are quick breads; some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Most pancakes are cooked one side on a griddle and flipped partway through to cook the other side. A crêpe is a very thin and...
s (see
pannkakor). The Swedish Army also serve their conscripts pea soup and pancakes every Thursday.
PotatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes are the world's fourth largest food...
es are the main complement to most dishes. Only in the last 50 years have other complements such as spaghetti or rice become usual side dishes on the dinner table.
Potatoes are eaten all year around.
There are several different kinds of potatoes: the most appreciated is the
new potato, a potato which ripens in early summer, and is enjoyed at the traditional mid-summer feast called midsommar. Midsommar is celebrated in Sweden as one of the most important holidays of the year. New potatoes at midsommar are served together with pickled herrings,
chivesChives are the smallest species of the onion family Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and North America. Some believe the name must be pluralized as 'chives', but actually 'chive' is the original English form of the word, borrowed from French...
, sour cream, and the first strawberries of the year are traditionally served as desert.
The most highly regarded
mushroomA mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, hence the word mushroom is most often applied to those fungi that have...
in Sweden is the
chanterelleCantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle or golden chanterelle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped...
, which is considered a delicacy. The chanterelle is usually served as a side dish together with steaks, or fried with onions and sauce served on an open sandwich. Second to the chanterelle, and considered almost as delicious, is the porcini mushroom, or
karljohansvamp named after
Charles XIV JohnCharles XIV & III John , born Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, later renamed Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
(Karl XIV Johan) who introduced its use as food.
In August, at the traditional feast known as crayfish party,
kräftskiva, Swedes eat large amounts of boiled
crayfishCrayfish, crawfish, or crawdads — members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea — are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
with boiled potato and dill.
Some traditional Swedish dishes are:
Main courses
- Ärtsoppa — Pea soup
Pea soup is soup made, typically, from dried peas. It is, with variations, a part of the cuisine of many cultures. It is greyish-green or yellow in color depending on the regional variety of peas used; all are cultivars of Pisum sativum....
.
- Blodpudding — Black pudding. The Swedish names literally means "blood pudding". Eaten with lingonberry jam, potatoes and grated carrots.
- Blodkorv — Blood sausage. Also contains pork and raisins.
- Falukorv
Falukorv is a large traditional Swedish sausage made of a grated mixture of pork and beef or veal with potato flour and mild spices. The word's literal meaning is "Sausage from Falun".-History:...
— Big and thick sausage of hot dog type, originating from FalunFalun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...
. The lifts and pumps at the Kopparberg copper mine in Falun were, during the 16th and 17th centuries before the introduction of steam engines, powered by oxen. When these oxen died from strain or old age, the skin was turned into leather ropes used in the mine, and some of the meat was turned into Falukorv sausages.
- Fiskbullar — Fishballs, made from minced white fish meat.
- Gravad lax — (Gravlax in English) salmon cured with salt and sugar with herbs.
- Inkokt lax — Boiled Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout; the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behaviour of trout, a distinction that holds true for the Salmo...
.
- Isterband
Isterband is a coarsely ground, lightly smoked sausage from Sweden. It is made of pork, barley groats and potato. There are many varieties of isterband, such as "småländska isterband" from the region of Småland, "syrliga isterband" with a slightly sour taste, and "lättisterband" with a low calorie...
— Fermented sausage made of coarsely ground pork, barley and potatoes.
- Janssons frestelse
Janssons frestelse is a traditional Swedish casserole made of potatoes, onion, pickled sprats, bread crumbs and cream....
("Jansson's temptation") — Potato casseroleA casserole, from the French for "saucepan," is a large, deep pot used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a "casserole dish"...
made of grated potatoes, onion, "anchovy" and cream; the fish used is usually the sprat, a different species, but similarly spiced. http://www.dlc.fi/~marianna/gourmet/anchovy.htm
- Julskinka — Christmas
Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days. The nativity of Jesus, which is the basis for the anno Domini...
ham.
- Kalops — meat stewed with onion and some vegatables.
- Kåldolmar — Cabbage roll
A cabbage roll is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. It is common to the peasant cuisines of Europe and Western Asia, and has also found popularity in areas of North America settled by Eastern Europeans.The filling is traditionally based around meat,...
s.
- Köttsoppa
Köttsoppa is a clear meat and root vegetable soup eaten in Sweden. The meat, and the bones supplying the broth, is beef, frequently chuck, or sometimes pork, reindeer or elk. Root vegetables commonly used include carrot, potato, celeriac, parsnip, turnip and swede. Leek, peppercorns and bay leaves...
— A rustic beef and root vegetableRoot vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Here "root" means any underground part of a plant....
soup.
- Kroppkakor
Kroppkaka is a traditional Swedish dish, namely potato-dumplings with a filling of onions and pork or bacon. Potatoes, wheat flour, onion, salt and minced meat/pork are common ingredients in kroppkakor...
— Boiled potato-dumplings, filled with pork.
- Lutfisk — Lye fish made of Stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by sun and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore called flakes, or in special drying houses. The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years...
.
- Palt
Palt is a traditional Swedish dish existing in many different variants, with the common nominator them being dough-lumps filled with some kind of meat. It is traditionally served with butter and lingonberry-preserve, and cold milk on the side.*Pitepalt...
— DumplingDumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes, bread or matzoh meal, and may include meat, fish, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. Ingredients may be as a part of a filling, or mixed throughout the dumpling. Dumplings may be...
s with a filling of pork.
- Pitepalt
Pitepalt is a palt, a dish related to kroppkakor, and the specialty of the city of Piteå, though it is not eaten only in Piteå. This Swedish dish has almost as many variants as households in Piteå. Pitepalt are mostly made out of raw potatoes and barley flour, which is not the case with kroppkakor....
— Palt from PiteåPiteå is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 22,650 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Piteå is located at the mouth of the Pite River , at the shore of the Bay of Bothnia...
.
- Blodpalt
Blodpalt is an old-fashioned Swedish dish still fairly common in northern Sweden and Finland. The dish's history goes back to a time when the households carefully made use of all parts of the animals to get enough food....
— Palt with blood.
- Leverpalt — Palt with liver.
- Blåbärspalt — Palt with blueberries.
- Pannkakor and Plättar — Pancake
A pancake is a thin, flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Most pancakes are quick breads; some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Most pancakes are cooked one side on a griddle and flipped partway through to cook the other side. A crêpe is a very thin and...
s.
- Inlagd sill — Pickled herring
Herring are relatively small oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Two species of Clupea are currently recognized, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring , each of which may be...
.
- Pölsa
Pölsa is a traditional Swedish dish, a type of hash similar to haggis and scrapple. The main ingredients are minced beef, liver, heart, onion, and pot barley, mixed with stock, black pepper, and marjoram...
— Similar to hashHash is an American dish consisting of a mixture of beef , onions, potatoes, and spices that are mashed together into a coarse, chunky paste, and then cooked, either alone, or with other ingredients...
.
- Raggmunk — Potato pancakes.
- Rotmos med fläsk — mashed potatoes, carrotts and swede served with pork.
- Korv Stroganoff — sautéed pieces of sausage served in a sauce.
- Biff Stroganoff (Beef Stroganoff
Beef Stroganoff or Beef-Stroganov is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with sour cream. From its origins in 19th-century Russia, it has become popular in much of Iran, Europe, North America, Australia, South Africa, Lebanon and Brazil, with considerable variation in the...
) — sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce.
- Stekt fläsk
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word pork often denotes specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but can be used as an all-inclusive term which includes cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig...
och bruna bönorBean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
— Pork with stewed brown beans.
- Prinskorv
Prinskorv is a small Swedish sausage, somewhat similar to the Vienna sausage and Wiener sausage. It is usually fried and served with mustard, and is especially popular during the Christmas smörgåsbord ....
— Small hot dog sausages.
- Fläskkorv
Fläskkorv is a Swedish sausage made largely or entirely from pork. Traditionally it is sold raw , and is often served during the Christmas smörgåsbord ....
— Pork sausages.
- Pyttipanna
Pyttipanna, also pytt i panna , is a hodgepodge of food similar to hash. Traditionally consisting of potatoes, onions, and any kind/s of meat and/or sausage, diced and then pan fried, it is often served with a fried egg, pickled diced beets, sour pickled gherkin, and capers...
— Mix of chopped and fried meat, onions, pre-boiled potatoes. Other ingredients are often added as well, such as sausages, bacon, various herbs or even salmon (instead of the meat).
- Smörgåstårta
Smörgåstårta is a Swedish dish that is also popular in Finland. Similar to a sandwich, it has such a large amount of filling that it more resembles a cake....
— Sandwich cake. Like a very big multi-layer sandwich. Comes with many different fillings and toppings.
- Surströmming
Surströmming is a northern Swedish dish consisting of fermented Baltic herring, just like Japanese Kusaya fermented fish such as the horse mackerel, the flying fish, or the sharks. Similar fish is made world wide. Surströmming is sold in cans, which often bulge during shipping and storage, due to...
— Fermented Baltic herring — a rather different tasting species of herring. It has about 10% fat whereas Atlantic herring is 16%. This may occur because of the Baltic having half the salt concentration of many seas. Surströmming has a strong odor and unique flavour and is considered an acquired taste.
- Stekt strömming — Fried herring. Very different from surströmming. Usually eaten with pickled root beets and boiled or fried potatoes.
- Grisfötter — Pigs feet, served with rödbetor.
- Flygande Jacob
Flying Jacob is a Swedish casserole based on chicken with bananas, peanuts and bacon and cooked in the oven. The dish was invented by Ove Jacobsson who worked in the air freight industry, hence the name. The recipe was first published in Allt om mat in 1976.- External links :*...
— Casserole based on chicken with bananas, peanuts and bacon. "Invented" in the 60s.
Seafood
With a long coast and many lakes and rivers, fish and other seafood is an important part of the Swedish cuisine. As the
Baltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and the...
is sensitive to pollution, and the previously popular
codCod is the common name for the genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
has been overfished, and hydroelectric power has disrupted
salmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout; the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behaviour of trout, a distinction that holds true for the Salmo...
reproduction in some rivers, farmed salmon from Norway has become increasingly popular. Pickled
herringHerring are relatively small oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Two species of Clupea are currently recognized, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring , each of which may be...
,
inlagd sill, is the most traditional Swedish appetizer.
ShrimpShrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
and lobster are specialties of the Skagerrak coast.
Desserts
Common desserts include:
- Ostkaka
Ostkaka, also known as Swedish cheesecake or Swedish curd cake, is a Swedish dessert that has its roots in two different parts of Sweden, Hälsingland and Småland...
— Swedish cheesecake (very different from American cheesecake).
- Smulpaj and smördegspaj ("crumb" pie and "butter dough based" pie) — Various kinds of pies and cookies are typical desserts, mostly served with coffee. Typical pies are apple pie
An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. It is sometimes served with whipped cream on top...
, blueberry pie and rhubarb pieRhubarb pie is a pie that is particularly popular in those areas where the rhubarb plant is commonly cultivated, including the British Isles and the New England region of the United States. Besides diced rhubarb, it almost always contains a large amount of sugar to balance the intense tartness of...
.
- Pannkaka — Pancakes are almost never served for breakfast ("American style") but either as dessert with sweet jam and/or whipped cream, or as a meal in itself, using fewer sweet toppings. (Pancakes for dinner can be thick oven
An oven is an enclosed compartment for heating, baking or drying. It is most commonly used in cooking and pottery. Ovens used in pottery are also known as kilns...
-baked pancakes with pork meat or apples inside.)
- Spettekaka
Spettekaka is a local dessert of the southern parts of Sweden, in the province of Scania but also in Halland. It plays an important part of the Scanian cultural heritage....
— A sweet dry hollow Swedish cake, shaped like a cylinder, found only in the southern regions of Sweden, Skåne.
- Våfflor (Waffle
A waffle is a batter or dough based cake cooked in a waffle iron patterned to give a distinctive and characteristic shape. There are many variations based on the type and shape of the iron and the recipe used.-Etymology:...
s) — Often served with jam and whipped cream or ice creamIce cream or ice-cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colorings are used in...
. Waffles also have their own day on March 25.
- Klappgröt - Oatmeal porridge mixed with juice from either red currant, lingonberries, raspberries, blackberries etc. and then stirred or blended until the texture is more fluffy. Eaten cold.
Kaffebröd
Pastries (
kaffebröd or
konditorivaror) are usully consumed with relatively strong coffee (see
fikaFika is a Swedish verb that roughly means "to drink coffee", usually accompanied by something sweet on the side.-Definition:Fika is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a break most often a coffeebreak with one's colleagues, friends, date, or family...
), except for children. Popular kinds of ‘coffee-bread’ (
kaffebröd) in a typical Swedish
coffee shopA coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages...
("konditori") with
patisserieA pâtisserie is a French bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. In France, it is a legally controlled title that may only be used by bakeries that employ a licensed maître pâtissier ....
include:
- Kanelbulle — Cinnamon roll
A cinnamon roll is a sweet pastry found commonly in Northern Europe and North America. It was invented in Sweden. It consists of a rolled sheet of yeast dough onto which a cinnamon and sugar mixture is sprinkled over a thin coat of butter...
.
- Wienerbröd — Danish pastry, comes in several varieties and shapes, very similar to Danish pastry
Danish pastry, or simply Danish, is a sweet pastry which has become a speciality of Denmark and the neighbouring Scandinavian countries and is popular throughout the industrialized world, although the form it takes can differ significantly from country to country.Danish pastry is, like the...
in the US.
- Chokladboll
Chokladboll is a popular Swedish pastry.The chokladboll is usually slightly smaller than a golfball. The chokladboll consists of oatmeal, sugar, coffee, cocoa, butter, and sometimes a pinch of vanilla sugar, which is mixed to a compact mass. Balls are formed and then rolled in nib sugar, shredded...
— "Chocolate ball", is a round vanillaVanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. Etymologically, vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod. Originally cultivated by Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with introducing both the spice and...
-flavored butter ball with oatmeal-cocoa-sugar-, coated in coconut flakes or pearl sugar. Chokladboll is something of a misnomer as it doesn't contain any cocoa butter (originally called negerboll, literally "negro ball", today a less accepted name).
- Kringla — A small pretzel
A pretzel is a bread pastry of Medieval European origin that has the shape of a three looped knot or twisted braid. Pretzels are either soft or hard. Hard pretzels have evolved into a variety of shapes from knotted loops to straight "pretzel sticks"...
-shaped (sweet) cookie with pearl sugar on top.
- Punschrulle — "Punsch
Punsch is a traditional liqueur in Sweden and to a lesser extent some other Nordic countries produced from arrack, neutral spirits, sugar, water, and various flavorings...
-roll", a small cylindrical pastry covered with green marzipan with the ends dipped in chocolateChocolate comprises a number of raw and processed foods produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC...
, and inside a mix of crushed cookieIn the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat-baked treat, containing milk, flour, eggs, and sugar, etc. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have different...
s, butter, and cacao, flavoured with punschPunsch is a traditional liqueur in Sweden and to a lesser extent some other Nordic countries produced from arrack, neutral spirits, sugar, water, and various flavorings...
liqueur. This pastry is often called dammsugare ("vacuum cleaner"), referring not only to its appearance, but also to the supposed practice of the pastry baker collecting crumbs from the day's cookies for filling. Other names are arraksrulle (as arrak is an ingredient in punsch ) and "150-ohmer" (due to the brown-green-brown coloring).
- Biskvi — A small round pastry with a bottom made of almond
The Almond is a species of tree native to the Middle East. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated nut of this tree...
s and sugar, filled with butter creamButter cream is a type of icing used inside cakes, as a coating, and as decoration. In its simplest form, it is made by creaming butter with powdered sugar, although other fats can be used, such as margarine...
and covered with a thin layer of chocolate. First made in France during the 19th century.
- Prinsesstårta — "Princess cake", a big cake, made of sponge cake layered with whipped cream, and custard
Custard is a range of preparations based on milk and eggs. Most commonly, custard refers to a dessert or dessert sauce, but custard bases are also used for quiches and other savoury foods. As a dessert, it is made from a combination of milk or cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla...
under a green marzipanMarzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal.It derives its characteristic flavor from bitter almonds, which constitute 4% to 6% of the total almond content by weight. Some marzipan is also flavored with rosewater...
coating with powdered sugarPowdered sugar, also known as confectioner's sugar or icing sugar, is very fine powdered sugar. When intended for home use, it typically contains a small amount of anti-caking agent....
on the top; often decorated with a pink marzipan rose. The current king of Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf had four sisters, and there was no heir to the throne. So, the royal confectionest made this special cake for them.
- Budapestbakelse — "Budapest pastry", basically made of sugar, egg white
Egg white is the common name for the clear liquid contained within an egg. It is the cytoplasm of the egg, which until fertilization is a single cell . It consists mainly of about 15% proteins dissolved in water...
, hazel nuts, whipped cream, and pieces of fruit like apricotThe Apricot is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus...
or mandarineThe Mandarin orange, also known as mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree with fruit resembling other oranges. The fruit is oblate, rather than spherical. Mandarin oranges are usually eaten plain, or in fruit salads...
, decorated with some chocolate and powdered sugar.
- Napoleonbakelse ("Napolitain" or "Napoleon pastry") — Made of pastry dough, whipped cream, custard and jam, the upper plate covered with icing and currant jelly.
- Kladdkaka
Kladdkaka or Gooey Cake is a type of Swedish cake. This dense sticky chocolate cake is similar to the American brownie but is usually a bit, as the name suggest, gooier. It is usually accompanied with whipped cream.-See also:...
— A chocolatey and sticky flat cake.
- Arraksboll — A ball flavored with arrak, similar in appearance to a chokladboll but very different taste.
- In recent years American brownies, cookies and cup-cakes have become popular in cafés and restaurants.
Treats
In the summer, various seasonal fruit cakes are common.
StrawberryFragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. There are more than 20 described species and many hybrids and cultivars. The most common strawberries grown commercially are cultivars of the Garden strawberry...
and cream cake are highly regarded. Strawberries are also often eaten on their own with sugar and milk or cream. In the late summer and autumn, apple cakes and pies are baked. The apple cake is often served with
vanillaVanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. Etymologically, vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod. Originally cultivated by Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with introducing both the spice and...
custard, but sometimes with
ice creamIce cream or ice-cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colorings are used in...
or whipped cream.
During the
winter holidayWinter holiday may refer to:* Christmas and holiday season.* Winter holiday, a name sometimes given to the Christmas period to avoid Christian connotations. See Christmas controversy....
s, traditional candy and pastries include:
- Knäck
Knäck is a traditional Swedish toffee prepared at Christmas. The name translates into "break" and refers to its hard consistency...
— ChristmasChristmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days. The nativity of Jesus, which is the basis for the anno Domini...
toffee.
- Ischoklad
Ischoklad or "Ice chocolate" is a Swedish dessert or candy, that originates in Germany. Its main ingredients are chocolate and coconut oil. The ice part of the name relates to the feeling that the piece melts very easily and a cool feeling is present in the mouth as the heat energy is absorbed....
— Cold ice-chocolate "toffees".
- Marmelad — "Marmalade
Marmalade is a fruit preserve, made of orange or other citrus fruit, sugar, and water. Recipes include some amount of peel and zest, which imparts a sharp, bitter taste from the bitter citrus oil....
candy", rectangular fruit and pectinPectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants. It was first isolated and described in 1825 by Henri Braconnot...
based candy in various colours.
- Lussekatt — Saffron bun
A saffron bun, in Swedish lussekatt or lussebulle, is a rich yeast dough bun that is flavoured with saffron and cinnamon or nutmeg and contains currants. In Sweden, no cinnamon or nutmeg is used in the bun, and raisins are used instead of currants. The buns are baked into many traditional shapes,...
, a Swedish saffron bun eaten on the Saint LuciaSaint Lucy's Day or the Feast of St. Lucy is the Church feast day dedicated to St. Lucy and is observed on December 13. It retains traditional forms of celebration mainly in Scandinavia, parts of the United States and southern Europe...
celebration (13 December).
- Pepparkaka — Similar to a ginger snap
Gingersnaps or ginger biscuits are a popular type of snack food, and are often referred to as ginger nuts in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. They are biscuits/cookies flavoured with powdered ginger, anise, nuts and other spices. They typically measure ca...
s (has been eaten since the 1300s and baked at the monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
of VadstenaVadstena is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 5,612 inhabitants in 2005. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality....
since 1444); associated with Christmas but consumed all year round.
- Semla
A semla is a traditional pastry in Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Norway, Denmark and Estonia, associated with Lent and especially Shrove Tuesday.The name derives from the Latin semilia, which was the name used for the finest quality wheat flour or semolina...
— With the new year, the fastlagsbulle (Lenten bun), or semlaA semla is a traditional pastry in Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Norway, Denmark and Estonia, associated with Lent and especially Shrove Tuesday.The name derives from the Latin semilia, which was the name used for the finest quality wheat flour or semolina...
, is baked. It is a wheat bun with a cream and almond paste filling, traditionally eaten on Shrove TuesdayShrove Tuesday is a term used in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Christian season of fasting and prayer called Lent....
.
Candy
Other typical Swedish candy include:
- Saltlakrits — Liquorice candy flavoured with ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride is, in its pure form, a clear white water-soluble crystalline salt of ammonia. The aqueous ammonium chloride solution is mildly acidic. Sal ammoniac is a name of natural, mineralogical form of ammonium chloride...
.
- Polkagris
Polkagris is a Swedish candy stick or straight candy cane that was invented in 1859 in the town of Gränna, Sweden, and remains a popular candy tradition in the town. The traditional polkagris candy cane is white and red....
— Traditional peppermint stick candyStick candy is a long, cylindrical variety of hard candy, usually four to seven inches in length and 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter, but in some extraordinary cases up to 14 inches in length and two inches in diameter...
from GrännaGränna is a locality situated in Jönköping Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 2,578 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated in Småland on the eastern shores of the lake Vättern, about 35 km north of Jönköping....
, also made in other flavors.
- Winegums and gumdrop
Gumdrops are a type of confectionery . They are usually brightly-colored gelatin- or pectin-based pieces, shaped like a truncated cone and coated in granulated sugar. This makes them very sweet. Gumdrops come in fruit and spice varieties; the latter are also known as spice drops. They are often...
s in all shapes, colours and sizes are a typical Swedish candy for kids
- Sockerbitar — Similar to square, chewy marshmallow
The marshmallow is a confection that, in its modern form, typically consists of sugar or corn syrup, water, gelatin that has been softened in hot water, dextrose, and flavorings, whipped to a spongy consistency...
s.
- Gelehallon — An early form of gelatine-based candy.
- Daim — known as Dime in the UK and Daim in the US.
Drinks
Sweden is one of the heaviest coffee drinking countries in the world, behind
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
.
MilkMilk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce...
consumption in Sweden is also very high, again only second to Finland. Milk is bought in milk cartons, and it is no coincidence that
Tetra PakTetra Pak is a multinational food processing and packaging company of Swedish origin. It was founded in 1951 in Lund, Sweden, by Ruben Rausing. It was Erik Wallenberg who invented the tetrahedral package, today known as Tetra Classic...
, the world's largest maker of milk cartons, is Swedish. Milk is considered the standard drink to have with meals during weekdays in many families, for both children and adults.
At Christmas
- Julmust
Julmust is a soft drink that is consumed mainly in Sweden and Norway around Christmas. During the rest of the year it is usually hard to find in stores, but sometimes it is sold at other times of the year under the name must . At Easter the name is påskmust ...
— Traditional stout-like, sweet seasonal carbonated soft drink (jul means Christmas in Swedish). Also called påskmust when sold during Easter (påsk meaning Easter).
- Mumma
-People:*Craig A. Mumma, Special effects artist*Gordon Mumma , US composer*Kar de Mumma, Swedish theatre producer*Michael J. Mumma, planetary scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center...
— A traditional Christmas beverage. Usually a mix of porter or another dark beer, some light beer (pilsner), port wine (or some other wine), and something sweet (sockerdricka or julmust); commonly spiced with cardamomThe name "cardamom" is used for herbs within two genera of the ginger family Zingiberaceae, namely Elettaria and Amomum. Both varieties take the form of a small seedpod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...
.
- Glögg — Mulled wine
Mulled wine, variations of which are popular around the world, is wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. Historically, wine often went bad. By adding spices and honey, it could be made drinkable again...
.
Sweet drinks
- Blåbärssoppa
Blåbärssoppa, blueberry soup, is a Swedish drink made from bilberries, which can be served cold or hot. The drink is sweet and contains starch which gives it a fairly thick consistency....
— Sweet soup or drink made from blueberriesBlueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries. Species in the section Cyanococcus are the most common fruits sold as "blueberries" and are mainly native to North America. They are usually erect but sometimes prostrate shrubs varying in size from to tall...
, served either hot or cold.
- Enbärsdricka — Traditional juniper berry
A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice,...
soft drink.
- Sockerdricka
Sockerdricka is a soft drink dating from the 19th century. Originally it was brewed and also contained ginger, but nowadays it consists of carbonated water, sugar, and citric acid. It is quite similar to Fruktsoda. It is still sold, despite strong competition from more modern inventions such as 7...
— Traditional sweet-sour soft drink (carbonated). (SockerdrickaSockerdricka is a soft drink dating from the 19th century. Originally it was brewed and also contained ginger, but nowadays it consists of carbonated water, sugar, and citric acid. It is quite similar to Fruktsoda. It is still sold, despite strong competition from more modern inventions such as 7...
means "sugar drink" in Swedish.)
- Fruktsoda
Fruktsoda is a lemon-lime flavored soft drink from Sweden, similar to 7 Up and Sprite. Fruktsoda is made by various breweries in Sweden. It is also a popular ingredient in cocktails....
— Traditional lemon-limeLemon-lime is a common carbonated soft drink flavor, consisting of lemon and lime flavoring. Sprite, Sierra Mist and 7 Up are the most popular examples....
soft drink (carbonated).
- Champis
Champis is a soft drink created by Robert Roberts in 1918 . Along with Sockerdricka, Citronil, Pomril and Pommac Champis is one in the first generation of soft drinks....
— Soft drink alternative to sparkling wine (carbonated).
- Pommac
Pommac is a carbonated soft drink made of fruits and berries and matured in oak barrels for 3 months. The name comes from "Pommery", referring to Champagne, and Cognac, as it is matured on oak barrels like wine...
— Soft drink alternative to sparkling wine (carbonated).
- Trocadero
Trocadero, is a caffeinated apple- and orange flavored soft drink from Sweden. It is mainly popular in the northern part of the country. It has been produced by Saturnus AB since 1953...
— Traditional soft drink with the taste of apple and oranges, with its roots in the north of Sweden.
- Lingondricka — Lingonberry drink.
Fruit soups
Fruit soups, especially
rose hipThe rose hip and rose haw, is the pomaceous fruit of the rose plant, that typically is red-to-orange, but might be dark purple-to-black in some species...
soup and
bilberryBilberry is any of several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium , bearing edible fruits. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species....
soupSoup is a food that is made by combining ingredients, such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth....
, are eaten or drunk, usually warm during the winter.
Liquor
Stronger beverages are mainly of two kinds: The
AkvavitAkevitt is a flavored spirit that is produced in Scandinavia and typically contains 40% alcohol by volume. Its name comes from aqua vitae, the Latin for "water of life".- Etymology :...
, also called
Aqua vitaeAqua vitae is an archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol. The term was in wide used during the Middle Ages, although its origin is undoubtedly much earlier having been used by St Patrick and his fellow monks to refer to both the alcohol and the waters of baptism...
, Scandinavian vodka or schnapps (
snaps). A second popular drink is
Absolut VodkaAbsolut Vodka is a French-owned brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Scania, in southern Sweden. Since March 2008, the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard, having been sold as a part of the V&S Group, which was owned by the Swedish government.Building on a four century tradition...
, one of the world's best known liquor brands. Both have around 40% alcohol. The production of hard liquor has a tradition dating back to the 18th century and was at a high in the 1840s. Since the 1880s, the state-owned
SystembolagetSystembolaget is a government owned chain of liquor stores in Sweden. It is the only retail store allowed to sell alcoholic beverages that contain more than 3.5% alcohol. Systembolaget also sells alcohol-free beverages...
has a monopoly on selling spirits with more than 3.5% alcohol, limiting the access.
Hembränt (moonshine) has been made in rural Sweden, but it has lessened in later years due to more liberal rules for the import of alcohol as well as increased smuggling.
Hard liquor does not have a tradition of being consumed. Gourmets pick their own selection of wild herbs, and put them into a bottle of liquor for a few days.
The typical Swedish beer is lager beer of a bright and bitter kind. The brands Pripps Blå and
Norrlands GuldNorrlands Guld is a Swedish lager beer introduced in 1965 by Sollefteå Bryggeri. It is now brewed by Spendrups as of 1989.It is known for its long running ad campaign which feature a stereotyped view of Norrland...
are typical examples.
Food and society
Brödinstitutet (The Bread Institute) once campaigned with a quotation from the
Swedish National Board of Health and WelfareThe Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare is a Swedish government agency. The agency was the result of a merge between the Swedish Royal Medical Board and the Swedish Royal Board of Social Affairs in 1968....
, recommending eating 6 to 8 slices of bread daily. Drinking milk has also been recommended and campaigned for by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare; it's often recommended to drink two to three glasses of milk per day. 52% of Swedes surveyed drink milk at least once a day, usually one glass with lunch and another glass or two in the evening or morning.
Health issues
Though overweight and
metabolic syndromeMetabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects one in five people, and prevalence increases with age...
has been rising in recent years with the increase in more highly processed food and fast food, the obesity rate is still low compared to many other industrial countries, well below that of the U.S., at least in part due to smaller portions and a more active lifestyle.
Low-fat products, wholemeal bread and other alternatives are common — grocery stores usually sell milk in four or five different fat levels, from 3% to 0.1%.
Swedish alcohol consumption has changed during the last few decades due to more "continental" habits, as Swedes combine their traditional weekend
binge drinkingBinge drinking is the modern definition of drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide, and overlaps somewhat...
with casual weekday drinking and relaxed import regulations (see
alcoholic beverages in SwedenAlcoholic beverages in Sweden are as common as in most of the western world. Sweden is historically part of the vodka belt, with high consumption of distilled beverages and binge drinking, but during the later half of the 20th century, habits have been harmonized with western Europe, with...
).
Tobacco smoking Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the vapors either tasted or inhaled. The practice began as early as 5000–3000 BC. Many civilizations burnt incense during religious rituals, which was later adopted for pleasure or as a social tool. Tobacco was introduced to the old world...
has decreased greatly during the last few decades, mostly because of many Swedes' transition to the national specialty
snusSnus is a moist powder tobacco product that is consumed by placing it under the lip for extended periods of time. It is a form of snuff that is used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, but typically does not result in the need for spitting...
and (more recently) due to smoking being prohibited in bars and public places. Recreational drugs other than alcohol and tobacco are less common in Sweden than in continental Europe.
Ethical issues
The Swedish people are concerned about the environment and animal protection. Swedish farmers actively advertise their products as free from
genetic engineeringGenetic engineering, recombinant DNA technology, genetic modification/manipulation and gene splicing are terms that apply to the direct manipulation of an organism's genes. Genetic engineering is different from traditional breeding, where the organism's genes are manipulated indirectly...
, cruelty against animals, un-organic chemicals and excessive transportation (with the implication that these features are common in foreign food production and that Swedish farmers actually live up to animal protection laws). The national
organic farmingOrganic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation etc.....
label, KRAV, is popular, and a
fair tradeFair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of...
label was recently established. The vegetarian and
straight edgeStraight Edge refers to a lifestyle and youth movement that started within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents make a lifetime commitment to refrain from drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and taking any recreational drugs...
movements are widespread among Swedish youths.
See also
- Culture of Sweden
The Culture of Sweden is typically perceived as egalitarian, simple, and open to international influences. Sweden never had serfdom and peasant smallholders traditionally had a greater say in the nation's affairs than in virtually any other Western country...
- Danish cuisine
- Cuisine of Norway
Norwegian cuisine in its traditional form is based largely on the raw materials readily available in Norway and its mountains, wilderness and coast...
- Cuisine of Finland
The cuisine of Finland is notable for the use of wholemeal products and berries . Milk and its derivatives like buttermilk are commonly used as food, drink or in various recipes...
- Cuisine of Lapland
Lapland is shared by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, but its historic cuisine has individual traits. Traditionally, the cuisine of Lapland has been based on local materials, like fish, game, reindeer and berries. Because of climate the products of agriculture were rare, unlike in other parts of...
- List of Christmas dishes
- Swedish festivities
-Life of Swedish people:Over 70% of Swedes belong to the Lutheran Church of Sweden, but seldom go to church. Attendance is a bit higher among members of free churches such as Pentecostalists and the Salvation Army. Christenings, weddings and funerals are usually made in church, although civil...
External links