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From these modest beginnings, the Smörgasbord has evolved
into sumptuous feast in its own right. Gluttony on an epic scale. An average
smörgåsbord contains a number of herring
dishes (sweet-pickled herring, pickled herring with onions, mustard, dill,
etc.), smoked, cured and boiled salmon, a large selection of cold cuts, salads
and a number of warm dishes such as meatballs,
'Jansson´s temptation' (sliced herring, potatoes and onions baked in
cream) and more. 40-50 plates are considered the bare minimum, with 100 as par
for the course.
Regrettably, increasing awareness of health issues has destroyed
the market for Smörgåsbords and few restaurants, if any, serve them
anymore, except in the enhanced Christmas version. Between Dec 1 and 23 they
are found absolutely everywhere. Advance reservations are necessary, since this
is the time when Swedish companies treat their employees to this traditional
"thank you for the year" type of meal. If your finances are in good health, we
recommend the one at
Operakällaren - it is simply unsurpassed.
Special Dishes
In the cities, there are always lots of restaurants serving
today´s lunch special ("dagens rätt" or just "dagens") for
about . In the evening, be prepared to pay about from to
for a main course in a moderately priced restaurant and up to twice
this in luxury gourmet places. A bottle of table wine will set you back around
If you want to try typical Swedish fast-food, find a
hot-dog stand. There you can choose between fried and boiled hot dogs, served
with bread, french fries or mashed potatoes together with mustard and/or
ketchup ("Senap och ketchup?", you will be asked). Here is where you will find
Sweden's greatest contribution to world gastronomy: A grilled hot dog with a
generous serving of pink mayonnaise based shrimp salad as topping. Very
nutritious. 9 million Swedes can't be wrong! Or....?
If you want to taste really Swedish home cooking go for yellow
pea soup with pork and pancakes for dessert. This dish is traditionally
served on Thursdays at most lunch places. In better places order hot Swedish
punch to go with this, a yellow and very sweet alcoholic beverage, usually
served ice-cold, but heated if served with pea soup. Very tasty and very, very
Swedish. "An army marches on its stomach", Napoleon observed. The Swedish army
has marched on yellow pea soup and pancakes for centuries.
Pytt i panna, a hash of fried diced meat with onions and
potatoes is another specialty. It is served with fried eggs and slices of
pickled red beets. You can also try stuffed cabbage
rolls ("kåldolmar"), a traditional dish brought home by King
Charles XII (Karl XII) after an involuntary residence in Turkey in 1710. The
turks wrap them in wine leaves, in Sweden we use cabbage, since wine doesn't
grow here.
If you are here in August you might get invited to a
crayfish party. If not, invite yourself at a decent restaurant. The
crayfish are boiled with dill, sugar and salt and you eat them cold using your
hands. The meat is found in the claws and in the tail of the animal. A dozen is
considered suitable for a lady, a score the minimum for a gentleman. Bread and
spicy Västerbotten cheese accompany the crayfish along with aquavit and
beer.
Midsummer is Sweden's greatest holiday. This is one occasion where
mini-smörgåsbords are served in homes. Herring, meatballs
and fresh potatoes is considered compulsory dishes as well as aquavit and
beer.
Christmas and Easter have their own traditional dishes. The
main-stay of a Swedish Christmas table is "Julskinka" a big salted and
boiled ham, covered by a mixture of egg, breadcrumbs and mustard. At Easter,
copious amounts of eggs are consumed in all variations you can possibly imagine
- and then some.
March 25 is waffle-day in Sweden. On Shrove Tuesday, i.e.
the day before lent ("fettisdagen" or Fat Tuesday", Swedes fatten themselves by
eating a "semla" - a bun stuffed with almond paste and topped by whipped
cream. Nowadays Swedes define Shrove Tuesday as any day between Christmas and
Easter and so are well prepared indeed for the lent (which of course is not
observed at all anymore).
Surströmming
If you try surströmming, or fermented Baltic herring, you
will never forget it. Guaranteed! No one is indifferent to surströmmming,
You are either vehemently against or passionately for. They sold in cans, and
when you open them a strong, pungent smell is released, the result of a
fermentation process. It bears a strong resemblance to the smell of decaying
bodies.
This method of preservation was invented long ago, when brining
food was quite expensive due to the costs of salt. When fermentation was used,
on the other hand, just enough salt was required to keep the fish from
rotting. Surströmming is served with boiled potatoes and onions and
often rolled into a slice of "tunnbröd", a type of thin, flat unleavened
bread. The hard core of the surströmming devotees are found in the north
of the country, with the south forming a resistance movement.
Bread, Pastry and Coffee
Sweetness is a prominent characteristic of Swedish bread,
although unsweetened types are available in most stores. If you want to spread
something typically Swedish on a slice of bread, try messmör, which is a
soft whey-cheese from the north of Sweden. It is quite sweet, too! Somewhat
similar to peanut butter.
When it comes to drinking coffee, Swedes rank second in the
world (per capita). People usually drink coffee for breakfast, after lunch or
during the numerous and religiously observed coffee breaks, but there are also
special coffee parties (kafferep). If you are invited to one, you can expect to
find at least seven sorts of home-made buns and cakes, a kind of minimum amount
according to Swedish housewives´standards.
Literature on Swedish traditional food
If you are interested in learning more about Swedish Traditional
Food there are some interesting books available like Rough Guide to Sweden by
James Proctor, Neil Roland.
More books are listed here on Print Google. |
