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Swedish cuisine (Swedish:svenska köket) is the traditional food ofSweden. Due to Sweden's large north-to-south expanse, there are regional differences between the cuisine ofNorth andSouth Sweden.[1]
Historically, in the far north, meats such asreindeer, and othergame dishes were eaten, some of which have their roots in theSami culture, while fresh vegetables have played a larger role in the South. Many traditional dishes employ simple, contrasting flavours, such as the traditional dish ofmeatballs and brown creamsauce with tart, pungentlingonberry jam.
Swedish cuisine could be described as centered around cultureddairy products, crisp and soft breads, berries andstone fruits,beef,chicken,lamb,pork, eggs, andseafood.Potatoes are often served as a side dish, often boiled. Swedish cuisine has a wide variety of breads of different shapes and sizes, made of rye, wheat, oat, white, dark, sourdough, and whole grain, and including flatbreads and crispbreads. There are many sweetened bread types and some use spices. Many meat dishes, especially meatballs, are served withlingonberry jam. Fruit soups with high viscosity, likerose hip soup (nyponsoppa) andbilberry soup (blåbärssoppa) served hot or cold, are typical of Swedish cuisine. Butter and margarine are the primary fat sources, althougholive oil is becoming more popular. Sweden's pastry tradition features a variety of tortes, yeast buns, cookies, biscuits and cakes; many of them are in a very sugary style and often eaten with coffee (fika).[2]
The importance of fish has governed Swedish population and trade patterns far back in history. For preservation, fish were salted and cured. Salt became a major trade item at the dawn of theScandinavianMiddle Ages, which beganc. 1000 AD.Cabbage preserved assauerkraut and various kinds of preserved berries, apples, and other fruit were used once as a source ofvitamin C during the winter (today sauerkraut is very seldom used in Swedish cuisine).Lingonberry jam, 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. Black currant jelly is often served with wild game such as venison, elk or moose.[3]
Both before and after this period, some newGermanic dishes were also brought in by immigrants, such as people related to theHanseatic League, settling in Stockholm,Visby, andKalmar. Swedishtraders andaristocrats naturally also picked up some food traditions in foreign countries; cabbage rolls (kåldolmar) being one example. Anearly version ofkåldolmar was first published in 1765 in the fourth edition ofHjelpreda i Hushållningen för Unga Fruentimber byCajsa Warg.[citation needed]
Swedishhusmanskost denotes traditional Swedish dishes with local ingredients, the classical everyday Swedish cuisine. The wordhusmanskost stems fromhusman, meaning 'house owner', and the term was originally used for most kinds of simple countryside food outside of towns. Genuine Swedishhusmanskost used predominantly local ingredients such aspork in all forms, fish,cereals, milk, potato,root vegetables, cabbage, onions, apples, berries etc.;beef andlamb were used more sparingly. Beside berries and pears, apples are the most used traditional fruit, eaten fresh or served asapple pie,apple sauce, or apple cake. Time-consuming cooking methods such asredningar (roux) andlångkok (literally 'long boil') are commonly employed and spices are sparingly used. Examples of Swedish husmanskost are pea soup (ärtsoppa), boiled and mashed carrots, potato andrutabaga served with pork (rotmos med fläsk), many varieties of salmon (such asgravlax,inkokt lax, fried, pickled), varieties of herring (most commonly pickled, but also fried,au gratin, etc.), fishballs (fiskbullar), meatballs (köttbullar), potato dumplings with meat or other ingredients (palt), potato pancake (raggmunk), varieties of porridge (gröt), a fried mix of pieces of potato, different kind of meats, sausages, bacon and onion (pytt i panna), meat stew with onion (kalops), and potato dumplings with a filling of onions and pork (kroppkakor). Many of the dishes would be consideredcomfort food for the nostalgic value.[citation needed]
Dishes akin to Swedishhusmanskost and food traditions are found also in other Scandinavian countries; details may vary.
Sweden is part of thevodka belt and historicallydistilled beverages, such asbrännvin andsnaps, have been a traditional daily complement to food.Consumption of wine in Sweden has increased during the last fifty years, partly at the expense ofbeer and stronger alcoholic beverages.
Husmanskost has undergone a renaissance during the last decades as well known (or famous) Swedishchefs, such asTore Wretman, have presented modernised variants of classical Swedish dishes. In thisnouvel 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 or enhance thenutritional value or flavour of the dishes. Many Swedish restaurateurs mix traditionalhusmanskost with a modern, gourmet approach.[citation needed]
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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 Swedish cuisine adopts many international dishes.
Internationally, the most renowned Swedish culinary tradition is thesmörgåsbord and, at Christmas, thejulbord, including well-known Swedish dishes such asgravlax 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,ärtsoppa, is still served in many restaurants and households every Thursday,[4] a tradition since the Middle Ages.Ärtsoppa is a yellowpea soup, commonly served with pancakes as dessert. 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 mustard and followed by a dessert of thin pancakes (pannkakor). TheSwedish Armed Forces also serve their conscripts pea soup and pancakes every Thursday.
Potatoes are eaten year-round as the main source of carbohydrates, and are a staple in many traditional dishes. Not until the last 50 years have pasta or rice become common on the dinner table.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 midsummer feast. New potatoes atmidsummer are served with pickled herring,chives, and sour cream, and the first strawberries of the year are traditionally served as dessert.
The most highly regardedmushroom in Sweden is thechanterelle, 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 anopen sandwich. Second to the chanterelle, and considered almost as delicious, is theporcini mushroom, orkarljohansvamp, named afterCharles XIV John (Karl XIV Johan) who introduced its use as food.
In August, at the traditional feast known askräftskiva,crayfish party, Swedes eat large amounts ofcrayfish, boiled and then marinated in a broth with salt, a little bit of sugar, and a large amount ofdill umbels (krondill, lit.crown dill).[citation needed]
Meals consists of breakfast in the morning (frukost), a light lunch before noon (lunch), and a heavy dinner (middag) around six or seven in the evening. It is also common to have a snack, often a sandwich or fruit, in between meals (mellanmål). Most Swedes also have acoffee break in the afternoon, often together with a pastry (fika). In all primary schools, and most, but not allsecondary schools, a hot meal is served at lunch as part of Sweden'swelfare state. According to Swedish school law, this meal has to be nutrient-dense.[5]
Breakfast usually consists of opensandwiches (smörgås), possibly oncrisp bread (knäckebröd). The sandwich is most often buttered, with toppings such as hard cheese,cold cuts,caviar,messmör (a Norwegian sweet spread made from butter and whey), ham (skinka), and tomatoes or cucumber.[6]Filmjölk (fermented milk/buttermilk), or sometimesyogurt, is also traditional breakfast food, usually served in a bowl withcereals such ascornflakes.Muesli, or porridge (gröt) is sometimes eaten at breakfast, made of oatmeal or cream of wheat, eaten with milk and jam orcinnamon with sugar.[6] Common drinks for breakfast aremilk,juice,tea, or coffee. Swedes are among the most avid milk and coffee drinkers in the world.[7]
Swedes sometimes have sweet toppings on their breads, such as jam (like the French and Americans), orchocolate (like the Danes), although many older Swedes choose not to use these sweet toppings. However, orange marmalade on white bread is common, usually with morning coffee or tea.[citation needed]
Many traditional kinds of Swedish bread, such assirapslimpa (less fashionable today, but still very popular) are somewhat sweetened in themselves, baked with small amounts ofsyrup.[6] Like in many other European countries, there are also many non-sweetened breads, often made withsourdough (surdeg). Swedish breads may be made fromwholegrain, fine grain, or anything in between, and there are white, brown, and very dark (like in Finland) varieties which are all common.Barkis orbergis is a localised version ofchallah usually made without eggs and at first only available in Stockholm and Göteborg where Jews first settled but now available elsewhere.[citation needed]
| Swedish | English | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Ärtsoppa | Pea soup | Yellow pea soup. |
| Blåbärspalt | Dumplings with blueberries | |
| Blodpalt | Dumplings made out of blood | |
| Blodpudding | Black pudding | The Swedish name literally means 'blood pudding'. Sweetened and spiced, it is eaten with lingonberry jam, and sometimes bacon. |
| Blodkorv | Blood sausage | Other than pig blood, the ingredients include flour, pork, raisins and spices. |
| Bruna bönor ochfläsk | Brown beans and pork | A classical Swedish dish consisting of pork with stewed brown beans. |
| Falukorv | Sausage, big and thick, originating fromFalun. 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 intoFalukorv sausages. | |
| Fiskbullar | Fishballs, made from minced white fish meat. | |
| Fläskkorv | Pork sausage | Sausages, pork. |
| Fläskpannkaka | Pork pancake | A thickpancake with diced pork, baked in a form in the oven. |
| Flygande Jacob | Flying Jacob | Casserole based on chicken with cream, chili sauce, bananas, peanuts and bacon. Invented in the 1970s. |
| Gravlax | Salmon cured with salt and sugar with herbs. | |
| Grisfötter | Pig's trotters served withrödbetor. | |
| Inkokt lax | Boiledsalmon, together with onion and carrots, in a mixture of water, vinegar, salt, sugar and some other spices. Usually eaten cold, commonly together with mayonnaise spiced with dill and lemon. | |
| Inlagd sill | Pickledherring. | |
| Isterband | Sausage, from Småland, made of coarsely ground pork, barley and potatoes. It is prepared by first fermenting it and then lightly smoking it. This method of cooking creates a distinct, both acidic and slightly smoky flavour. It is traditionally eaten with dill-stewed potatoes and pickled beetroot. | |
| Janssons frestelse | Jansson's temptation | Potatocasserole made of grated potatoes, onion,anchovy and cream; the fish used is usually thesprat, a different species spiced with herbs.[8] |
| Julskinka | Cured ham, boiled and breaded with mustard, bread crumbs and egg; translates asChristmas ham. The Swedish equivalent to Christmas turkey. | |
| Kåldolmar | Cabbage rolls. These are a Swedish variation of the Turkishdolma, and date back to whenCharles XII returned to Sweden from theOttoman Empire.[9] | |
| Kalops | Meat stewed with onion, vegetables and spices. | |
| Köttbullar | Meatballs made from meat and herbs tightly rolled together, frequently served with mashed potatoes and pickles. | |
| Korv Stroganoff | Sliced sausage pieces (usuallyfalukorv) served in a creamy tomato sauce, a cheaper Swedish variation ofbeef Stroganoff. | |
| Köttsoppa med klimp | Soup, made from beef androot vegetables, served with klimp, a Swedish dumpling. | |
| Kroppkakor | Dumplings made of pre-boiled potatoes, filled with pork.[10] | |
| Leverpalt | Dumplings with liver. | |
| Lutfisk | Lye fish made ofstockfish. | |
| Palt | Dumplings made of unboiled potatoes, filled with pork. | |
| Paltbröd | A type oftunnbröd baked with blood. Traditionally served leached with white sauce and fried pork. | |
| Pannkakor | A thinpancake fried in an ordinary frying pan. In some parts of Sweden, all thin pancakes are calledplättar. | |
| Pitepalt | Dumplings fromPiteå. | |
| Plättar | Aplätt is a very small pancake, usually made in aplättlagg, a sort of normal size frying pan with indentations to allow for several, normally seven, smaller (usually around 10 cm in diameter) pancakes to be made at once. SeePannkakor | |
| Pölsa | Similar tohash or Scottishhaggis without casing. | |
| Prinskorv | Prince's sausages | Small sausages, hot dog-style. |
| Pyttipanna | Mix of chopped and fried meat, onions, pre-boiled potatoes, often prepared from leftovers. Other ingredients are often added as well, such as sausages, beetroot, fried egg, bacon or even salmon (instead of the meat).[11] | |
| Raggmunk | Potato pancakes. Usually eaten with lingonberry jam and sometimes fried slices of pork belly. | |
| Rotmos med fläsk | Mashed roots with pork | Mashed root vegetables, usually rutabaga, carrots and sometimes potatoes, served with long-boiled salted pork loin. |
| Räksmörgås | Shrimp sandwich | Open sandwich with shrimp, egg and mayonnaise. Lettuce, tomato or cucumber are commonly added, usually topped with lemon and dill. |
| Sillsallad | Herring salad | A Russian-style chopped cold-salad side dish made with pickled herring, boiled cold potatoes, boiled cold beets, minced raw onion, fresh dill, and sour cream. |
| Smörgåstårta | Sandwich cake | Like a very big multi-layer sandwich. Comes with many different fillings and toppings, often including shrimp, ham, mayonnaise, salad, and preserved fruits. |
| S.O.S. (smör, ost och sill) | Butter, cheese and herring | Appetizer dish made with butter, cheese, and herring. |
| Stekt fläsk med löksås ochpotatis | Pork withonion sauce and potatoes. | |
| Stekt strömming | Fried herring | Fileted fresh herring, two filets put flesh to flesh, skin out, with dill, salt and ground white pepper between and breadcrumbs on the outside, and then fried in butter until golden. Eaten with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam. Very different fromsurströmming. |
| Surströmming | Fermented Baltic herring | Being fermented,surströmming has a strong odour and unique flavour and is considered an acquired taste even among Swedes. Usually eaten with thin, hard bread. |
| Sylta | Swedish head cheese | Made primarily from finely chopped pork pulled soft from a boiled pig head and mixed with the gelatin from the skull and various spices and pressed to form a loaf that is served chilled so that the gelatin sets. |
| Wallenbergare | Patty of ground veal, cream, and egg yolks, coated in breadcrumbs. | |
Fish and other seafood are an important part of Swedish cuisine. Farmed salmon from Norway has become increasingly popular. Pickled, sweetenedherring,inlagd sill, is a traditional Swedish appetizer.Shrimp and lobster are specialties of theSkagerrak coast.Surströmming is a fermentedBaltic herring famous for its pungent aroma, both loved and hated. Crayfish, boiled in salted water with dill, are a late summer Swedish delicacy.[12]
Common desserts include:
| Swedish | English | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Gotländsk saffranspannkaka | Rice pudding dessert withsaffron originating inGotland usually served with jam or whipped cream, ordewberry jam. | |
| Kalvdans | A classicScandinavian dessert made from unpasteurizedcolostrum milk, the first milk produced by a cow after giving birth. | |
| Klappgröt | Semolina pudding mixed with juice from either redcurrant,lingonberries,raspberries,blackberries, or comparable fruits, then stirred or blended until the texture is fluffier. Eaten cold. | |
| Ostkaka | Swedish cheesecake (very different fromAmerican cheesecake). | |
| Pannkaka | Pancakes are almost never served for breakfast ('American-style') but either as dessert with sweet jam or whipped cream, or as a meal in itself, using fewer sweet toppings. Pancakes for dinner can be thickoven-baked pancakes with pork meat or apples inside. | |
| Smördegspaj | Butter dough based pie. | Various kinds of pies and cookies are typical desserts, mostly served with coffee. Typical pies areapple pie,blueberry pie andrhubarb pie. |
| Smulpaj | Crumb pie | |
| Spettekaka | A sweet dry hollow Swedish cake, shaped like a cylinder, and similar tomeringue, found only in a southern province of Sweden,Scania. | |
| Våfflor | Waffles | Often served with jam and whipped cream orice cream. Waffles also have theirown day on 25 March. |
| Äggost | A dish originating fromBohuslän. In the southern parts of the county it is traditionally served as a dessert along with whipped cream, sugar and blackberry jam, but in the northern parts it is usually seen as a main dish or breakfast and often served with pickled herring. | |
Bakelser and other types ofkaffebröd (or more colloquiallyfikabröd) are various forms ofpastries, cake, cookies, and buns that are usually consumed with coffee (seefika). Popular kinds ofkaffebröd available in a traditional Swedishkonditori (coffee shop /pâtisserie) include:
| Swedish | English | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Kanelbulle | Cinnamon roll, optionally made withcardamom dough | |
| Wienerbröd | A Danish pastry; comes in several varieties and shapes; very similar to aDanish pastry in the US. | |
| Chokladboll | Chocolate ball. | A roundchocolate-flavoured butter ball with oatmeal, cocoa and sugar, coated in coconut flakes orpearl sugar. |
| Kringla | A smallpretzel-shaped (sweet) cookie withpearl sugar on top. | |
| Punschrulle | Punsch-roll | A small cylindrical pastry covered with green marzipan with the ends dipped in chocolate, and inside a mix of crushedcookies, butter, and cacao, flavoured withpunsch liqueur. This pastry is often calleddammsugare ('vacuum cleaner'), referring to its cylindrical shape, similar to many older vacuum cleaners. Other names arearraksrulle (asarrak (arrack) is an ingredient inpunsch) and '150-ohmer' (owing to the brown-green-brown colouring, resembling a 150 ohm resistor). |
| Biskvi | A small round pastry with a base: made fromalmonds and sugar, filled withbutter cream and covered with a thin layer of chocolate. First made in France during the 19th century. | |
| Prinsesstårta | Princess cake | A large cake, made of sponge cake layered with whipped cream, andcustard under a greenmarzipan coating withpowdered sugar on the top; often decorated with a pink marzipan rose. |
| Budapestbakelse | Budapest pastry | Basically made from sugar,egg white,hazelnuts, whipped cream, and pieces of fruit likeapricot ormandarine, decorated with a little chocolate and powdered sugar. |
| Napoleonbakelse | Napolitain | Made of pastry dough, whipped cream, custard and jam, topped with icing and currant jelly. |
| Napoleon pastry | ||
| Kladdkaka | A chocolatey and sticky flat cake. | |
| Toscakaka | Light sponge topped with caramelized almonds. | |
| Arraksboll | A ball flavoured witharrak, similar in appearance to achokladboll but very different taste. | |
During thewinter holidays, traditional candy and pastries include:
| Treats | Definition |
|---|---|
| Knäck | Christmas toffee. (Hard, usually to be sucked, not chewed. The soft variety is called kola, which is chewy, and may be flavoured. ) |
| Ischoklad | Coconut oil mixed with chocolate. |
| Marmelad | 'Marmalade candy', rectangular fruit andpectin based candy in various colours. |
| Lussekatt | Saffron bun, a Swedish saffron bun eaten on theSaint Lucia celebration (13 December). |
| Pepparkaka | Similar to aginger snaps (has been eaten since the 14th century and baked at themonastery ofVadstena since 1444); associated with Christmas. |
| Semla | With the new year, thefastlagsbulle (Lenten bun), orsemla, is baked. It is a wheat bun with a cream andalmond paste filling, traditionally eaten onShrove Tuesday.[2] |
Other typical Swedish candy includes:
| Candy | Definition |
|---|---|
| Saltlakrits | Liquorice candy flavoured withammonium chloride. |
| Polkagris | Traditional peppermintstick candy fromGränna, also made in other flavours. |
| Ahlgrens bilar | A marshmallow candy shaped like a car. Marketed as "Sweden's most purchased car" (Swedish: Sveriges mest köpta bil). |
| Sockerbitar | Similar to square, chewymarshmallows. |
| Geléhallon | An early form ofgelatine-based candy. |
| Daim | Formerly called Dime in the UK. |
Sweden is in second place among the heaviest coffee-drinking countries in the world.[13]Milk consumption in Sweden is also very high, second only to Finland. Milk is bought in milk cartons;Tetra Pak, the world's largest maker of milk cartons, was founded in Sweden. Milk is considered the standard drink to have with meals during weekdays in many families, for both children and adults. Cordial is very common in Sweden. In the early summer elder flower cordial,[14] and less commonly lilac cordial,[15] are made. In the late summer other cordials, such as black currant cordial,[16] are made.
| Drink | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mumma | A traditional Christmas beverage.[17] Usually a mix of porter or another dark beer, some light beer (pilsner), port wine (or some other wine), and something sweet (sockerdricka orjulmust); commonly spiced withcardamom.[18] |
| Glögg | Mulled wine |
| Swedish | English | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Blåbärssoppa | Bilberry soup | Sweet soup or drink made frombilberries, served either hot or cold |
| Enbärsdricka | Juniper berry soft drink | |
| Sockerdricka | Sugar drink | Sweet-sour soft drink (carbonated) |
| Fruktsoda | Traditionallemon-lime soft drink (carbonated) | |
| Champis | Soft drink alternative to sparkling wine (carbonated) | |
| Pommac | ||
| Trocadero | Soft drink with the taste of apple and oranges, with its roots in the north of Sweden | |
| Julmust | Sweet seasonal carbonated soft drink (jul ‒ a cognate of the English yule ‒ means Christmas in Swedish) | |
| Lingondricka | Lingonberry drink | |
| Nyponsoppa | Rose hip soup | Sweet soup or drink made fromrose hips, served either hot or cold |
The production ofliquor has a tradition dating back to the 18th century and was at a high in the 1840s.[citation needed] Since the 1880s, the state-ownedSystembolaget has a monopoly on selling spirits with more than 3.5%ABV, limiting access.Hembränt (moonshine) used to be made in rural Sweden, but production has lessened in recent years due to more liberal rules for the import of alcohol as well as increased smuggling.
Punsch is a traditionalliqueur in Sweden that was immensely popular during the 19th century. It was adopted as the drink of choice by university students, and many traditional songs from that time are about the consumption ofpunsch or are meant to be sung during the collective festivities that were part of the cultural life in the universities' student associations at the time and still is.
Beer is also widely consumed in Sweden and the typical Swedish beer islager of a bright and malty kind. The brandsPripps Blå andNorrlands Guld are common examples. In the last few decades, many small breweries (microbreweries) have emerged all over Sweden offering a wide range of styles and brands.Nils Oscar Brewery,Dugges Ale och Porterbryggeri and Närke Kulturbryggeri are examples of these young Swedish microbreweries. Many microbreweries in Sweden are inspired by the US craft beer movement, brewing American styles or styles commonly associated with American craft breweries, e.g.American Pale Ale andAmerican IPA.
Brödinstitutet ('The Bread Institute') once campaigned with a quotation from theSwedish National Board of Health and Welfare, recommending[19] eating six to eight slices of bread daily. Drinking milk[20] has also been recommended and campaigned for by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare;[21] it is often recommended to drink two[22] to three glasses of milk per day.[23][24][25] A survey conducted on behalf of Mjölkfrämjandet, an organisation promoting consumption of Swedish milk, concluded that 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.[26]
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%.[27]
According to various personal accounts, many Swedish families previously considered it inappropriate to feed children from another family. Visiting children could be asked to leave at dinnertime or to wait in another room, or the host family would call the visitor's parents and ask for permission.[28] However, this norm seems to have faded by the 1990s.[29]
