In case the Swedish chef of Muppets fame and your local IKEA haven’t given enough of an introduction to food in the Scandinavian country, we’ve compiled a list of the tastiest treats you can hope to encounter on your tours of Sweden. Meatballs, the spectacular Swedish invention that is the smorgasbord and liver pate are all must-tries, along with fish like herring and cured salmon, plenty of potatoes and beetroot, and locally-produced ciders. Time your visit with Christmas to enjoy seasonal beers, mulled wine and more that only pop up to help Swedes survive the colder months.
National Dishes:
Köttbullar Meatballs
Smörgåsbord Swedish buffet
Julbord Christmas buffet
(Ham, herring, salmon, meatballs, hard cheese, sausages, liver pâté, spare ribs, boiled potatoes, rye bread, beetroot, cabbage, mustard)
Entrée:
Tunnbröd (thin wrap bread), Knäckebröd (hard bread)
Messmör soft whey butter
Leverpastej liver paté
Ärtsoppa pea soup with pork
Seafood:
Sill Pickled herring
Gravlax cured salmon (salt, sugar, dill)
Smoked Salmon, herring, whitefish and eel
Kräftor / Crayfish
Kalles Kaviar – cod roe caviar
Mains:
Tunnbrödrulle bread wrap (with mash, veg, and hot dog)
Kroppkakor potato dumpling with pork
Janssons frestelse casserole
Falukorv sausage, Blodpudding pig’s blood sausage
Pytt i panna – meat, onions and potatoes (with beetroot and eggs)
Lingonberry jam
Dessert:
Smörgåstårta cold layered sandwich cake
Semla pastry
Thin pancakes
Rabarberpaj rhubarb-pie
Spettekaka cake (eggs, sugar, potato starch)
Polkagris candy
Lösgodis confectionary
Fruit: wild strawberries, cloudberries
Cheese:
Västerbotten hard cheese, Svecia, Grevé, Herrgårdsost, Prästost
Drink:
Fika – Coffee
Julmust Christmas soft drink
Beer:
Pripps Blå, Falcon, Carnegie Porter, Krönleins Crocodile Lager
Julöl Christmas beer
Cider:
Kopparberg, Rekorderlig
Wine:
Glögg mulled red wine with cloves, cinnamon, sugar
Spirits:
Absolut Vodka
Systembolaget Stores
Akevitt / Aquavit potato and caraway-based distilled beverage
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
