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

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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

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