SWEDISH CUISINE

Traditional Dishes

Drinks

SWEDISH CUISINE

Characteristics

Husmanskost

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 international dishes

Sweden is one of the heaviest coffee drinking countries in the world, behind Finland.

Milk 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 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

Pickled herring, sour cream & chopped chives, potatoes & an egg half served at midsummer.

Due to Sweden's large north-south expanse there have always been regional differences in Swedish cuisine.

Historically, in the far North, meats such as reindeer, and other (semi-) game dishes were eaten while fresh vegetables have played a larger role in the South.

Swedish Pancakes

Fruit soups

Alcoholic beverages in Sweden

Seafood

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.

Examples of Swedish husmanskost are

pea soup boiled & mashed carrots, potato

& rutabaga served with pork, many varieties

of salmon (such as fried, pickled), varieties of

herring (most commonly pickled, but also

fried, au gratin, etc

ChanterelleMushrroom

Swedish cuisine could be described as centered around cultured dairy products, crisp and soft (often sugared) breads, berries and stone fruits, beef, pork, sweetened seafood & fish.

Potatoes are often served as a side dish, often boiled.

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 flat breads & crispbreads. There are many sweetened bread types & some use spices.

Many meat dishes & especially meatballs are served with loganberry jam. Fruit soups like rose hip soup & blueberry soup served hot or cold, are typical of Swedish cuisine.

Butter & margarine are the primary fat sources, although olive oil is becoming more popular.

Sweden's pastry tradition features a variety of yeast buns, cookies, biscuits & cakes; many of them in a sugary style with a pastry are enormously popular in Sweden.

Fruit soups, especially rose hip soup & blueberry soup, are eaten or drunk, usually hot during the winter.

Pommac this originally Swedish soft drink, made from fruits and berries and then aged for three months in oak barrels gained a became very popular in all Scandinavian countries.

A limited range of fish and other seafood is an important part of the Swedish cuisine. Farmed salmon from Norway has become increasingly popular & pickled, sweetened herring, inlagd sill, is the most traditional of Swedish appetizers.

Shrimp and lobster are specialties of the Skagerrak coast.

Many traditional dishes employ simple, contrasting flavors, such as the traditional dish of hearty meatballs and gravy with tart, pungent loganberry jam.

In August, at the traditional

feast known as crayfish party, Swedes eat large amounts of boiled crayfish boiled & then marinated in a broth with salt,

a little bit of sugar, & a large amount of dill.

The most highly regarded mushroom in Sweden is the chanterelle, 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

Absolut is the best brand of vodka

Desserts

Common desserts include:

Ostkaka - Swedish cheesecake

Spettekaka - A sweet dry hollow Swedish cake, shaped like a cylinder, and similar to Meringue, found only in the southern regions of Sweden.

Spettekaka