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Swedish cuisine is simple and healthy. Breakfast
may be hot or cold cereal, filmjölk (a mixture of sour milk
and yogurt) or an open-faced sandwich. Swedish bread is thin and crisp;
softer bread is usually served only on holidays. In the north, bread is
often eaten with messmör (a soft, sweet whey cheese).
For lunch or dinner, Swedes usually eat a hot meal
of meat or fish with boiled potatoes. On Thursday evenings, some eat
pea soup and have pancakes for dessert. This is a continuation of an
old tradition: Swedes used to fast on Fridays and ate the heavy pea
soup to keep them going. Swedes may drink punsch (a sweet,
yellow alcoholic drink) with the meal. Pytt i panna is a
favourite dish. It is a hash of fried diced meat, onions and potatoes
served with fried eggs and slices of pickled red beets. |
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The Swedish invented the smörgåsbord.
This is an assortment of cold and hot foods placed on a large table so
that diners can take their pick. A smörgåsbord may
contain a number of seafood dishes such as pickled herring or gravad
lax (salt and sugar-cured salmon), cold meats such as smoked reindeer
and ham, hot dishes such as Swedish meatballs and omelettes, and desserts
such as fruit salad and pastry.
Swedes do not eat out often, probably because
restaurants are very expensive. Young Swedes enjoy American-style fast
food and food from Swedish gatukök (street kitchens). These
stands sell fried or boiled hot dogs, with French fries or mashed
potatoes served with mustard and ketchup.
Swedes love coffee. Their coffee consumption per
capita is the second highest in the world. They drink strong coffee in
the morning, after lunch, in the afternoon and after dinner. Tea has
been gaining popularity in recent years. Wine, beer and other alcoholic
drinks are usually served only at parties and on holidays. |
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Did you know? |
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In August, Swedes enjoy crayfish parties. They boil
freshwater shellfish in water, add dill, salt and sugar and leave it to
cool overnight. They eat the crayfish with hot buttered toast and caraway
cheese, accompanied by beer and aquavit, a vodka-like drink.
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Gravad lax |
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Ingredients
2 pieces of centre-cut salmon fillets, about 500 g each, with skin on
260 ml sugar
240 ml coarse salt
15 coarsely crushed white peppercorns
1 large bunch of dill
Preparation
Remove any small bones from the fillets with a pair of tweezers.
Mix sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover the bottom of a baking
dish with dill. Rub half of the sugar-salt mixture into the first
fillet, on both sides, and lay it skin side down, on top of the
dill. Cover with dill. Prepare the other salmon fillet in the
same way. Place the second fillet skin side up and heap dill on
top. Cover in plastic wrap, place a cutting board with some
heavy weights on top and marinate in the refrigerator for up
to 72 hours, turning the salmon over at least once a day.
Scrape the marinade off and slice the fillets very thinly.
Serve with mustard sauce.
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