If you love delicious cakes, pastries, and fresh seafood, you should know that
those IKEA meatballs are just the start of what Swedish cuisine has to offer.
We're sure you're more than familiar with the concept of Swedish meatballs, whether you've
had them foisted upon you by a cocktail waiter at some formal event or sampled some while browsing
furniture at IKEA. After all, more than two million meatballs are eaten daily at IKEA's
stores worldwide, meaning many of us have already tried the iconic köttbullar during our lives.
One of the best aspects of köttbullar, or Swedish meatballs, is the immense variety
of ways in which it can be prepared. There doesn't appear to be much in the way of
hard-and-fast rules required to categorize or define Swedish meatballs. Frankly,
the only required ingredient for köttbullar, according to the Swedish Institute, is "love."
Actually, there is one other prerequisite to enjoying a truly authentic Swedish köttbullar:
lingonberries, which are served on the side.
"For me, the meatball is so much to IKEA culture. It's convenient,
it's Swedish, and pretty much for everybody."
Some may call the Swedish food knäckebröd a crispbread. Others,
not unreasonably, may choose to classify it as a cracker.
Setting semantics aside, this relic from historically impoverished times
in Sweden has remained a staple because it is easily stored, has a long shelf-life,
and offers immense versatility. Knäckebröd can be enjoyed as a snack or as part of a meal,
and is an oft-included addition to Swedish smorgasbords throughout the year. When you
consider it can be topped with any variety of delectable items — both sweet and savory,
from pickled herring to jelly — it's obvious why this crispbread has endured for roughly 500 years.
For anyone doubting the veracity of knäckebröd's claim as an iconic Swedish food,
don't just take our word for it. Take it from IKEA. Alongside its beloved meatballs,
the company also sells knäckebröd.
If we're being honest, no other Swedish food may be easier for the U.S. palate
to handle than pyttipanna — which is essentially just a
meat and potato breakfast hash made with leftover food items.
The simplicity of pyttipanna makes it a clear winner in homes throughout Sweden.
Who can resist the simple yet delicious combination of eggs, potatoes, and meat?
Not only does pyttipanna contain a flavor profile suited to U.S. taste preferences,
it is also fairly easy to prepare. It involves little more than sauteing everything but the
eggs in a single pan before frying the eggs separately to place on top of the dish.
Trying pyttipanna should be on any list of iconic Swedish foods to try.
It's often credited as being one of the dishes that define Swedish home cooking,
and it's no wonder: It's warm, hearty, versatile, and a complete win.
Frankly, the idea of a sandwich cake can be tough to wrap your head around.
So is the entire notion of a savory cake, which is what smörgåstårta is. Of course,
since a cake is nothing more than a vessel to contain a combination of flavors,
it's no surprise that cakes can work with savory ingredients.
As long as you can get over any initial reservations, you'd do well to try this
savory sensation from Sweden before you die. And while it may not resemble any sandwich you're used
to seeing, there's something to be said for experiencing something completely unexpected.
Part of the appeal of smörgåstårta is that it's served cold, which allows
for preparation well in advance of any guests arriving to devour your beautiful
concoction. It's also easier to prepare than its intimidating presentation would suggest.
Sweden has been a sovereign nation since 1523, and with such a long history,
it's not surprising that many traditional foods have remained prevalent through the years — even
though modern culinary capabilities have rendered moot some preserved items such as pickled herring.
Despite the seemingly unappealing appearance and the notion of pickled herring,
it remains an essential component of Swedish smorgasbords. As noted in the
book "Treasured Recipes of Our American and Swedish Kitchens," pickled herring ranks as
"the most important of all Swedish smorgasbord dishes... all the others
can be or not be, but the herring is a must item."
It may seem odd to enjoy herring prepared through pickling. But according to Visit Sweden,
this centuries-old method of extending a freshly-caught fish's shelf-life proved
both cost-effective and tasty. And with such a long track record of satisfying Swedes,
the continued popularity of pickled herring proves the old notion: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Lutfisk is, of course, the almost-unbelievably odd dish that's famous — or rather,
infamous — as a traditional holiday meal in Nordic communities throughout the Midwest. And while
lutfisk's origins clearly lie in Scandinavia, it may actually be more popular with Swedish
immigrants and their descendants in the U.S. than with native Swedes, according to Smithsonian.
The borderline-poisonous preparation technique for lutfisk involves preserving cod in lye. Yes,
lye — as in the corrosive chemical often used in cleaning.
Use of lye in preparing lutfisk results in a gelatinous final product that emits
a near-suffocating fishy stench. Preparing and eating any food product in such a way may seem
dangerous, but it's been done for a long time, and serves as a powerful symbol. Once prepped,
preserved, and eaten out of necessity, it's now a way to look back on ancestral foods,
and literally taste how far we've come.
And yes, there's a good chance lutfisk is a dish you're not likely to love. But
given its unique history, preparation, and taste-texture-smell combination,
it's something worth trying when you have the chance — even just once.
"You know, I always say, when your tastebuds die, well, then you like lutefisk."
The origin of some traditions can be easy to trace.
History has recorded just why things started, who started them,
and why those precise things — or something close to it — continues to pop up over and over.
"Tradition is tradition."
But, the passage of time often obscures the truth about how something started. This is
particularly true when talking about food duos that seem made for each other. One of
those duos is Sweden's traditional Thursday lunch ärtsoppa och pannkakor. That we don't
know where or how this classic combo was created doesn't diminish its appeal or ability to satisfy.
Perhaps akin to grilled cheese and tomato soup in the U.S., ärtsoppa och pannkakor
has been a simple and consistent staple in Sweden for ages. It is served everywhere
in Sweden at lunchtime on Thursdays. How it became such a staple remains unclear.
There are a number of explanations offered for the place of ärtsoppa och pannkakor in
Swedish culture, including being derived from military customs or emerging from
religiously-imposed dining restrictions. But when you're dipping your pancake into
that perfect pea soup and all your worries seem to melt away, does it really matter?
If you're the type of person who views food and eating as a communal event to experience together,
you need to prioritize attending an authentic kräftskiva (or crayfish
party) before you die. There, you will have a chance to try kräftor.
Given that kräftor is simply crayfish, some of you may believe you can check this
one off your list already. But to truly experience this iconic Swedish seafood,
you need to do so at a kräftskiva. A tradition for nearly a century, the so-called crayfish
party involves plenty of kräftor, festive hats and bibs, singing, and general revelry.
Additionally, there are several varieties of both salt and freshwater crayfish species in Sweden.
Even without the hullabaloo of kräftskiva, kräftor remains an iconic Swedish food worth trying.
Sweden has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, with Swedes living a whopping
five years longer than people in the United States. That makes it hard to argue with the
assessment that Sweden is an exceptionally healthy country, but there are still some
Swedish desserts you need to try during your lifetime. At the top of that list is ostkaka.
The name of this delectable dessert literally translates to cheesecake,
but it's not nearly as heavy or rich as what an American palate might be used to. That's not to
say ostkaka is a healthy dessert option. It may not be quite as decadent as some cheesecakes,
but ostkaka isn't something that should show up on a daily meal plan. And here's the thing:
Don't worry about how ostkaka compares to U.S. desserts. Rather, just trust us when we tell you
that if the opportunity presents itself, you should make a point to try it for yourself.
While we do consider ourselves somewhat of an authority on all things food-related,
we're inclined to defer to the experts whenever possible. So don't
take our word that räksmörgås, an open-faced shrimp sandwich,
is an iconic Swedish food worth trying before you die. Instead, take it from
internationally-renowned celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, who once wrote on Instagram:
"There's nothing more Swedish (or delicious) as this Räksmörgås."
So that's it, right? If the long-time "Chopped" judge's declaration isn't enough to prompt you
to seek it out, we're not sure anything else can. So unless you're less-than-enthralled with
shrimp — or if you have a shellfish allergy, which is a fair reason to avoid it — there's
little reason to think you'd be anything but satisfied with this simple sandwich.
With more than 2000 miles of coastline, it's easy to understand why seafood has played such
a large role in Swedish culture and cooking throughout history. After all, before the
importing and exporting of foods from around the world was commonplace, you could only eat what
was available to you. As a result, gravlax, or dill-cured salmon, has become a Swedish staple.
Similar to pickled herring, gravlax likely originated from the need to
extend the shelf-life of freshly-caught fish through various curing techniques.
Yet its subtle and light flavor had ensured it endured through the years,
even when better preservation and cooking methods became available.
Some may believe gravlax is like any other cured salmon. Some may believe they've already tried
gravlax if they've eaten lox. But gravlax is prepared with less salt than lox and
incorporates sugar and dill during the curing process. In other words, it's not the same.
What's in a name? It's a lot, if the alleged history of the iconic Swedish dessert
prinsesstårta is to be believed. Some of the facts are indisputable. It was created by royal
family tutor Jenny Åkerström, and it made its first appearance under the original name "green
cake" in the 1948 edition of the cookbook, "The Princess Cookbook: Home Cooking and Holiday Food."
And while many agree that eating prinsesstårta is a rare treat,
its popularity may not be solely owed to its fantastic flavor. In fact,
some speculate that the dessert's early rebranding from green cake to
the more elegant princess title is largely responsible for it becoming a cultural icon.
Whether or not that's true is unclear. What is known, however, is that the cake includes
a signature outer layer of green-colored marzipan and has been a widely enjoyed dessert for decades.
Occasionally, the evolution of a culinary tradition is easy to track. Sure,
the how isn't always entirely clear, but when it comes to why some foods become
ingrained into a society? The answer can be quite obvious, as in the case of semla.
After the nationally-beloved Swedish pastry first found footing as a Fat
Tuesday-exclusive treat the night before the start of Lent, the Swedish Institute says that
the baked good is now commonly available every day from Christmas through Easter.
So, what are they? A cardamom-flavored baked bun, split in half, and filled with almond paste and
whipped cream. Resembling a gigantic cream puff, semla can be eaten however your heart
desires. According to Visit Sweden, though, the traditional method involves using the
bun's top half to eat the oozing cream filling, before devouring the remainder.
Swedish culinary preferences tend to lean towards lighter,
less-rich fare. But like any rule, there are always exceptions. And the moist,
uber-rich kladdkaka [klahd-KAH-kah], or chocolate sticky cake, certainly fits that bill.
In a lot of ways, actually, kladdkaka is less of a cake, per se, and more of a cake-shaped
brownie. The tremendously dense chocolate goodie is almost unbelievably easy to make,
with a short list of ingredients that are simply mixed, poured, and ready to bake. Additionally,
slightly underbaking your kladdkaka will lead to an eminently memorable final product, creating
a gooier-than-normal center that perfectly complements and contrasts its external texture.
Honestly, we're not sure how to sell you any further on kladdkaka. Go find
a slice of Sweden's chocolate sticky cake, and you'll die a happy person.