Swedish food - 25 classic Swedish dishes

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Swedish food and Swedish traditions in the kitchen! Yesterday, we started talking about our classic Swedish dishes and realised that there are lots which is typically Swedish. So today we're indulging in Swedish home cooking and Swedish delicacies. Which dishes do you like? Which ones do you usually eat? Which ones did you eat as a child?

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Swedish food and dishes

When talking about Swedish food, it sometimes feels like many people think of it as 'boring' and 'tasteless'. But is that really true? Home cooking may be a bit stuffy, but it can have great flavours of cream, dill, blackcurrant jelly, apple, anchovies or mustard. We also have many delicacies in Swedish cuisine such as pike-perch, crayfish, prawns, whitefish roe, vendace roe, elk, deer, chanterelles, Västerbotten cheese, cloudberries, raspberries and blueberries. Or how about treats like gravlax, Skagenröra or smörgåstårta?

Swedish food in different regions

As you know, Sweden is an elongated country and food traditions differ from one place to another. Today the differences may be less than in the past (we all eat pizza and kebabs), but there are still historical differences. I (Helena) grew up in Skåne and there we ate more minced pork than minced beef, and there was both black soup and spettekaka. Other examples are the Öland potato cake lufsa, the Värmland speciality kolbollar and Norrland's tjälknöl. You probably have many more examples!

Swedish food through history

The fact that Swedish food looks the way it does is of course due to many different events throughout history. Today, the potato seems like an obvious ingredient in the diet, but that wasn't always the case. And contrary to what you might think, it was not Jonas Alströmer who introduced the potato to Sweden (although he did market it). Olaus Rudbeck started growing potatoes in Uppsala as early as 1655, and Eva Ekeblad De la Gardie (1724-86) helped introduce the root vegetable into the Swedish diet.

Lingonberries in Swedish food

When you read up on Swedish food you realise that there are lingonberries in almost everything and there is a reason. Around the turn of the last century, around 10 000 tonnes of lingonberries were picked and exported per year, and the berries were very lucrative. This led to threats of restricted rights, demonstrations and finally the right of public access.

Swedish food in the morning: breakfast

What about a Swedish breakfast? Everyone probably has different eating habits in the morning (and some people don't eat anything at all), but if you think about what is a typical Swedish breakfast, at least I think of a slightly more rustic, and less sweet meal. Perhaps oatmeal or a large sandwich with cheese, liver paste, sausage or cheese. eggs and Kalle's caviar.

Home cooking and other Swedish food

Nowadays, many people are stressed and often cook things like sausages, fish fingers, tacos and pasta with ketchup. But the Swedish home-cooked meal is still alive and well! Some dishes are still common, while others may be less common today. We grew up with some of them, and others we used to eat at lunch restaurants from time to time. Lunch restaurants are actually quite good at keeping traditional Swedish dishes alive. Which of the following dishes do you like and which do you usually cook?

1. pickled herring

Pickled herring is a Swedish classic, dating back to a time when food needed to be preserved in different ways. In the past, herring was eaten quite often, but today many people only open jars of herring on the three holidays when the herring is released. almost are a must: Christmas, Easter and Midsummer.

2. Fried herring with mashed potatoes

Another fish classic in Swedish homes has long been fried herring with mashed potatoes. Today, it is perhaps more common to see this dish in lunch restaurants, often served with peas and perhaps lingonberries.

3. Meatballs with potatoes and lingonberries

Meatballs are sometimes considered the most Swedish of Swedish dishes, and when travelling abroad we have sometimes been asked "What is the secret of Swedish meatballs?". We answer "lingonberries". Meatballs are common in many countries' cuisines, but serving them with potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberries is considered Swedish.

4. Pea soup with pancakes

Pea soup and pancakes are traditionally eaten every Thursday, and some lunchtime restaurants have been good at keeping the tradition alive. The reason for the tradition is that Friday was the Catholic day of fasting in the Middle Ages, and people wanted to eat their fill for it. Some believe that hot punch should also be served with the pea soup, perhaps flag punch. This is Swedish food!

5. Cabbage dumplings

Kåldolmar is a Swedishisation of the more international dish vinbladsdomar, which can be found both in the south and in the east. When making Swedish cabbage dolmas, white cabbage is used and they are often fried in syrup. For classic Swedish flavour, they are of course served with ... boiled potatoes and lingonberries.

6. venison stew

Renskavsgryta or viltskavsgryta is a traditional Swedish dish from northern Sweden that can be flavoured with, for example, brass butter and chanterelles. The dish can be served with mashed potatoes and, yes, lingonberries.

7. palt or body cakes

Palt and kroppkakor can be said to be two variations of the same dish. Palt is made in Norrland, while kroppkakor is made on Öland and other parts of southern Sweden. The recipes differ, but both variants are often filled with pork. Don't forget to serve with lingonberries!

8. Raggmunk with pork and lingonberries

Raggmunk is made by mixing grated potatoes with flour, milk and eggs. It is then formed into patties that are fried and served with pork and, of course, lingonberries. Raggmunk is the regional dish of Östergötland.

9. pork pancake

Pork pancake is a thick pancake made in the oven. The dish contains pork as well as eggs, milk and wheat flour. It is often served with lingonberry jam on the side.

10. Falu sausage with stewed macaroni

Falukorven is a named Swedish sausage containing meat, fat, potato flour, onion, salt and spices. The sausage is used in many different dishes and can be eaten with various accompaniments, and one of the classics is to eat it with stewed macaroni.

11. Brown beans with pork

Brown beans with pork is a classic Swedish everyday dish. The dish is given a special characteristic flavour by flavouring with syrup and vinegar. You can either make it yourself or buy it ready-made in the shop.

12. surströmming

Surströmming is a watershed, a dish that you either love or hate. Surströmming is a speciality of northern Sweden in particular and has a very strong smell when you open the can. It can be eaten with soft or hard flatbread and various accompaniments such as almond potatoes and sour cream.

13. Smoked salmon with dill stewed potatoes

Rimming is an old method of preservation that involves salting, and possibly also sugaring, meat or fish so that it will keep for storage. Poached salmon is often served with dill-stewed potatoes.

14. Black pudding with lingonberries

Black pudding is a dish that is both loved and hated. In fact, black pudding (or blood sausage as it is known in some parts of the country) is often favoured by children. When they get a little older and realise that the dish is made from pig's blood, some people have doubts. For example, blood pudding can often be served with lingonberries.

15. Kalops with boiled potatoes and pickled beetroot

Kalops is a traditional meat stew that is perfect for autumn or winter. The stew is seasoned with Swedish flavours and is often served with boiled potatoes and pickled beets.

16. pudding pan

Pyttipanna is a classic that involves taking what you have in the fridge, chopping and frying together. The base is potatoes and onions and then you can add meat, such as beef, pork or sausages. Traditionally, the dish is served with fried eggs and pickled beetroot.

17. Pancake with onion sauce

Pancake with onion sauce has long been a classic dish both at home and in restaurants. The dish is still made, of course, but nowadays the onion sauce has become a competitor and pancakes are served with many different accompaniments and sauces.

18. Red mash and pork shoulder

Red mash is a dish consisting of strained turnips, potatoes, carrots and sometimes parsnips. The mash can be served with various accompaniments, such as pork shoulder.

19. Oyster strips with stewed potatoes

Isterband is a lightly smoked, coarse-grained sausage, often with a sour flavour. Perhaps the best known is the Småland isterband. The dish can be served with parsley stewed potatoes and pickled beetroot.

20. Roast pork with onion sauce

Roast pork with onion sauce is a traditional Swedish food that people used to eat every day. The pork is served with boiled potatoes and an onion sauce that is both salty and sweet.

21. Jansson's temptation

Janssons frestelse is a Swedish gratin made with potatoes, onions and anchovies (sprat). The dish is described from 1928 and was named after a film called 'Jansson's Temptation'.

22. Biff Rydberg

Biff Rydberg, or Biff à la Rydberg as the dish may also be called, is a luxurious version of the pot pie. The meat is beef fillet and the ingredients are usually cut into slightly larger pieces. The dish is usually served with raw egg yolk and chopped parsley.

23rd Wallenbergers

Wallenbergare is a slightly more exclusive version of pan-fried beef. It is made from finely ground veal and served with mashed potatoes, peas and lingonberries. The dish is believed to have been named after banker Marcus Wallenberg's wife Amalia, whose father was a doctor and cookbook author.

24. Steak or moose roast

Tjälknöl is a dish originally from Norrland that consists of deep-frozen meat, usually moose meat, which is cooked in an oven over low heat. Moose, which is a typical Swedish food, can of course also be cooked in many ways. For example, you can cook a moose roast.

25. Pike perch with chanterelles

Pike-perch is a fish that has traditionally been fished in many parts of Sweden. The fish can be served in many different ways, but tastes very good with chanterelles, for example.

More Swedish food and more traditional dishes

There are of course even more typical Swedish food and traditional Swedish dishes. Some more dishes we've talked about are: dill meat, meatloaf, sausage stroganoff, prince sausage, seaman's steak, shoemaker's box, lapskojs, meat soup, cabbage pudding, kidney, liver, salmon pudding, smoked mackerel, smoked perch, sotare (small whole herrings fried hard in a dry pan), meadow food and lutefisk.

Swedish food on holidays

What do we eat during our holidays? Perhaps this is when we eat more traditional Swedish food than ever! During Christmas, Easter and Midsummer, we eat smörgåsbord, which is truly a national tradition. The content differs slightly between the holidays, but much is the same:

• Pickled herring, herring salad, anchovies and herring
• Grilled, smoked and pickled salmon
• Jansson's temptation
• Egg halves
• Christmas ham, meatballs, prince sausage and ribs
• Pâté and liver paste
• Beetroot salad, potato, red cabbage and Brussels sprouts
• Wheat bread and cheese
• Lutefisk
• Rice pudding and rice á la Malta
• Christmas must or Easter must

Another important Swedish holiday is the crayfish feast in August, when we mainly feast on crayfish, but may also eat bread, cheese, Västerbotten cheese pie or prawns.

Swedish food: desserts

Of course, we also have many traditional desserts in Sweden. We've read about kalvdans, which is a dessert made from colostrum from the cow after calving. We have grown up with desserts such as pancakes, waffles with jam and cream, chocolate pudding, rosehip soup (perhaps with almond biscuits), rhubarb cream, apple cream and pickled pears or peaches with milk or ice cream. Or maybe a strawberry cake for a party!

Swedish food: pastries

What about Swedish pastries? Well, there are traditions here too. We're thinking of things like cinnamon buns and gingerbread, lice cats, semolina and small scale.

Swedish food - regional dishes

Here we present Swedish food in the form of regional dishes from all 25 regions in Sweden. Each region has more than one dish.

• Lapland: Oven-roasted grouse breasts with blackcurrant sauce, celery puree and small jacket potatoes; Souvas Pirko or Reindeer leg stew with spicy cloudberries.
• Norrbotten: Cooked rimmed elk brisket with horseradish sauce and pressed cucumber; Pitepalt or Drift on a frozen river.
• Västerbotten: Älgwallenbergare with Västerbotten potato cake and pickled chanterelles; Västerbotten pie or Paltmuffins with luxurious accompaniments.
• Jämtland: Bouillabaisse of char with fermented root vegetables, served with goat's cheese filo pastry in a thin bread bowl; roast moose with morels; Jämtland game goulash or moose stew.
• Ångermanland: Herb-marinated Skeppsmalen salmon with incomparable fruit sauce; Surströmmingsklämma or Laxlåda with surströmming.
• Medelpad: Saddle of hare with potatoes and Karl Johan's mushroom puree; raw porstranberries and juniper sauce or Tjälknöl, hare steaks with mushroom sauce.
• Härjedalen: Oven-baked herb-filled Arctic char with porridge and ragout of top morels, asparagus and black root; Char with porridge Almond potato waffle with whitefish salad or Fried char.
• Hälsingland: Elk mince pies with pear porridge, pork, barley grits with root vegetables; Hälsingland cheesecake or Hälsingland hamboni.
• Gästrikland: Mustard gratinated herring, semolina cake, thin bread tips with lingonberry chutney; Sotare with new potatoes or Forest herring with potato puree.
• Dalarna: Moose steaks with herb stewed turnip, lingonberries and chanterelles on a stump plate; raw shrimps with pork or Dala fillet with apple port wine sauce.
• Värmland: Baked moose steak with chanterelles and potato cake; Nävgröt with pork and lingonberries or Skrädmjölsraggmunk with moose pudding.
• Uppland: Uppländsk husmanskost; Steam boat steak or mälargös with broad beans and Upplandskrubbskrisp.
• Västmanland: Lightly grilled fillet of pike-perch on forest mushrooms and cucumber tagliatelle with horseradish crème fraîche; tomato vinaigrette or deer knuckle with potato gratin à la bredsjö.
• Närke: Cajsa Warg's Hjälmargös with funnel chanterelles, bacon and chive sauce; Cobbler's box or Great Power box.
• Södermanland: Fried bitter orange- and carnation-pickled herring with cumin-spiced crispbread; Sorunda cake or Whole roasted ostrich steak with root vegetables Barley grits with roast pork and lingonberry jam. 
• Dalsland: Pike steaks with herb cream sauce; carrot soup with salmon skewers or apple cake from Åmål.
• Östergötland: Raggmunk with lingonberries; Östgötsk green pea soup with nettle bread or Salmon dolphins with pea vinaigrette.
• Västergötland: Pork sausage with stewed beans; Pork fillet with chanterelle and mushrooms kohlrabi sauce or Moose fillet with cinnamon and blackcurrant sauce and root vegetable cake.
• Bohuslän: Mackerel soup; egg cheese or seared mackerel with nettle sauce.
• Gotland: Marinated lamb roast with seasonal vegetables; Saffron pancake or Chilli saffron pancake with springy primrose. 
• Öland: Salmon body cakes with dill cream; Öland body cakes or Baked pumpkin with pistachio vinaigrette, sheep's wool and goat's cheese.
• Småland: Cheese gratinated pike-perch fillet with mashed potatoes; Småländsk cheesecake or Honey-glazed wild boar steak, Isterband. Cheesecake.
• Blekinge: Eel soup; seafood steak or mustard-marinated herring with potato salad.
• Halland: Cheddar-baked Halmstad salmon with peppery root vegetables and dill sauce; long cabbage with ham or salmon-wrapped cod loin with kale stew.
• Skåne: Brännesnuda; Egg cake or Slow cooked pork belly with carrot puree.

More Swedish food and dishes - what are your experiences?

What are your experiences with Swedish food? Do you like home cooking? Do you have any favourites? Or maybe you can tell us about some classics that we missed?

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