If you have ever grabbed some lunch at a certain furniture store, you may think that you have a good idea of what Swedish cuisine is all about. However, this Scandinavian country is at the forefront of modern European cooking and so can offer much more than the food warring families use to make peace as they take a break from rowing over which wardrobe to buy.
Here are five great dishes to try when you take a trip to Sweden.
Raggmunk Med Fläsk
Raggmunk are fried potato cakes that are similar to latke. They are flavoured with onions and garlic and make the perfect accompaniment to a meal of meat and veg. The most popular dish that includes these crispy delights is raggmunk med fläsk– simply, potato cakes with pork. This is commonly served with something that you will become very familiar with during your time in Sweden, lingonberries.
Sill
Being a nation that includes a number of islands and which has a length coastline, it’s no surprise that the Swedes can do marvellous things in the kitchen with the treasures they secure from the sea. Sill, meaning herring, is just one of these and is something you are likely to see on the menu in many different restaurants. Sill can be served in a variety of different ways including being pickled, cured and cooked with dill and it is usually accompanied by new potatoes and some traditional Swedish bread.
Kroppkakor
If we told you that kroppkakor can be translated to mean ‘body cookies’ you probably wouldn’t be rushing to order them during your Stockholm city break. However, the food itself is a lot more delicious than its name suggests. These are potato dumplings that are filled with cured meat (usually pork or bacon) along with onions and spices. They are then cooked in clarified butter and served with everyone’s favourite Swedish condiment, lingonberries.
Kålpudding
It may sound like a dessert but kålpudding is more of a lasagne than something sweet that you can finish your meal with. It’s a pudding in the way that steak and kidney pudding is a pudding and is a hearty dish that represents traditional, homemade Swedish food. Minced meat, onions and herbs form the base and then shredded cabbage is placed on top like you would do with potato when making a cottage pie. A similar dish goes by the name of kåldolmar and involves wrapping the minced meat in cabbage leaves to make little parcels.
Prinsesstarta
This is one for those with a sweet tooth, although it is not as sickly as it looks or sounds. As you may be able to work out, prinsesstarta means ‘princess cake’ in English and certainly looks like something fit for royalty. On first inspection, this dessert seems like your everyday Victoria sandwich (if you ignore the green marzipan on the top that is). However, above the layers of super-light sponge and oozing jam, there is a thick layer of pastry cream that is as light as a feather. Sometimes it is served as a slice of a larger cake but you may also see mini versions that look a bit like marshmallow teacakes.
Bonus: Cloudberries
These juicy little bundles of joy are highly prized in Sweden and are, therefore, mainly used when cooking for a special occasion. They look and taste unlike any other berry but are the perfect topping to a decadent dessert. They can be made into sauces, jams, soufflés, liqueurs and even savoury dishes.
If you would like to try any of these culinary delights, we have many ways in which you can explore Sweden. Contact us today about our Stockholm, Malmo or Gothenburg city breaks.
