Sweden: Popular Food Recipes and Culinary Culture

Swedish food tends to be hearty, practical and sustaining.  Due to the country’s varied geography, the cuisine varies from region to region.

The north is famous for meat dishes such as reindeer and other game dishes which stem from the Sami people, while the warmer South is more vegetable-oriented. The Swedes have been open to foreign influences, ranging from French cuisine during the 17th and 18th century, to Mediterranean cuisine, to Sushi and Paella.

Traditional Swedish cuisine is generally speaking rather simple. Swedish husmanskost denotes traditional Swedish dishes with mostly local and economic ingredients, that is, good old everyday food. The word husmanskost stems from husman, meaning house owner without associated land. Back then, husmanskost was used for most kinds of simple food eaten at the countryside. Today the plain and simple husmanskost has undergone a renaissance in Sweden. Old recipes have been revived to reduce the amount of fat, some new ingredients have been introduced, and cooking methods have speeded up.

Sweden’s most famous culinary invention is most likely the smörgåsbord, an abundant buffet meal set that includes several hot and cold dishes. Portions are rather small and are eaten one after the other. Smörgåsbord literally means "sandwich table" or "bread and butter table". A traditional smörgåsbord contains a variety of fish dishes (salmon, herring, eel, etc.), eggs, bread, cheese, salads, boiled and fried potatoes, pickled vegetables, sausages and Kottbular Swedish meatballs.

Gravad Lax is a true Swedish specialty. It is a dish consisting of fresh raw salmon pickled with sugar, salt and dill, and should preferably be served with a mustard sauce. Gravad Lax is usually served as an appetizer, but it also makes a great main course. 

Soups are very common in Sweden. One of the most traditional Swedish soups is ärtsoppa. Ärtsoppa is Swedish and means “pea soup”. The dish is traditionally eaten on a Thursday, because this used to be the day servants would only work half day and soup was easy to prepare in advance. Ärtsoppa is made from boiled yellow peas, pork, a little onion and salt, and is usually served with a little mustard on the side. This is often followed by thin pancakes called Pannkakor.  

Another very Swedish dish is Falukorv, a big and thick sausage, originating from Falun, Dalarna. Its history dates back to the copper mine of Falun during the 16th and 17th centuries, where ox hide was used for leather ropes, and some of the meat was turned into Falukorv sausages. Today Falukorv is made of a grated mixture of pork and beef or veal with potato flour and mild spices. The dish is often served together with potatoes or pasta. 

As for alcoholic drinks, you can have Akvait, also called Aqua vitae, Scandinavian vodka or schnapps, a popular alcoholic beverage in Sweden. Another famous Swedish drink that has also become a worldwide success is Absolut Vodka. The typical Swedish beer is a lager beer of a bright and bitter kind (e.g. Pripps Blå or Norrlands Guld).