Svensk Mat From an American Perspective

Or Swedish food for the uninitiated. If I asked you what kind of food Swedish people eat, without any real prompting, my bet is that most of you would say..."meatballs". Another portion of you would say pancakes...and hopefully a very small number would say massage or memory foam. The facts are most people are not familiar with the cuisine of Sweden. This presents a more difficult question of why more is not known, when the cuisine of other culture (China, France, Thailand, etc) are at least in our perception known. If we looked closer we would probably see that there is little actually known about these cultures cuisines as well. We might have an idea about what they eat, but it is probably way off.

The food in Sweden is, as in most places in the world, very closely tied to the history of the culture and the land it developed in. Much of what the swedish people see as "traditional" swedish dishes have their roots in the diets of the commoners. Foods are usually made up of the less expensive cuts of meat, easily grown vegetables and fruits and breads that can be easily made and can usually last for several days with out external preservation.

Meatballs, made from the less expensive cuts of meat, usually tougher cuts, or older meats. These cuts can be tenderized during the grinding process and flavored with spices to mask the trace of rancidness. They can also be cooked over any heat source with minimal equipment needed.

Pancakes are similar in that their main components are relatively inexpensive, abundant and can be easily prepared in large numbers.

The problem I have with Swedish Pancakes, is that I don't like sweets. Lingon Berries, sugar and other sweet things are often applied to the pancakes. It is true that with out other flavors these could be considered some what bland. So what can I do? Its called Cultural Adaptation...I event what I call the Swedish Burrito. A swedish pancake filled with what ever I can find in the fridge...Cheese, various sausages, leftover fish, fish balls, potatoes...I then wrap it like a burrito and dig in. My mother-in-law often wonders what I'm doing, but I guess as long as I'm eating its ok.

So these are the things you know...now lets talk about the things we don't know about.

Fiskbullar

Not what you might think. These are like meat balls made up of various fish types and parts. Compressed and rolled in to balls. They are then boiled and served with potatoes and lingon berries or gravy. The potatoes are always peeled (no one eats potato peels in sweden). At one time fish balls were made by hand, now they come in little cans. I guess it is a lost "art." They are actually pretty good...texture wise, different but their flavor is mild. And if you tell the kids they are chicken they will eat them with little fuss.

Salty Licorice

GROSS! If death has a flavor, my bet is it probably is something like this. I shouldn't say that because it is one of the most loved "candies" in most of scandinavia and a very important tradition. Why come up with this? Who in their right mind would say "Hey, lets take something that does not taste good and mix it with a flavor that it shouldn't be mixed with. That sounds like a great idea." As with other things we need to consider why this would be so. It is well known that licorice has many health benefits, and had been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for hundreds of years. It has anti-bacterial properties and is a great source of vitamin C. Ok so why salt it, no one that I've have talked to could answer this for sure. Although it is called "Salty Licorice" it is not salt (sodium chloride) we have on the table it is actually ammonium chloride. Having similar properties to table salt, ammonium chloride how much of history was less expensive and easier to access. For much of recorded history salt has been highly valued and was the motivation for wars in the past. Both these compounds can be used as preservatives, preventing fungal and bacterial growth. It is known that people used the root of the licorice plant Glycyrrhiza glabra for its medicinal purposes all over the European and Asian continents. However, it only grows naturally in Southern Europe and Asia. When consumed in these places it is not salted or preserved. When it is transported to Northern Europe, preservation was required. Once it arrives and is consumed, the flavors of licorice and salt become tied together, and eventually transition from just the medical to a favorite treat.

Smörgås Tårta (Sandwich Cake)

Now here's one that I tried for the first time this past week. Sandwich cake is exactly what it sounds like. Picture about twenty three layer sandwiches organized in the shape of a cake. My understanding is that these sandwiches can be filled with just about anything. The one I had was mostly shrimp, tuna, boiled eggs and smoked salmon. It also had cucumber, tomatoes, lemon slices and caviar. The whip cream is mixed with mayonnaise, dill and caviar. It was good, however, it was so incredibly rich and filling. I could hardly finish the piece I had. Sandwich cake is a common party food. A bunch of people came over and all ate their fill. At the end there was still a lot of food left over. I'm not sure if Sandwich cake is traditional or more modern, but I do know that it is not stranger than cake pops.

Half-Special

I'm not sure if there is a full special, but the half special is indeed as special as food gets. Imaging a banana split...now replaces the banana with a hotdog and the ice cream with mashed potatoes. Now cover it with thousand island dressing instead of chocolate sauce and put it all in a bun. This was actually the first swedish food I ate the first time I came to sweden. There is an oddness to this dish and I'm not sure what it is...this just in a whole special is two hotdogs.

Swedish Pizza and Hamburgers

Ok so how much can you do to pizza and hamburgers to make them culturally unique. As far as the pizza goes, there is something different about swedish pizza and I'm not sure what it is. The crust is thin but soft, there is tomato sauce and cheese. I believe it is in the toppings that the major differences appear. My favorite is the khibab pizza, this is the basic pizza with thinly sliced lamb meat, sometimes goat cheese and a fair amount of horse radish sauce. My wife usually orders the Hawaiian pizza, the pineapple are in large chunks and the ham is sliced into small thin slices. Not at all what I would normally see on a "hawaiian" pizza. Its kind of funny that you can come to Sweden and still get a pizza named after hawaii.

Hamburgers again are virtually the same, but they taste different than any other burger in the US. The meat is different and I'm not sure why. But there is something unique about them. The biggest difference is that some people here eat their burgers with a knife and fork...not the strangest thing, but it does change the image of the burger.

Chocolate balls

A mix of coco powder, oatmeal, butter, sugar and usually a small amount of coffee. Not my thing, way too sweat, but the kids really enjoy them. Most of the fun is in the process of making them. It is a really communal process, with everyone working toward a common end. This dish does not require cooking and can be completed in a matter of minutes.

The cuisine of sweden is rich with uniqueness and tradition. It serves the dual purpose of feeding people and experience the culture. Food is a huge part of our lives and when we eat what others eat and with them we get to experience something very special.