For me food is one of the most enjoyable things in my life, especially new foods from different cultures. First thing I was thinking of when I arrived at Linkoping was searching for local restaurants that make Swedish food. But the only answer I got when asking the other international students that were here for more than a year, they just recommended Meatballs dish from IKEA which was disputing for me not to know that there are alot of other swedish foods here. Some months later, I had a chance to meet old swedish people and ask them about their original dishes, surprisingly, I figured out more than 10 swedish original dishes and later then I had the chance to taste them. Here are some of my favorite swedish foods:-
- Toast skagen:-
First time I tasted the Toast skagen was in a sittning and I was sitting beside a Swedish friend who told me the story of the dish. Toast skagen is one of the best shrimp toast in the world. It was named after a fishing port town on Denmark’s northernmost tip. Tore Wretman, a popular Swedish chef who embraced Swedish culinary traditions in the decades following World War II by creating this dish. It mainly consists of fried bread as a base and on the top there are shrimps, some vendace roe, mayonnaise, dill and vegetable oil.
- Ostkaka
This is my second favorite dish, which is a cheesecake, not as the regular cheesecake that we know but it is translated the same as ost means “cheese” and kaka means”cake” in Swedish. Despite the literal translation, ostkaka is not to be confused with cheesecake. To avoid confusion, Swedes usually refer to the latter by its English name, though it is sometimes referred to as “American cheesecake” as well. Even so, Scandinavian restaurant menus occasionally mix the two. Meanly this dish is a Swedish dessert with roots in two different parts of Sweden, Hälsingland and Smland, though there are some differences between ostkaka from Hälsingland, which has a texture similar to halloumi and the soft-grained ostkaka from Smland. The dish is typically served lukewarm with a jam or cordial sauce, most commonly cloudberry, cherries, raspberry, or strawberry, though lingonberry is not uncommon; as well as fruits, cream, or, less frequently, ice cream.
- Köttbullar (Meatballs)
The very popular Swedish dish. The first time I tried this dish was at Ikea in Egypt. It was good actually and it became better actually when I tried it here in its hometown. The traditional Swedish meatballs, are served with gravy, boiled potatoes, and lingonberry jam. The dish is made with ground beef or pork, onions, eggs, spices, and milk-soaked breadcrumbs. However, the iconic meal sparked controversy following a 2018 tweet from Sweden’s official Twitter account. It claimed that the Swedish meatballs are based on a Turkish recipe brought home by King Charles XII in the early 18th century.
After his defeat by Russian forces, King Charles XII spent several years in Bendery, Moldova. During that time, the country was ruled by Turkey, and Charles XII developed a taste for Ottoman cuisine.When he returned to Sweden in 1714, he brought coffee beans as well as recipes for köfte (meatballs) and kldolmar (stuffed cabbages). The recipe for Swedish meatballs first appeared in Cajsa Warg’s cookbook decades later. According to sources, she worked for a family close to Charles XII. Her cookbook also included a recipe for kldolmar.cream or, less frequently, ice cream.
- Smörgåstårta
Almost every christmas dinner you will find this dish.Smörgstrta is served cold and cut in the shape of a dessert cake. Sandwich cakes come in a variety of flavors, including meat, fish, cheese and meat combinations, and vegan options. The top garnish frequently reflects the filling ingredients. As early as 1947, food writer Jochum described how to make a sandwich cake known as the Jönköping cake. The cake is made of three layers of bread with fillings such as butter and liver pie filling and raw minced meat filling, and it is finished with eggs, boiled carrots, parsley, cucumber slices, or smoked salmon. A smörgstrta is typically composed of several layers of white or light rye bread with creamy fillings sandwiched in between.The fillings and toppings vary, but often include one or more of the following: liver pâté, olives, shrimp, ham, various cold cuts, caviar, tomato, cucumber, grapes, lemon slices, cheese, and smoked salmon.
In Finland also, it is a traditional dish served at family gatherings such as birthdays, weddings, and funerals.
