Meatballs – And other Swedish foods you Might need to try

I’ve touched on the topic earlier and since I’ve gotten some feedback on that, asking for more details, here are some traditional Swedish food that we eat. First and foremost, some of these foods are generally eaten around various holidays such as Christmas, Midsummer, or Easter.

Meatballs (Köttbullar): These are small, round, and juicy meatballs made from ground beef and pork, mixed with breadcrumbs, milk, and spices. They are often served with lingonberry jam, cream sauce, and boiled potatoes. Have you ever eaten at an IKEA, you’ve probably seen this on the menu, but with mashed potatoes instead of boiled.

Pickled herring (Inlagd sill): This is a popular dish in Sweden, usually served as an appetizer. The herring is marinated in vinegar, sugar, and spices, and served with sour cream, chopped onions, and boiled potatoes. In modern times, the herring has evolved into a large industry with many different flavors and typically there are two or three new flavors released each year, as a one-year seasonal flavor.

Cured salmon (Gravlax): This is a type of cured salmon, typically served as an appetizer. The salmon is salted, sugared, and flavored with dill, then left to cure for a few days. It is served with mustard sauce, dill potatoes, and crisp bread.

Raggmunk: This is a type of potato pancake made from grated potatoes, flour, and milk, and often served with fried pork belly and lingonberry jam.

Pea soup (Ärtsoppa): This is a yellow pea soup made with pork and flavored with thyme, mustard, and marjoram. It is often served as a starter and traditionally followed by pancakes with whipped cream and strawberry or raspberry jam. For some reason, most people eat this mostly on Thursdays.

Princess cake (Prinsesstårta): This is a classic Swedish layer cake made with sponge cake, raspberry jam, vanilla cream, and whipped cream. It is topped with a layer of green marzipan and a pink rose.

Fermented herring (Surströmming): I can’t write up a list like this without mentioning surströmming. This is a traditional Swedish dish made from fermented Baltic Sea herring. The herring is caught in the spring, gutted, and then salted before being left to ferment in barrels for several months. The fermentation process causes the fish to release a strong, pungent odor, earning surströmming the reputation of being one of the smelliest foods in the world.

Surströmming is typically eaten by Swedes as a sandwich on thin bread, or with potatoes, onions, and sour cream. Because of its strong odor, it is usually eaten outdoors to avoid contaminating indoor spaces with the smell. It is considered a delicacy by some, but others find its intense smell and flavor too overwhelming. Watching people trying to eat this for the first time, is usually an event by itself. 🙂

Smörgåsbord/Julbord: This is a Swedish buffet-style meal that features a variety of cold and warm dishes, such as pickled herring, smoked and/or cured salmon, boiled eggs, meatballs, cheeses, bread, and butter. For Christmas, we usually add a variation of ham as well. It is not uncommon that there are more than 20 different dishes on a Smörgåsbord or Julbord. For an extensive list of what can be found on a Swedish Julbord click here

Sweden has a rich culinary history and many more delicious dishes to offer.