semiswede

Today is the winter solstice. The day of the year with the least amount of daylight hours. With an impressive north to south distance this day in Sweden means a range of no daylight in the northernmost reaches of the country to 7 hours of daylight at the southernmost point. 

As promised, this is a quick follow-up to my Lucia and lussekatter post. In my efforts to provide a great recipe for Lucia buns that are common for the Lucia celebration on December 13th in Sweden, I tried two different recipes. The results left me with around 55 good-sized sweet saffron buns for a family […]

Filled with candlelight, white robes, singing, and saffron buns, Lucia in Sweden has evolved into a unique tradition that is observed throughout the country on December 13th. Although it isn’t an official holiday, Lucia celebrations are prominent from schools to universities and small towns to big cities. The origins and history of Lucia are quite […]

One of the things I really enjoy about Sweden is the access to wild meats. Moose, wild boar, reindeer, and venison are readily available in supermarkets. The cost is generally comparable to beef and you can get wild meats ground or in the form of roasts. I don’t have a lot of experience with wild […]

Pea soup on Thursday has been a tradition in Sweden since the Middle Ages. It stems from the Friday fasting historically observed by the Roman Catholic church as a reminder of Jesus’ suffering and death on Good Friday. Thursdays had a somewhat festive aura and peas were considered a luxury item. 

Äggakaka is a dish I would normally associate with breakfast or brunch, but it’s considered lunch or even dinner fare in Sweden. 

Your eyes are not deceiving you. Those are indeed some very rosy beef patties. Why? Because they’re mixed with chopped pickled beets. Not a beet lover? Perhaps it doesn’t matter. My kids have detested beets before now and they gobbled this up.

Imported from the U.S. where it originated in 1910, Father’s Day came to Scandinavian countries in 1931. It brings a bit more life to the darkness of fall and is celebrated on the second Sunday in November. It’s also a chance to boost sales before the Christmas rush begins.

In early September I made a post about my first experience with foraging havtorn (sea buckthorn) and I was determined to make it back for a second picking before the season was over. At the end of September, after a an intense couple of hours of foraging on the second go-round, I stopped in at our little neighborhood market to […]

Alla helgons dag in Sweden is a solemn day of remembrance when lighted candles are placed in cemeteries to remember friends and loved ones who have passed away. In my search for information about the day I found many online sources that referred to it as Sweden’s Halloween. From my perspective it is anything but.