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November 23, 2011 | 8 Comments

Älg gryta (moose stew)

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 […]

November 22, 2011 | 15 Comments

Pea soup Thursdays – Ärtsoppa

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.

November 18, 2011 | 6 Comments

Äggakaka

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

November 17, 2011 | 6 Comments

Eat your beets – Biff à la Lindström

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.

November 13, 2011 | 2 Comments

Fars dag (Father’s Day)

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.

November 11, 2011 | 5 Comments

Havtorn jam take 2

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 […]

November 4, 2011 | 6 Comments

Alla helgons dag (All Saints’ Day)

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.

October 31, 2011 | 11 Comments

Halloween in Sweden

What is Halloween like in Sweden? It was basically imported from the U.S. and started to catch on during the 1990s.

October 30, 2011 | 6 Comments

A visit to Vejby Vingård (a Swedish winery)

I recently wrote an article for http://www.thelocal.se (the Swedish news in English) about the developing Swedish wine industry. Before stumbling upon a bottle of Swedish rosé this summer at the local systembolaget (the government controlled liquor store) it hadn’t even occurred to me that Swedish vineyards exist.