World Cuisine - Sweden

It is almost the end of summer in the northern hemisphere, and feels a bit melancholy as children start preparing for school, and we feel the change in the smell of the air. We also enter the season of lingonberries in Sweden. I really appreciate the Swedish culture of Allemansrätten, the right of public access – gives everyone the right to enjoy Sweden’s outdoors. It allows the public to roam freely, even on private land, to camp overnight and to pick mushrooms and berries.  you can read more about it in this article. Anyone can come home with a basket full of lingonberries and use them on… well, anything! In the article above, you can see that lingonberry sauce is a little bit like ketchup in the US, slightly sweet and tart, and goes with everything. The famous dish of “Swedish meatball” is often served with a cream sauce accompanied by lingonberry sauce, boiled potatoes and a side of hard-boiled egg. It can also be accompanied with any fish dish, great with salmon, or on Swedish pancakes. In my mind, it is a bit different from fruit jam.

The recipe for lingonberry sauce is quite simple, just wash the berries, drain them, cook on medium heat, add sugar, mix and pronto! Each family will have their preference of sweet/tart balance.

How about Swedish meatballs though? What makes them Swedish, and what is in the cream sauce? Well, here is an excellent recipe to try making them at home, instead of stopping by at the IKEA dining area…

Enjoy the last bit of summer, and get ready to welcome the crisp autumn weather with grace and a smile!