Ris à la Malta—rice pudding with orange

Ris à la Malta—rice pudding with orange

Ris à la Malta turns out to be another dish with an “either this, either that”-origin. But before we get into that, the fact is that this dish conveniently solves a potential dilemma. If you’re making copious amounts of rice porridge for Christmas,...
Swedish Christmas toffees—knäck

Swedish Christmas toffees—knäck

Browsing through old cookbooks can be an amusing pastime. Giggling at how offal pudding is on the page next to sweet apple pudding. Pondering recommendations for how to cook badger properly. Nodding at a children’s cookbook’s instructions for making toffee...
Swedish beetroot salad (perfect for smörgåsbord)

Swedish beetroot salad (perfect for smörgåsbord)

Beetroot salad is my personal favorite on the Christmas smörgåsbord. It might be an irrational choice—here are all these delicacies, and I go for a weird pickle side dish? I don’t know if it is the stunning ruby color, the sweet yet slightly acidic taste, or the...
Gravlax — Swedish cured salmon with dill

Gravlax — Swedish cured salmon with dill

Swedes enjoy gravlax as an essential part of the festive Swedish smörgåsbord, such as Christmas, served with a sweet and strong mustard sauce. Although the cured fish mostly is eaten cold, you can enjoy it around the year. You can also serve it with potatoes as a...
Soft and spicy Swedish gingerbread cake

Soft and spicy Swedish gingerbread cake

Swedish gingerbread cake, or mjuk pepparkaka, is popular, especially around Christmas. But historically, it seems to have been eaten all around the year, as ads in Svenska Dagbladet in 1939 show by recommending it for the Easter coffee parties. The origins of...
Saffron pancake from Gotland

Saffron pancake from Gotland

Saffranspannkaka, or saffron pancake, is a delicacy most strongly associated with the Swedish island Gotland. The history of saffron pancake I’ll have to find more sources on Gotland’s saffron pancake, but let’s start with what we’ve got so...