Saffron cake—not just for Saint Lucia’s day
One of the favorite topics for rants in Sweden nowadays seems to be the Swedish postal system. Not without cause, but that kind of complaint is far from new. In 1918, a reader writes to newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, complaining about thefts in the postal system. The...
Swedish saffron buns for St Lucy’s Day
What’s the best way to lure in new visitors? With saffron buns, of course. Or, lussekatter, as we often call them in Sweden. At least, that’s the trick that Skansen pulled when it wanted to establish its new Christmas market in 1906. You see, the...
Risgrynsgröt—Swedish Christmas rice porridge
Even though Sweden wasn’t directly involved in the World Wars, the country still saw times of strict rations and restrictions on food. In newspapers from the Christmas of 1917, you can find suggestions for diluting sausages with cheaper ingredients and gathering...
Klenäter—Swedish deep-fried Christmas pastries
Klenäter are Swedish deep-fried Christmas pastries. To be honest, they’ve never been part of my Christmas tradition. Maybe that is because they are from another time—my father recalls them being considered old-fashioned when he was a boy. The slightly dry...
Swedish curd cake from Småland
As far as I know, Swedish curd cake comes in two versions. This one, from Småland in the south of Sweden, is the most widely known. The history of Swedish curd cake, or ostkaka Food historian Jan-Öjvind Swahn doesn’t have much to say on the topic of ostkaka,...
Hej och välkommen!
My name is Isabelle. Here at Swedish Spoon, you’ll find Swedish food history, tried-and-tested recipes, and a lot of obsessing over great butter. You can also expect some travel tips.