If you travel to Sweden you probably want to try some of the traditional Swedish food and there are a lot of flavourful choices. Any foodie will love Sweden’s simple food scene. With a minimum of spices and fresh produce, there are a whole lot of flavours coming to life in their hearty dishes that have fed the country for centuries.
Swedish food is traditionally based on meat or seafood, supplemented with local ingredients which are loved by so many. Most traditional food is still a central part of Swedish cuisine, although people now change things up a bit and add more modern ingredients and spices. Swedish desserts usually include fruits and berries that are found in the forest or in people’s gardens.
Here are some of the must-try Swedish dishes and desserts that should be easy to find when you travel in the country. Most of these treats are easy to encounter in any restaurant or cafe around Sweden, although some are seasonal.
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1. Meatballs with potatoes and lingonberry sauce
Truly a traditional Swedish dish is meatballs with potatoes (mashed or boiled) and lingonberry jam. It is said that if you travel to Sweden without trying this typical dish, you have not been to Sweden. It's also a staple dish at IKEA cafeterias around the world.
As with most Swedish dishes, the recipe is simple. Minced beef or pork is mixed with chopped onion, eggs, milk, moist breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper.
The meatballs are then fried in butter (which is Scandinavia’s answer to the Mediterranean’s olive oil) and served with a brown cream sauce on top and mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam on the side. Do not get surprised if the lingonberry jam is homemade too.
These delectable meatballs are often served on special holidays like Christmas and Easter, but are also popular weeknight dinners in homes all over Sweden.
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6. Räkmacka (shrimp sandwich)
Seafood is an important part of Swedish food history, especially on the west coast where fishing was the main occupation for centuries. And the Swedes love their seafood.
One of the most traditional foods in Sweden is the simple yet mouthwatering räkmakka, (aka shrimp sandwich). It is an open-faced sandwich (which is very typical in Sweden) generally topped with mayonnaise, lettuce, egg, and an abundance of shrimp, sprinkled with dill.
This is a typical food you can find at cafeterias and coffee shops around the country and is usually served for lunch or as an appetizer. It can typically be seen at catering lunches for different events too, as it is easy, delightful, and light.
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7. Smörgåstårta (Swedish sandwich cake)
The Swedish Sandwich Cake, locally known as Smörgåstårta, is taking the sandwich to a whole new level.
It is basically sandwich bread laid down next to each other in layers with pretty much anything you can think of between the layers. Think mayonnaise, seafood, egg, meat, and vegetables.
The sandwich is then elegantly decorated with fresh ingredients on top. The traditional seafood sandwich cake consists of shrimp and salmon and the traditional meat sandwich cake is filled with roast beef, ham, and cheese.
However, these days, you can get any type of sandwich cake and it is common to serve at special events and celebrations where many people share food, like weddings and anniversaries.
