As a Scandinavian country with four distinct seasons, Sweden’s food culture has been shaped by its climate. The frost free season – between May and August – was historically geared towards producing what could be stored through the winter months. However, southern regions enjoy twice as long a season due to milder temperatures.
Historic culinary methods with lasting appeal
Food preservation was practiced in Sweden as early as the Viking times. Richer households used methods such as salting and smoking, while the less wealthy would typically opt to dry, ferment or pickle their fish and produce. Pickled and fermented foods remain a part of the Swedish diet even to this day, and popular variants are cucumber, cabbage and other vegetables and root vegetables. The pickled herring ('sill') is a staple for the national holidays of Easter, Midsummer and Christmas.
Porridge and bread have also been staples for over a millennium. The population relied on water mills, whose wheels only turned twice a year, and the bread therefore had to last for a long period of time. Hence the rise of crisp bread ('knäckebröd') that could be stored until the next production. In the south, where windmills were used, baking was done more frequently, giving southerners access to softer bread.
Protein sources of yesteryear were milk, cheese, pork, fish and game such as elk. Reindeer meat was, and still is, mostly eaten in northern Sweden as part of the Sámi culinary tradition.
The main vegetables grown in the past were onions, turnips and swedes ('rutabaga') – root vegetables grew well in the Swedish climate and were also key due to their keeping for a long time. Around 1720, the potato entered the Swedish culinary scene, gradually replacing the root vegetable as the most important base produce. It has remained an important part of the Swedish diet, often eaten boiled or mashed. The arrival of new potatoes ('färskpotatis') is the start of summer in Sweden.
Still a part of the Swedish food culture is 'husmanskost' – perhaps best translated to comfort food, i.e. hearty meals often consisting of meat, potato and a serving of boiled vegetables. Some examples of these classic Swedish foods are: 'isterband' (smoked pork sausages served with creamed dill potatoes), 'rotmos och fläsk' (root vegetable mash and pork sausage) and 'ärtsoppa' (Swedish yellow pea soup, usually accompanied by pancakes), a tradition dating back to the 18th century.
