Once again, we’ve pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps and loosened our belts in order to get the job done. What is the first thing you think of when you think of Sweden? (Besides Pippi Longstocking, Greta Garbo, and IKEA – as always, when we don’t specify, we mean food!) That’s right: the smörgåsbord. We have helped ourselves liberally to the offerings so that we can provide a full stuffed report. Here’s what we’ve learned:
Contents of a Typical Smörgåsbord
The traditional smörgåsbord (=smeared-butter-table; it sounds better in Swedish) is a table laden with dishes both hot and cold, from which guests help themselves. It typically includes open-faced buttered sandwiches, except at super-classy restaurants. Toppings vary, but include vegetables (cucumber, tomato, sprouts), boiled eggs, meats, cheeses, and fish, in a plethora of permutations. SOS is a very common combination, but not the one you may know from the U.S. Army (this one is smör, ost and sill = butter, cheese, and herring). The herrings come in many sauces: mustard, dill, cream, horseradish, chive, berry, etc. We like ’em all. The fishes are often smoked: salmon, of course, but also mackerel and whitefish.
Lavish spreads have salads of all kinds, including seafood and fish, and lots of pickles. There are also hot dishes. Because we’re in Sweden, that means potatoes, meatballs, and some form of pork, at a bare minimum, and at least one of these will be in cream and dill sauce. We just ate a great caramelized potatoes and herring dish which bears repeating. There is often a table with breads and cheeses. And there are usually desserts. Beware: sometimes these desserts have licorice in them. Fruit-based desserts also make an impressive showing (though there is not as much chocolate as we’d like).
One moves through the meal in several courses: first herring, then other fish, then salads and cold items, then hot items, then dessert. We have tried this and it’s not a bad way to go: it beats our usual buffet habit of piling things on plates willy-nilly. Aquavit, snaps, beer, wine, and fruit liqueurs are a regular accompaniment, sometimes different ones for different stages of the meal.
This is also our chance to tell you about the many and beautiful kinds of bread of Sweden, especially knäckebröd (cracking-bread). These might be the best part of Sweden – but we’ve only gotten halfway through the pastries, so we can’t be sure yet! You might know these as rectangular crackers, e.g. Wasa. But that is only one of the many sizes and shapes available. They’re rye-based, and our very favourites sport a hole in the middle; they traditionally hung on long rods above the stove. They last an awfully long time (when we’re not around, that is). Housewives baked them every six months or so. They are quite dry, sometimes with cracker-dust, and often contain seeds (chia, sesame, poppy – you name it, really). Yum!
History
Astonishingly, in the 16th century, the smörgåsbord used to be small appetisers before the main meal, served in elite homes. Then again, it appeared several hours before the main meal. So you could think of it as a separate meal entirely. Gradually, the smörgåsbord began to become even more elaborate. Eventually it took over the whole meal. It first came to the U.S. at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, and the idea of a ‘buffet’ meal quickly gained in popularity. America is a country that loves big eating, and freedom. And now, with or (usually) without proper accentuation, the word has become a collective noun denoting a wide selection of anything: a smörgåsbord of TV shows, or of airlines, or course offerings.
In sum: you should certainly try a smörgåsbord if you ever have the opportunity (they become even more elaborate during the month of December). Especially at a fancy restaurant. Even more so if you like fish. If you don’t, and are a meat-and-potatoes kind of person, you are all set for potatoes, and more or less also for meat. Vegetarians will find plenty to eat, but will not really get their money’s worth unless they eat their weight in cheese. Vegans, not so much.
By far the fanciest smörgåsbord we’ve eaten was at the Veranden restaurant in the Grand Hotel at Stockholm. Beautiful food, beautiful views. Do let us know if you’ve ever tried one of these gorgeous buffets, and what you thought!
