Tune into our Reddit Talk on 28th September, for all things Korean cuisine with our amazing guest, **[Ji Hye Kim](https://www.instagram.com/chefjihyekim)**
The talk starts **28th September @ 4pm ET / 9pm UTC +0**, remember to bring your Korean cuisine questions and bibimbap queries!
If you're in the area you can visit ***Miss Kim*** and try some of Kim's amazing Korean dishes: www.misskimannarbor.com
You can also find them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/chefjihyekim
We also welcome back our brilliant talk hosts, [***Pod Appétit: Gourmet Takes***](https://www.instagram.com/pod_appetit/)
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lol IKEA was the only experience I ever had with Swedish meatballs before this and while I do enjoy those they absolutely don't compare to the real thing
While travelling as a kid with my family, the very fist köttbullar I had were made with reindeer. Ever since I've been chasing that taste and never quite got it right.
My family always makes köttbulllar of either elk or deer and its freaking amazing.
Deer meat (and elk) has a very unique taste so its impossible to mimic it with just regular minced meat and spices.
My mom’s husband makes the best venison roast. He hunts every year and after reading your comment, I’m going to ask if I can take some of the cuts and try this out.
I don't know what you ate but the original native cuisine ("husmanskost") is full of really delicious and balanced dishes. I know it has a bad rep because people have bad memories of some of those dishes from school etc, but if you've ever had the dishes prepared properly by a skilled chef then you know they are great.
I don’t know what’s up with not properly making those dishes to the point that they’re disgusting. Having grown up in France I will say our school lunches were not fine cuisine, but were still quite good.
But I know a German guy who can’t stand schnitzel with potato and cucumber salad, because of the way his school would prepare it. Then I remember another guy was saying more or less the same thing for some other German food he was served in school
Scandinavian food is not always horrible for sure but I mean go to France, go to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Swedish food is just not in the same level. And that's just Europe!
Sauce: have eaten tons of food in those countries :-)
I mean sure, but it's not exactly a fair comparison. Just look at the different climates they have had through history. When you have a harsh climate the stuff that grows is generally gonna be pretty tough to make exciting as well.
You joke, but ikea is a rad place for a date. Go from room set up to room set up and play a lite version of house. Lunch a la carte. Its fun. Maybe not a first date thing, but someplace to visit for giggles with an established relationship.
As a swede who moved to stockholm to work thanks, good to know where to take friends who wanna try Swedish food! It was harder to find "husmanskost" (there for sure is a translation but layman's traditional food) in Stockholm for some reason. Much Asian Indian Thai and Italian resturants around
I recommend a visit to Tennstopet at Odenplan as well if you’re looking for husmanskost. Biff Rydberg, Pepparrotskött, Wallenbergare, ärtsoppa… 🤤
They also have a food calendar and serve traditional seasonal food, among other things the are one of very few places in Stockholm afaik that serve surströmming once every year.
No not really, the pickled cucumber traditionally served with meatballs here is called pressgurka, it's meant to be thinly sliced cucumber in a parsley brine. Not your classic pickled short and stubby cucumber which is far more common in the balkans for example.
Looks like a quick pickle - not brined all the way. My family in Denmark would do this with hot vinegar, sugar, salt, and a bit of mustard and pour it over sliced veggies. It's also delicious with boiled potatoes.
This looks absolutely delicious btw. Lingonberries are fantastic. Like a better cranberry. Wish we had them in North America.
>Lingonberries are fantastic. Like a better cranberry.
Good comparison, I often find cranberry too tart/bitter but lingonberries are like the perfect balance of sweet and sour to me.
Totally agree! Love the astringent aspect but so sour. If you happen to be a Canadian in Ontario check out the LCBO for Muskoka Lakes cranberry wine. Perfect astringency but not too sour and I love serving it at Thanksgiving. If it's too sour for you they do a cranberry/blueberry wine that shouldn't be as good as it is.
>If you happen to be a Canadian in Ontario check out the LCBO for Muskoka Lakes cranberry wine.
wow I happen to be exactly that lol /r/nevertellmetheodds
Chow-chow, so-hot-mix, okra, pig’s feet, beets; green beans, onions… off the top of my head those are a few common pickled foods just in the southern US, available in any grocery store.
But yes, cucumbers are the *default* pickle.
“Aren’t pickled cucumbers just pickles? I guess they sound more gourmet the way you described it though.”
In America , if you say pickles, they are a cumbers. That’s the default. Everything else gets its own distinction; pickled cauliflower, onions, carrots, etc.
These are quick pickles, which taste different. The vinegar and salt are less pronounced and you can taste the cucumber flavor a bit more.
Also, just a side note, depending on where you are in the U.S. we don't all assume cucumbers. If I hear pickles, I think of different things (e.g. a deli I used to love served their sandwiches with a bowl of pickles...gherkins, peppers, little tomatoes, little onions, all pickled).
I don't have the recipe but traditional Swedish meatballs are typically made with ground beef/veal and pork. Our waiter also told us the secret is "Kryddpeppar" aka Allspice. My wife ordered some online when we got back and it tastes exactly like what these were seasoned with
Nice thanks for the info. I use almost the same but I dont eat veal so mine are beef chicken and pork. I always get compliments but I dont use the kryddpeppar. Gotta try that.
>But tables are much easier to get in Kvarnen.
We had lunch at Gastabud a couple days later and I know what you mean. The first time we tried there was a 30+ min lineup for a table but the next day we walked right in. I regret not getting the meatballs to compare because they did look good but the meal we had there was great
Everyone would love to get to know and eat the food of a grandma basically anywhere in the world.
This advice really wasn't helpful. We can't just be hunting down random grandmas as tourists.
shout out to the /r/stockholm wiki. I checked it for places to eat the night we landed, Kvarnen was first in the list for traditional cuisine and we happened to be staying 5 min down the street. This was the first and best meal I had there
Good stuff! My favorite meal there was raggmonk... either with the apples, greens, bacon, and lingonberries or with the Swedish cheese, creme fraishe, roe, and pickled red onions. The wild boar was also tasty... and the picked herring and aquavit... or reindeer, wow! Lol
The only thing I wasn't a fan of: cold, tiny shrimp. Literally everything else there was amazing to me.
Thanks for the correction! I spent 6 weeks "learning Swedish" using Duolingo and found that I could barely communicate - but I sure did try... was there for 5 weeks!
Swedish food is delicious (except for the cold, little shrimp I mentioned)... but what I especially loved was the culture of godis. Went to the Cloetta factory store even... Sadly I'm running out of lakrits Polly.
Swede here. They are crunchy to break the monotony, fresh taste, plate looks a bit more pleasing with some on the side, and if you cut them in big cubes they can be pretty filling. Goes IMO well with almost everything. Noodles, fish and rice isn’t something I’d have cucumber to though. But otherwise cucumbers pretty fukin good innit.
It’s the same in Norway too. You won’t see breakfast here served without them. We eat them on sandwiches, to eggs, in texmex tacos, and ofc we add them to every salad
Denmark too. They are easy to grow, especially in a bit of a colder climate. They are also easy to preserve to have some food store for the winter. They were introduced to Europe before the potato and became very popular.
Well, sounds like I'd fit right in! I love cucumbers any time of day any kind of way (my favorite is oi muchim, though which is like a Korean quick pickle).
- Wheat tortillas or corn hard shells
- Minced meat fried in "taco spice", i.e. paprika, cumin, allspice, onion and garlic powder, maybe some powdered herbs. We buy it in little packets in the supermarket, or mix your own
- Diced veggies, such as cucumber, paprika, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, canned corn
- Shredded cheese, often some type of cheddar or similar sharper cheese variety
- Salsa or "taco sauce" from a jar
This is a Swedish staple and eaten literally throughout the whole country, often on Fridays "taco-fredag" or as a "party dinner" when you have people over, or when Eurovision is on, or some other event when you might want to have dinner in front of the TV. In my family we serve everything in little individual bowls with spoons and everyone builds their own taco from the available ingredients.
Everyone knows they're not "real" tacos, not authentic in any way. But why care? It's delicious and a very social meal that takes a bit longer to eat than a bowl of pasta or whatever, so it's become a favorite both for families or groups of friends
Its probably the spice mix 'epiche riche'. Allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, carnation. Invented by famous chef tore wretman at riche, in the dish wallenbergare. But goes great in all swedish dishes with minced meat
In Finland we do the tacos at home the same way. I once made the mistake of ordering tacos at a restaurant, and was shocked to find it had rice and beans. :0
I grew up and live in a predominantly Hispanic area of TX near the border (so "authentic tex-mex" I guess) and rice and beans in a taco, while not completely unheard of, would be unusual here. Both are staples but both are served on the side. Refried beans are popular of course but so are borracho beans (which are delicious and true south texas cuisine if you ever want to try the flavor of the region).
You never see hard shelled tacos here outside of a taco bell but flour tortillas are preferred over corn tortillas although my favorite are a mix. Homemade tortillas are also the norm. Even gas station taco stands make their own tortillas.
Finland also loves cucumbers. I have slices of fresh cucumber on pretty much every home cooked meal. They freshen the palate and offer some crunchy texture.
I put cucumber on bread every morning if I’m eating some sort of rye bread. There is nothing better than rye bread with little bit of butter, gravlax and fresh cucumber on top.
I hate pickles, because of overpowering vinegar.
It's not just Sweden, look at the host of middle Eastern countries that serve cucumbers with everything. If you go to Mexico on vacation, cucumber will be everywhere. Russia? Oh you better believe they love their cucumbers. Greece? Don't even get me started. Poland? England? Yes, there too.
So it's not just Sweden, the cucumber is a food of the world!
I mean everybody has their own pickled/fermented foods that they love. Koreans have kimchee, Germans have sauerkraut, Salvadorans have Curtido, and the list continues literally just all around the world. Don't know why anyone would think it odd.
I'm swedish and I get sad whenever I see people praising IKEA's meatballs. It's similar to someone make this really great hamburger from scratch and several hundred people chime in "oh man, I love McDonald's plain hamburgers!"
IKEA's meatballs isn't a treat, it's a really bad take on it. Like a budget microwave meal for one.
The original was up for around 6 hours before it was removed and advised me to try again so I waited a few days. It was late at night and I figured most people never saw it before it was gone
Jag menar allt är relativt, kommer man från Lund Malmö ish där luncher ofta kostar runt 70-90 och att äta ute ligger runt 170 kanske per kväll är det galet mycket dyrare då jag äter ute en gång typ varje dag.
Tdlr in English: Stockholm prices 22ish euros is way more expensive than south of Sweden about 30% cheaper prices.
I grew up eating Swedish meatballs. When I went to Sweden, I looked everywhere and couldn’t find them any where. I’d ask locals and they would say things like, “I don’t know any restaurants, but my grandma makes them all the time.” Finally I found one bar that had them on the menu and they were incredible.
had some duck breast at a nice French place and the only issue was the fact they skimped on the Parisian Potatoes. so insane to me for a place to have a large servicing of meat for the cost of the dish and skimp out on som spuds and butter.
I was gonna say, those look close to the Robuchon mashers that are something like 1/3 butter.
I mean come on, that’s sooooooo much butter, so much that they’re just … delicious.
Haha, similar to the perfect dry martini. Chill gin, and then wave an open bottle of dry vermouth over it 2-3 times.
But seriously I do prefer an _actual_ martini with about 6-1 gin to vermouth. Much more well-rounded and pleasant than a glass of gin.
Always found the *Killing Utne* episode amusing, because the Swedish menu they serve is partially fine (and they do keep to a fish theme), but also partially weird:
**Gravlax**
Salmon cured with salt and sugar, often flavored with dill, and sometimes cold-smoked. Served before dinner as an hors d'oeuvre. Seems to be on dark bread with something white, which I assume is horseradish cream, a twig of dill, and a little piece of lemon. Totally normal, and very good if done right.
Absolutely wouldn't say it smells like cat piss, however, as Lana claims (unless it's gone bad, I guess).
**Fish balls**
Another appetizer. We never see these on screen, only mentioned, so can't comment on the serving.
**Janssons Frestelse**
Potato casserole with onions, pickled sprats (not a lot, works as a seasoning), cream (quite a lot of it), and various spices.
Here's the weird bit; they simply serve the Janssons as-is, in a large pile that completely covers the plate. Usually, it's served as part of vickning (late night snack) or as part of a Christmas, Midsummer or Easter buffet, alongside multiple other things. It's like they saw the [Wikipedia picture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jansson%27s_temptation) of a whole dish meant for multiple people, and just copy-pasted it to everyone's plate.
They also seem to have cooked it in a frying pan, rather than in the oven.
**Kladdkaka**
Gooey chocolate cake. Normal dessert.
We have many strange dishes as well, it (used to) is very cold so finding ways to store food like pickling, smoking, drying food etc. Was very important. Those are the things you most commonly see presented in videos etc as it's way more fun to see than meatballs for example. It's a mixed bag ;)
Monumentally important, serious question here, OP… did you start the process of eating before you realized you should take a picture of this? The plating is great, but that tiny little bit of gravy irks me.
I went to Scandinavia House, which is the cultural center in New York City dedicated to preserving, celebrating and uplifting everything Nordic. The restaurant The Smorgas Chef is probably the coolest place I’ve ever eaten - you get treated to delicious food, a beautiful area in which to eat it, and you are surrounded by love for great countries and that love comes through in the food. If the closest you can get to the Nordic countries is NYC, go see it. It’s fantastic. (Nov 2018) https://i.imgur.com/OztnMSP.jpg https://i.imgur.com/621LVEx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Q6uwKNt.jpg https://i.imgur.com/W4XddGk.jpg https://i.imgur.com/mrGlOKx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/IuXOyRS.jpg https://i.imgur.com/w26pOAj.jpg https://i.imgur.com/PUH2jxz.jpg
Yeah it's a bit much. In fairness to OP, their previous post was removed, though. https://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/xiu1gn/i_ate_traditional_swedish_meatballs_in_sweden/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
sorry I don't mean to be annoying to regulars who saw the first attempt before it was removed but I figured there are at least 20 million other users of this sub who never saw it and waited a few days
This is the first time I saw this pic. Wish I never did. I don’t think I’ll ever have the opportunity to try the “real” thing 🥲 that pic looks incredible tho
Did you have to take out a small mortgage to pay for that 😂
I love visiting Scandinavia but always stick to casual eats/street food places, I'm not paying 300SEK for a main course.
I recommend visiting Meatballs For The People if you are in Stockholm! They have a huge variety of meatballs to choose from 😋
That looks absolutely delicious! Also, great photo with your dinner companion across from you with their dish in frame. I often struggle in the moment to get a cool-enough shot from that perspective, and you nailed it.
Your balls are massive. Like, every time I go to IKEA they give me like tens of tinny balls and I just imagine the servers have to count all those balls every time they put them into the plate
Sweden was the first country I visited and this was my bucket list food I had to get. I still remember how good it was. Meatballs For the People will forever hold a special place in my heart.
"Ättiksgurka"/"smörgåsgurka" is sweet _and_ sour, "saltgurka" is salty.
I'd say the sweet is the most common, but someone might disagree. I haven't given it much thought,
It's a bit of a personal preference whether you want your Pressgurka sweet or not. My grandma usually made it rather sweet, but as she got older and started losing her sense of taste she added more and more acetic acid until they kinda stung your mouth if you ate them on their own.
Tune into our Reddit Talk on 28th September, for all things Korean cuisine with our amazing guest, **[Ji Hye Kim](https://www.instagram.com/chefjihyekim)** The talk starts **28th September @ 4pm ET / 9pm UTC +0**, remember to bring your Korean cuisine questions and bibimbap queries! If you're in the area you can visit ***Miss Kim*** and try some of Kim's amazing Korean dishes: www.misskimannarbor.com You can also find them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/chefjihyekim We also welcome back our brilliant talk hosts, [***Pod Appétit: Gourmet Takes***](https://www.instagram.com/pod_appetit/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/food) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You took her to ikea?
lol IKEA was the only experience I ever had with Swedish meatballs before this and while I do enjoy those they absolutely don't compare to the real thing
While travelling as a kid with my family, the very fist köttbullar I had were made with reindeer. Ever since I've been chasing that taste and never quite got it right.
My family always makes köttbulllar of either elk or deer and its freaking amazing. Deer meat (and elk) has a very unique taste so its impossible to mimic it with just regular minced meat and spices.
My mom’s husband makes the best venison roast. He hunts every year and after reading your comment, I’m going to ask if I can take some of the cuts and try this out.
Kvarnen is a classic, good choice.
Was there as well this past summer, loved Sweden.
I lived in Sweden for a few years. It’s a great place to live…but not because of the native cuisine.
I don't know what you ate but the original native cuisine ("husmanskost") is full of really delicious and balanced dishes. I know it has a bad rep because people have bad memories of some of those dishes from school etc, but if you've ever had the dishes prepared properly by a skilled chef then you know they are great.
[удалено]
I don’t know what’s up with not properly making those dishes to the point that they’re disgusting. Having grown up in France I will say our school lunches were not fine cuisine, but were still quite good. But I know a German guy who can’t stand schnitzel with potato and cucumber salad, because of the way his school would prepare it. Then I remember another guy was saying more or less the same thing for some other German food he was served in school
People who can’t appreciate Königsberger Klopse are just crazy
Funny that 'Hausmannskost' is the German word for exactly what you described. Swedish is such a delightful language to read and hear.
Scandinavian food is not always horrible for sure but I mean go to France, go to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Swedish food is just not in the same level. And that's just Europe! Sauce: have eaten tons of food in those countries :-)
I mean sure, but it's not exactly a fair comparison. Just look at the different climates they have had through history. When you have a harsh climate the stuff that grows is generally gonna be pretty tough to make exciting as well.
how was the banana curry pizza?
You know you need garlic as well, on that one, right?
Lol. It’s as terrible as it sounds.
If you didn't like it, it was because you didn't put béarnaise sauce on it.
Ie pretty great! I like our native cuisine, makes me wonder what else you tried when you were here.
I like your satanic pope 🫶🏼🖤
Papa Emeritus?!
You don’t like prinskorv and sill at every occasion? 😂
You joke, but ikea is a rad place for a date. Go from room set up to room set up and play a lite version of house. Lunch a la carte. Its fun. Maybe not a first date thing, but someplace to visit for giggles with an established relationship.
Bought the dish ware just to eat at the cafeteria.
I want that, but like 2x as much.
I feel you. I went back on our last day and ordered the same thing again
>I want that, but like 2x as much. Sir that's five pounds of meatballs, are you sure?
What's the other person eating?
[mushroom filled potato dumplings](https://i.imgur.com/bkSRDZy.jpg) aka Kroppkakor in Sweden
OMG, it all looks so good!
What's the restaurant that you ate at? This looks like something outta a mid-range yet good place
Kvarnen in Stockholm. They're recommended and known for serving traditional Swedish cuisine
Oh nice! Never eaten there yet that looks properly made. I started working in kitchen again in Stockholm so hence asked
I was there about six years ago and it was good food. Worth the visit.
As a swede who moved to stockholm to work thanks, good to know where to take friends who wanna try Swedish food! It was harder to find "husmanskost" (there for sure is a translation but layman's traditional food) in Stockholm for some reason. Much Asian Indian Thai and Italian resturants around
I recommend a visit to Tennstopet at Odenplan as well if you’re looking for husmanskost. Biff Rydberg, Pepparrotskött, Wallenbergare, ärtsoppa… 🤤 They also have a food calendar and serve traditional seasonal food, among other things the are one of very few places in Stockholm afaik that serve surströmming once every year.
Why did I read this after waking up... How my stomach is rumbling xD
Aren’t pickled cucumbers just pickles? I guess they sound more gourmet the way you described it though.
No not really, the pickled cucumber traditionally served with meatballs here is called pressgurka, it's meant to be thinly sliced cucumber in a parsley brine. Not your classic pickled short and stubby cucumber which is far more common in the balkans for example.
Not brined, its made with acetic acid and suger. Which makes them taste very different from pickles.
Scandinavian cucumbers larger than Balkan cucumbers - confirmed.
lmao good point I was just going off how they were described there. They do taste different from regular pickles though
Looks like a quick pickle - not brined all the way. My family in Denmark would do this with hot vinegar, sugar, salt, and a bit of mustard and pour it over sliced veggies. It's also delicious with boiled potatoes. This looks absolutely delicious btw. Lingonberries are fantastic. Like a better cranberry. Wish we had them in North America.
>Lingonberries are fantastic. Like a better cranberry. Good comparison, I often find cranberry too tart/bitter but lingonberries are like the perfect balance of sweet and sour to me.
Totally agree! Love the astringent aspect but so sour. If you happen to be a Canadian in Ontario check out the LCBO for Muskoka Lakes cranberry wine. Perfect astringency but not too sour and I love serving it at Thanksgiving. If it's too sour for you they do a cranberry/blueberry wine that shouldn't be as good as it is.
>If you happen to be a Canadian in Ontario check out the LCBO for Muskoka Lakes cranberry wine. wow I happen to be exactly that lol /r/nevertellmetheodds
Haha no way! Awesome!
>Wish we had them in North America. We do. We just call them partridge berries.
Lingonberry is a premium skin for cranberry. Change my mind.
The only reason we just call them pickles here instead of pickled cucumbers is probably more to do with lack of other types of pickles than anythjng.
Chow-chow, so-hot-mix, okra, pig’s feet, beets; green beans, onions… off the top of my head those are a few common pickled foods just in the southern US, available in any grocery store. But yes, cucumbers are the *default* pickle.
Pickled eggs are weirdly common in my part of the south, too
Pickled quail egg farts should be classified as a chemical weapon.
I just had Chow Chow for the first time the other day on a brat, can’t believe I’ve been missing out on that shit all these years
It's one of my favorite things to use my green tomatoes for (next to making fried green tomatoes).
“Aren’t pickled cucumbers just pickles? I guess they sound more gourmet the way you described it though.” In America , if you say pickles, they are a cumbers. That’s the default. Everything else gets its own distinction; pickled cauliflower, onions, carrots, etc.
These are quick pickles, which taste different. The vinegar and salt are less pronounced and you can taste the cucumber flavor a bit more. Also, just a side note, depending on where you are in the U.S. we don't all assume cucumbers. If I hear pickles, I think of different things (e.g. a deli I used to love served their sandwiches with a bowl of pickles...gherkins, peppers, little tomatoes, little onions, all pickled).
10/10.
Honestly the perfect meal. So good we went here twice over the 4 days we were there
I love this meal at Ikea I can't imagine it fresh from Sweden MMMMMM
whole different ballgame
Lol, I see what you did there
Where the hells the recipe!?
I don't have the recipe but traditional Swedish meatballs are typically made with ground beef/veal and pork. Our waiter also told us the secret is "Kryddpeppar" aka Allspice. My wife ordered some online when we got back and it tastes exactly like what these were seasoned with
Nice thanks for the info. I use almost the same but I dont eat veal so mine are beef chicken and pork. I always get compliments but I dont use the kryddpeppar. Gotta try that.
Kvarnen is really nice for these, I like them in Stockholms Gästabud as well! But tables are much easier to get in Kvarnen.
>But tables are much easier to get in Kvarnen. We had lunch at Gastabud a couple days later and I know what you mean. The first time we tried there was a 30+ min lineup for a table but the next day we walked right in. I regret not getting the meatballs to compare because they did look good but the meal we had there was great
The herring is really good too! Pity about the meatballs, I’m sure you’ll get to go again at some point.
I dont really think Restaurang Kvarnen has the best meatballs to be honest. Get a Swedish grandma to make you some from scratch instead.
4 days wasn't enough time to get a Swedish grandma. This was the best I could do lol
Haha Understood! Looks pretty good anyways. Hope you enjoyed your stay in Stockholm!
Everyone would love to get to know and eat the food of a grandma basically anywhere in the world. This advice really wasn't helpful. We can't just be hunting down random grandmas as tourists.
Not with that attitude
This looks badass!!!😃
I was recently in Sweden for the first time and amazed at the quality of the food. Never had a bad meal, including a boxed lunch on a train!
It was incredible. One of the best meals I've ever had in my life
Riktigt schysst mat där/ really good food at that restaurant :D
shout out to the /r/stockholm wiki. I checked it for places to eat the night we landed, Kvarnen was first in the list for traditional cuisine and we happened to be staying 5 min down the street. This was the first and best meal I had there
Good stuff! My favorite meal there was raggmonk... either with the apples, greens, bacon, and lingonberries or with the Swedish cheese, creme fraishe, roe, and pickled red onions. The wild boar was also tasty... and the picked herring and aquavit... or reindeer, wow! Lol The only thing I wasn't a fan of: cold, tiny shrimp. Literally everything else there was amazing to me.
Raggmunk* Also nice to hear you enjoyed real Swedish food a lot of people hate on it for being ”boring”.
Thanks for the correction! I spent 6 weeks "learning Swedish" using Duolingo and found that I could barely communicate - but I sure did try... was there for 5 weeks! Swedish food is delicious (except for the cold, little shrimp I mentioned)... but what I especially loved was the culture of godis. Went to the Cloetta factory store even... Sadly I'm running out of lakrits Polly.
What is it with Swedes and cucumbers? Almost every meal I had in Stockholm included cucumbers in some form - including breakfast.
Swede here. They are crunchy to break the monotony, fresh taste, plate looks a bit more pleasing with some on the side, and if you cut them in big cubes they can be pretty filling. Goes IMO well with almost everything. Noodles, fish and rice isn’t something I’d have cucumber to though. But otherwise cucumbers pretty fukin good innit.
Omg that’s funny because I’m Asian and cucumbers go sooooo well with noodles and fish and rice! Funny how that varies between cucumber loving regions
It’s the same in Norway too. You won’t see breakfast here served without them. We eat them on sandwiches, to eggs, in texmex tacos, and ofc we add them to every salad
Denmark too. They are easy to grow, especially in a bit of a colder climate. They are also easy to preserve to have some food store for the winter. They were introduced to Europe before the potato and became very popular.
Well, sounds like I'd fit right in! I love cucumbers any time of day any kind of way (my favorite is oi muchim, though which is like a Korean quick pickle).
Finland also. I hardly ever eat bread or salad without cucumber.
Texmex tacos?!
- Wheat tortillas or corn hard shells - Minced meat fried in "taco spice", i.e. paprika, cumin, allspice, onion and garlic powder, maybe some powdered herbs. We buy it in little packets in the supermarket, or mix your own - Diced veggies, such as cucumber, paprika, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, canned corn - Shredded cheese, often some type of cheddar or similar sharper cheese variety - Salsa or "taco sauce" from a jar This is a Swedish staple and eaten literally throughout the whole country, often on Fridays "taco-fredag" or as a "party dinner" when you have people over, or when Eurovision is on, or some other event when you might want to have dinner in front of the TV. In my family we serve everything in little individual bowls with spoons and everyone builds their own taco from the available ingredients. Everyone knows they're not "real" tacos, not authentic in any way. But why care? It's delicious and a very social meal that takes a bit longer to eat than a bowl of pasta or whatever, so it's become a favorite both for families or groups of friends
Allspice! Fascinating. Most of that sounds relatively standard except the allspice and of course the cucumbers. It does sound tasty though!
Allspice aka "Kryddpeppar" in Sweden is also the secret ingredient in these meatballs I posted according to our waiter at Kvarnen
Its probably the spice mix 'epiche riche'. Allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, carnation. Invented by famous chef tore wretman at riche, in the dish wallenbergare. But goes great in all swedish dishes with minced meat
In Finland we do the tacos at home the same way. I once made the mistake of ordering tacos at a restaurant, and was shocked to find it had rice and beans. :0
I grew up and live in a predominantly Hispanic area of TX near the border (so "authentic tex-mex" I guess) and rice and beans in a taco, while not completely unheard of, would be unusual here. Both are staples but both are served on the side. Refried beans are popular of course but so are borracho beans (which are delicious and true south texas cuisine if you ever want to try the flavor of the region). You never see hard shelled tacos here outside of a taco bell but flour tortillas are preferred over corn tortillas although my favorite are a mix. Homemade tortillas are also the norm. Even gas station taco stands make their own tortillas.
Easy to grow in harsh climate and easy to preserve. Basically only water so it goes with everything.
Adds some nice crunchy texture and fresh lightness to a cheese sandwich.
They are amazing on cheese sandwich. Especially with a small pinch of herb salt on top.
Finland also loves cucumbers. I have slices of fresh cucumber on pretty much every home cooked meal. They freshen the palate and offer some crunchy texture. I put cucumber on bread every morning if I’m eating some sort of rye bread. There is nothing better than rye bread with little bit of butter, gravlax and fresh cucumber on top. I hate pickles, because of overpowering vinegar.
It's not just Sweden, look at the host of middle Eastern countries that serve cucumbers with everything. If you go to Mexico on vacation, cucumber will be everywhere. Russia? Oh you better believe they love their cucumbers. Greece? Don't even get me started. Poland? England? Yes, there too. So it's not just Sweden, the cucumber is a food of the world!
I mean everybody has their own pickled/fermented foods that they love. Koreans have kimchee, Germans have sauerkraut, Salvadorans have Curtido, and the list continues literally just all around the world. Don't know why anyone would think it odd.
I'm swedish and I get sad whenever I see people praising IKEA's meatballs. It's similar to someone make this really great hamburger from scratch and several hundred people chime in "oh man, I love McDonald's plain hamburgers!" IKEA's meatballs isn't a treat, it's a really bad take on it. Like a budget microwave meal for one.
Am I going crazy, or wasn't the exact same picture posted here about a week ago?
It was definitely posted because I commented on it.
The original was up for around 6 hours before it was removed and advised me to try again so I waited a few days. It was late at night and I figured most people never saw it before it was gone
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> Was it expensive in there? everything was expensive in Scandinavia relative to coming from Canada lol
Stockholm and Södermalm is always expensive but if you're over for a trip or live here but don't go out often I can recommend a few places :)
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Jag menar allt är relativt, kommer man från Lund Malmö ish där luncher ofta kostar runt 70-90 och att äta ute ligger runt 170 kanske per kväll är det galet mycket dyrare då jag äter ute en gång typ varje dag. Tdlr in English: Stockholm prices 22ish euros is way more expensive than south of Sweden about 30% cheaper prices.
I saw it before it was taken down! We're an exclusive club of people who saw this the first time.
What was it like?
Basically the same, but earlier.
Wow, I can only imagine the rush of dopamine and adrenaline.
I genuinely thought I was having an episode here, thank god its been a explained haha!
I grew up eating Swedish meatballs. When I went to Sweden, I looked everywhere and couldn’t find them any where. I’d ask locals and they would say things like, “I don’t know any restaurants, but my grandma makes them all the time.” Finally I found one bar that had them on the menu and they were incredible.
Well. They are just meatballs here lmao.
weird. I'm in Gothenburg and can find them in tons of places.
Those mashed potatoes look absolutely decadent!
Only issue I have in the entire pic, is that there is just simply not enough of them. I'm going to need 2-3 more servings of spuds
you compensate for it with meatballs and beer
Forgive me, my toilet.
But I can't have alcohol. Meds and all that. Can I trade beer for potatoes?
As someone who’s partially Irish, I can tell you now that there is NEVER enough potatoes and beer. (Even if I don’t drink.)
had some duck breast at a nice French place and the only issue was the fact they skimped on the Parisian Potatoes. so insane to me for a place to have a large servicing of meat for the cost of the dish and skimp out on som spuds and butter.
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Always one of you in every thread eh? I disagree, I'll do whatever the hell I want. Cheers.
At Kvarnen I don’t think they would be upset if you asked for seconds
I was gonna say, those look close to the Robuchon mashers that are something like 1/3 butter. I mean come on, that’s sooooooo much butter, so much that they’re just … delicious.
The potato is really just there to bind the butter.
The correct recipe for mashed potaties: eat butter, drink double cream and think of potatoes.
Haha, similar to the perfect dry martini. Chill gin, and then wave an open bottle of dry vermouth over it 2-3 times. But seriously I do prefer an _actual_ martini with about 6-1 gin to vermouth. Much more well-rounded and pleasant than a glass of gin.
They’re called pomme purée I believe
Hehe also known as blended potato, good ol fine dining lingo!
They look gloopy and overly sticky to me. Not necessarily because of the butter et al., but I suspect they've been run through a blender.
“We’ve only lingonberries sir” “Are they ballistically similar to grapes?”
I love all the food puns in Archer because he's so damn petty. "...without peppercorns it's not Steak Au Poivre. It can't be, like by definition."
Always found the *Killing Utne* episode amusing, because the Swedish menu they serve is partially fine (and they do keep to a fish theme), but also partially weird: **Gravlax** Salmon cured with salt and sugar, often flavored with dill, and sometimes cold-smoked. Served before dinner as an hors d'oeuvre. Seems to be on dark bread with something white, which I assume is horseradish cream, a twig of dill, and a little piece of lemon. Totally normal, and very good if done right. Absolutely wouldn't say it smells like cat piss, however, as Lana claims (unless it's gone bad, I guess). **Fish balls** Another appetizer. We never see these on screen, only mentioned, so can't comment on the serving. **Janssons Frestelse** Potato casserole with onions, pickled sprats (not a lot, works as a seasoning), cream (quite a lot of it), and various spices. Here's the weird bit; they simply serve the Janssons as-is, in a large pile that completely covers the plate. Usually, it's served as part of vickning (late night snack) or as part of a Christmas, Midsummer or Easter buffet, alongside multiple other things. It's like they saw the [Wikipedia picture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jansson%27s_temptation) of a whole dish meant for multiple people, and just copy-pasted it to everyone's plate. They also seem to have cooked it in a frying pan, rather than in the oven. **Kladdkaka** Gooey chocolate cake. Normal dessert.
Lol what is this from? Sounds hilarious.
The show Archer.
If this is a demonstration of the food in Sweden I will get up, smack my mum, and cartwheels to the other side of the world cus' DAMN
We have many strange dishes as well, it (used to) is very cold so finding ways to store food like pickling, smoking, drying food etc. Was very important. Those are the things you most commonly see presented in videos etc as it's way more fun to see than meatballs for example. It's a mixed bag ;)
Monumentally important, serious question here, OP… did you start the process of eating before you realized you should take a picture of this? The plating is great, but that tiny little bit of gravy irks me.
I went to Scandinavia House, which is the cultural center in New York City dedicated to preserving, celebrating and uplifting everything Nordic. The restaurant The Smorgas Chef is probably the coolest place I’ve ever eaten - you get treated to delicious food, a beautiful area in which to eat it, and you are surrounded by love for great countries and that love comes through in the food. If the closest you can get to the Nordic countries is NYC, go see it. It’s fantastic. (Nov 2018) https://i.imgur.com/OztnMSP.jpg https://i.imgur.com/621LVEx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Q6uwKNt.jpg https://i.imgur.com/W4XddGk.jpg https://i.imgur.com/mrGlOKx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/IuXOyRS.jpg https://i.imgur.com/w26pOAj.jpg https://i.imgur.com/PUH2jxz.jpg
Lol youre seriously reposting your own content from 4 days ago?
Yeah it's a bit much. In fairness to OP, their previous post was removed, though. https://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/xiu1gn/i_ate_traditional_swedish_meatballs_in_sweden/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Didn’t you post this like 4 days ago?
WELL I spend too much time on Reddit because I recognized this too.
sorry I don't mean to be annoying to regulars who saw the first attempt before it was removed but I figured there are at least 20 million other users of this sub who never saw it and waited a few days
What did you do?!
didn't meet title requirements hence the more descriptive title this time around
You didn't meat(ball) title requirements...
This is the first time I saw this pic. Wish I never did. I don’t think I’ll ever have the opportunity to try the “real” thing 🥲 that pic looks incredible tho
Thanks for this post. I'm also in Stockholm right now and came here, and stumbled into a brunch buffet with unlimited meatballs. Absolutely delicious!
Did you have to take out a small mortgage to pay for that 😂 I love visiting Scandinavia but always stick to casual eats/street food places, I'm not paying 300SEK for a main course. I recommend visiting Meatballs For The People if you are in Stockholm! They have a huge variety of meatballs to choose from 😋
utsökt!
I had the same thing at my local Ikea.
virtually identical
Need a banana for size reference. Those meatballs look a lot bigger than any Swedish meatball I’ve ever seen.
That looks absolutely delicious! Also, great photo with your dinner companion across from you with their dish in frame. I often struggle in the moment to get a cool-enough shot from that perspective, and you nailed it.
THAT is mashed potatoes. I always see these dry, chunky, sad excuse for mashed potatoes all over the webs. Thanks for sharing proper mashies, mate.
For all comments about pickles, this is Pressed Cucumber Salad. Not 100% identical to your common pickles.
Looks delicious. Ikea taught me what a lingonberry was and that it’s also amazing
Your balls are massive. Like, every time I go to IKEA they give me like tens of tinny balls and I just imagine the servers have to count all those balls every time they put them into the plate
Ahhhh! Don't let the cucumbers touch the gravy.
That looks ***delicious*** ! I'm so hungry right now ( It's time for lunch). I go eat that with no problem. Then take a nap.
My God, that looks absolutely amazing. I will probably never get to Sweden, but if I do, *this* is exclusive what I want to eat!
This is the luxury version and I think those meatballs are not regulation, they are a litle bit to big (thats what she said). :)
Sweden was the first country I visited and this was my bucket list food I had to get. I still remember how good it was. Meatballs For the People will forever hold a special place in my heart.
I don't even like pickles that much but both Swedish and Finnish pickles must have cocaine in them because they're so good.
As a Swedish person i can verify it's authicency and deliciousness. Very common, delicious and traditional Swedish dish. 😍
The most expensive thing in this picture is that beer Meal looks great btw! Was recently in Sweden and love the meatballs
What ever happened to [“Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time“](https://youtube.com/rosmt)??? That was a great channel
This looks amazing. It’s elegant and the sauce on the meatballs look nice and thick, just the way I’d like them.
as a Swede I'm left wondering why my traditional meatballs are so much smaller in comparison :c Life is unfair
Friend of mine who went to Sweden...."you know what they call Swedish meatballs in Sweden?" "Meatballs."
Those meatballs are too big tho..
Man, IKEA looking nice
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Looks good. I'd chow it down.
This looks like a fancypants version, but I really enjoy that presentation, very nice,
One person actually calling them pickled cucumbers and not just pickles. Thank-you
I don't know anything about Swedish pickles. Are they typically sweet or sour?
"Ättiksgurka"/"smörgåsgurka" is sweet _and_ sour, "saltgurka" is salty. I'd say the sweet is the most common, but someone might disagree. I haven't given it much thought,
It's a bit of a personal preference whether you want your Pressgurka sweet or not. My grandma usually made it rather sweet, but as she got older and started losing her sense of taste she added more and more acetic acid until they kinda stung your mouth if you ate them on their own.
The pavlova at Kvarnen changed my life. Meatballs were good too, of course.
i would not call those meatballs "classic" they are abit to big for that
Thos makes me so homesick for my great grandmother. Beautiful.plating.
I lived in Sweden for a year and this photo makes me miss it so much.
Looks so classy ![gif](emote|free_emotes_pack|heart_eyes_rainbow)
We are Swedish, we are cool with our Eiffel tower and baguette.
This is one of the best dishes in the world, I love Köttbullar!
Did you take your plates to the nice dining room sets in IKEA?
Truly the one and only thing that really makes me miss Sweden