Swedish Foods

I don’t think many people come to Sweden for the food, although Swedish foods get some attention now. But I don’t think Sweden deserves a poor culinary reputation (it isn’t Britain, for heaven’s sake).  Although ethnic food is ‘Swed-a-sized’ such that I can order a ‘hot’ curry dish and not sweat (try that on Main St!), the local specialities are quite nice. Husmanskost, the ‘average man’s meal’, is usually potatoes, mixed veggies, and then meat or fish with some sauces – gravy or cream sauce or lingonberry sauce. The most common type restaurant seems to be pizza/kebob, but the grocery stores are full of Swedish stuff to make the Swedish meals. There were some things that we really missed, ingredients-wise, when we moved here. But we have come to love some of the local specialties too.   I have been meaning to write about yummy Swedish foods for a while now, so we can let that berry post start off a theme.

First up: västerbottenost!

Västerbotten is a coastal province in the north of Sweden: the ‘West shore’, as seen from Vikings in ships and compared to Finland which would be the ‘East shore’.  This might be one of the costlier cheeses we buy here, and we buy it in big wedges from the giant warehouse store North of town.  It is great for quiche, and eating with apples, and salads and grilled cheese and almost everything else…. the company has several recipe and menu ideas.   The taste is a bit sharp like Parmesan or aged cheddar, and it is a bit dry.  This is one thing we may not get at home in Canada, which will make it a must-buy on trips to Sweden.