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The Dinner Party
Dec 14, 2011
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Menu: A Swedish Winter Smorgasbord

Swedish winters are notorious for bone-chilling winds and below-freezing temperatures. To counteract Mother Nature, Swedes have developed a wonderful feasting and drinking culture surrounding the holiday season. Warm up your own holiday with this traditional smörgåsbord spread featuring dishes served in Swedish homes around the holidays, from a beet and herring salad to salmon gravlax, and even Julskinka (Christmas ham). Be sure to toast to good friends and family with a glass of aquavit. Skål!
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  1. It should be noted that Gravlax takes at least 48 and up to 72 hours to prepare, so plan ahead accordingly. But it's certainly worth the wait! Serve the finished product with a spread of Knackebrod, finely diced red onion, capers, dill sprigs, and Mustard–Dill Sauce (Gravlaxsås).

  2. The Swedish Smorgasbord traditionally has five parts, requiring five trips to the table: The first consists of herring dishes (such as pickled herring) accompanied by cold cheeses and boiled potatoes, followed by shellfish or fish dishes like gravlax. The third stage offers room temperature roasts or cold cuts with cucumber salad, and the final trip features warm foods like Jansson's Temptation and Swedish meatballs. Learn more about the history of the Smorgasbord with Christy Hobart's article Smorgasbord Style.

  3. Sillsallad (herring and beet salad) and Julskinka (Christmas ham) are special Christmas additions to the regular Smorgasbord spread, appearing only on the julbord (the holiday version of the Smorgasbord, meaning literally Christmas table).

  4. Swedish Glögg is a hot mulled wine usually spiked with vodka, brandy, or aquavit. This particular version comes from chef Marcus Samuelsson, inspired by memories of his grandmother making the drink in her Göteborg, Sweden, kitchen. Serve your guests glasses of warm glögg with tiny spoons to scoop up the slivered almonds and wine-plump raisins sprinkled in the bottom of their cups, alongside ginger cookies.

  5. For more about Holidays in Sweden, read Christy Hobart's articles Lighting up the Season and The Feast of Santa Lucia.

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Comments (4)

noAvatar
These recipes are very much like those I've had at the home of a Swedish friend. I love Jansenn's Temptation.
noAvatar
The meatballs are NEVER served in a sauce or with mashed potatoes on a smörgåsbord. They are only served that way when you have them for dinner. Also Gravlax or Gravad Lax is never served with capers or red onions, but always with Gravlaxsås.

Tonight I am off for the first of several julbord.
Traditionally fish is served before meat so the Janson's Temptation is enjoyed along with the herring. As far as meat is concerned there are the meat balls without gravy, many parts of the pig i.e pate, sausage, baked ribs and the ham.
Vegetables for this part would be potaoes, pickled cucumbers (thinly sliced in a sweet and sour dill sauce. In my home we also had beet sallad made with beets, apples and mayonnaise. Very refreshing!
A regular swedish christmas eve, foodwise, includes (in our house): 1. Around 3 o'clock: Raisins, nuts, glögg (mulled wine), Lussebullar (the same dough as cinnamon buns, but with a heap of saffran and in small S-shapes), ginger bread and hot chocolate with whipped cream. 2. Around 6: First course: Herring, herring, herring (usually a whole host of different kinds), eggs, gravlax, eel (in some parts of the country) or lutfisk (lye fish - disgusting), janssons temptation, cheese and vörtbröd (a sort of dark bread made with spices and malt), and potatoes. Some also eat shellfish, different kind of patés. Akvavit/Vodka - usually spiced, beer, mineral water and JULMUST to drink. Julmust actually outsells Coca Cola at christmas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julmust Second course: Meatballs, small sausages, roast beef and/or ribs (sometimes), christmas ham with atleast 2 kinds of mustard, boiled potatoes, pickled cucumbers, beetroot sallad, some kind of cabbage. Dessert: Some don't eat it, understandably after all the food already eaten, but many eat rice pudding cooked with cinnamon sticks and 1 single almond (tradition has it, that the person who gets the almond is the one to get married next). In denmark often eaten with cherry sauce, which is also my favorite. 3. Evening: an assortment of chocolates, nuts, candy, cakes, ginger bread etc. 4. You die of a fatal food coma.

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