25+ Scandinavian Recipes • Nordic Comfort Food! (2024)

FAQs

What is the staple food of Scandinavia? ›

You'll soon discover that the Scandinavian countries have similar diets, featuring locally-sourced ingredients. Common foods include bread, dairy products, potatoes, porridges, creamy soups, salted or smoked meats and fresh, salted or smoked fish.

For centuries, people of the north consumed the same ingredients that have eventually shaped the distinct Nordic Cuisine; ingredients such as fish (mostly salmon, cod and herring), oyster, mussels, wild birds, deer, elk, berries, cheese, butter, cabbage, onions, potatoes, beets, apples, cucumber, dill, horseradish, and ...

Scandinavian cuisine focuses on the food as it comes from the earth rather than doing too much to transform it. There's always plenty of fresh seafood from the waters of the North Atlantic, which becomes inspiration for culinary brilliance. Presentation is a huge focus in Scandinavian dining.

Northern Norwegians eat a lot of smoked, dried lamb. Of course, we can't discuss meat without mentioning meatballs. There must be tens of thousands of different recipes – actually, that's probably a vast underestimation. In Sweden, a mixture of pork and beef is usually prepared, whereas Danes prefer pork and veal.

Nordic vegetables are cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, roots and peas. Fish varieties include salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring and dried salty cod. Fruits do not grow abundantly in the region; therefore, berries tend to be the primary source of fruit.

An open-faced sandwich is a very common Scandinavian breakfast. It can be as simple as a piece of rye bread with butter and a slice of cheese, or you can spruce it up a bit with toppings like cucumber, apples, sliced egg, or bell pepper. Chopped chives or dill are never a bad idea.

These fruits and berries are common to grow in Sweden: Apples, which I guess is both most common to privately grow and eat. Pears, Plums, Cherries, Gooseberries, Red and Blackcurrant are all pretty common to. Blueberries, Lingonberries, Cloudberries are growing naturally in the woods particular in the nothern parts.

The Scandinavian open sandwich (Danish: smørrebrød, Norwegian: smørbrød, Swedish: smörgås or macka) consists of one piece of buttered bread, often whole-grain rye bread (Danish: rugbrød, Swedish: rågbröd, Finnish: ruisleipä), topped with, for instance, cheese, cold steak, ham, turkey, shrimps, smoked salmon, caviar, ...

Lean meats, such as skinless poultry, and eggs are acceptable in moderation, although most Nordic Diet proteins are derived from fish and plant alternatives, such as legumes, nuts, and seeds.

The ND diet is based on traditional foods consumed in the Nordic region (Northern Europe), and includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, low fat dairy, fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring) oats, barley, and almonds [36,37].

Is Nordic food spicy? ›

A lack of certain spices made everyday food rather mildly spiced by today's standards, although a number of local herbs and plants have been used since ancient times. This tradition is still present in today's Swedish dishes, which are still quite mild but flavourful due to the usage of such herbs.

Pork is an important meat in southern Scandinavia. Flæskesteg pork roast, eaten with a heavy gravy and caramelised potatoes, is as Danish as roast beef is British – and is also the quintissential Danish Christmas lunch.

What is Sweden's national dish? Sweden doesn't have an official national dish, but many Swedes consider meatballs and lingonberries to be the national fare.

Mutton and cabbage stew, or “fårikål” in Norwegian, has repeatedly been named Norway's national dish. It even has its own festive day on the last Thursday in September. Throughout the autumn months, people all around the country arrange lamb stew parties.

Internationally, the most renowned Swedish culinary tradition is the smörgåsbord and, at Christmas, the julbord, including well-known Swedish dishes such as gravlax and meatballs.

An open-faced sandwich is a very common Scandinavian breakfast. It can be as simple as a piece of rye bread with butter and a slice of cheese, or you can spruce it up a bit with toppings like cucumber, apples, sliced egg, or bell pepper. Chopped chives or dill are never a bad idea.