SWEDISH FOOD

Since the early days of the country, both climate and location have had a strong influence on Swedish food. Sweden's long coastline, rivers and lakes cause seafood to be an significant part of Swedish cuisine, along with wild game in the North and lighter fare such as vegetables in the South. Because nearly 15 per cent of Sweden's land area sits north of the Arctic Circle.

As a result, some of the country's early inhabitants would preserve seafood, meat, fruit and vegetables using methods such as dehydration, salting and curing. Berries were cooked in preserves, vegetables were pickled, root vegetables were deposited in cold deep cellars and bread was made to last them a long period of time.

Through most of Swedish culture, Swedish merchants and aristocrats also imported products such as English tea, French sauces and soups, and German honeycakes that would gradually become part of the Swedish diet.

Wide areas of woods and wetlands in Sweden provide an array of wild game, fruit and vegetables such as mushrooms, lingonberries and blueberries. Lingonberries are small, red and tart berries that develop abundantly in the northern region, ripening from August to October.

Lingonberry jam, a staple in Sweden, is produced by combining lingonberries with sugar and has historically become a way to add spice and freshness to hard foods such as meats and stews. Chanterelle is the most precious mushroom in Sweden and is considered a delicacy, often served with meat such as steak or onions that are fried.

For hundreds of years, Swedish cuisine has been about traditional home food, or Husmanskost. Sometimes found plain compared to other European dishes, Husmanskost once applied to the most common Swedish cooked foods, such as porridge, but now contains more appetizing dishes such as rich stews, seafood and roasts.

Other Husmanskost foods include pea soup, potato pork and rutabagas, salmon, herring, meatballs, potato pancakes and potato dumplings. Thanks to water over much of its land mass, seafood is plentiful, and the Swedes have found countless ways to prepare fish, such as marinating, smoking, or curing with dill and salt. Other than herring and salmon, crayfish, eel  are also common.

Currently, Husmanskost has been restored by Swedish chefs. The latest Husmanskost solution provides conventional Swedish dishes with lower fat alternatives and the addition of fresh ingredients. Swedish cuisine is inspired by many western foreign food and dishes such as pizza, kebabs, hamburgers and Chinese and American dishes.