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

FAQs

What is a typical Scandinavian dish? ›

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.

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.

New Nordic Food is food produced with care and with a focus on taste and diversity, forgotten varieties and breeds, old processing methods and new ideas in the kitchen.

Meatballs. Thanks to a certain Swedish furniture company meatballs (köttbullar) are perhaps the best known of any individual Scandinavian dish. They are traditionally made with a combination of ground beef and pork, alongside spices including nutmeg and cardamom.

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.

A staple breakfast among Norwegians is quite simple, but nutritious. It may consist of a few slices of whole grain bread with a spread of some seafood (for example mackerel in tomato sauce, caviar, herring), or some meat (liver pâté, ham, salami), or some other kind of spread such as jam. Cheese is also popular.

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.

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.

A healthy Nordic breakfast will always include lots of protein. Favourites are kaviar (a paste made from smoked fish roe), hard boiled eggs or ham.

Is Nordic food spicy? ›

It may not pack a spicy kick, but sturdy Nordic staples make the most of seasonal produce and fresh 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.

From bear, deer, and horse, to kinds of seafood like whale and more traditional meats like roast beef, game and pork, there's something on the menu for every taste. You'll also find a lot of dairy products, breads, fruits and vegetables on the Scandinavian plate including a lot of fermented products.

– The rich flavours, the freshness, and the simplicity of our dishes, made from the best organic ingredients. Nordic dishes are generally not too complicated and most people love them because the individual flavours and ingredients can be recognised and enjoyed for what they are.

The three main cuisines of Scandinavia are Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian, each with its unique flavors and dishes that reflect the geographical and cultural diversity of the region.

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.

Some examples of these classic Swedish foods are: 'isterband' (smoked pork sausages served with creamed dill potatoes), 'rotmos och fläsk' (root vegetable mash and pork sausage) and 'ärtsoppa' (Swedish yellow pea soup, usually accompanied by pancakes), a tradition dating back to the 18th century.