Swedish Gastronomy

Swedish Gastronomy

Gastronomy in Sweden has recently come through what can only be described as turbulent times. For 15 years there was a struggle between two forces. On the one hand was Sweden's traditional home-cooked food with its rich flavors, heavy sauces, and emphasis on meat and simple fish. On the other hand was the emerging young blood of Swedish cuisine, fired by international influence, hungry for creativity, and driven by quality. In a result that is time-honored in Sweden, both parties came out as victors.

Twenty years ago Sweden was a closed book food-wise. Its tables were still laden with the kind of food that had been eaten for years: meatballs, sausage, smoked pork, fried herring, boiled beets, potatoes, pea soup, and onion sauce, among the other usual suspects. A Swedish colleague of mine once remarked that growing up in Sweden in the '70s, it was safe to assume that anything fun you asked for you were not allowed to have. The unknown, it seems, was best left that way -- and this philosophy extended into the kitchen.

You can't keep the curious revolutionaries at bay forever, and Sweden's young chefs wanted something different, something to call their own. With this in mind, many went abroad to explore the flavors of other countries, visit foreign chefs, and work in faraway restaurants.

Swedish chefs are a smart bunch. They knew that their own land offered a bounty rarely matched for quality and freshness. Sweden's vast open spaces could offer wild mushrooms, lingonberries, cloudberries, wild strawberries, game, fish, and plenty of grazing land to produce fine meats. So they brought their new inspiration back home. A new Swedish cuisine was born, using the excitement of global flavors with the purity of Swedish ingredients.

The Swedish restaurant industry took note, and a drive was implemented to spread the word of this pioneering cuisine. With typical Swedish Lutheran resolve, money was invested in training new chefs. The Swedish culinary team stormed the world stage, picking up gold medals wherever they went. Sweden's chefs were gaining as much notoriety as the Swedish Chef had at the hands of Muppet creator Jim Henson, only this time for completely different reasons.

Sweden's new culinary regime didn't stay settled for long. It was only natural that a people so fond of tradition could stay away from their meatballs and sausage for only so long. They wanted their old food back, but they wanted it back on their terms. They had tasted quality and innovation, and they liked it.

Today Sweden's restaurants and home kitchens offer a happy mix of old and new. Restaurants that wow diners with rabbit and fennel mille-feuille with a citrus and mustard jus will just as happily offer organic, grass-fed beef meatballs with cream sauce and new-season potato puree. Supermarket shelves are filled with Swedish sausages stacked right next to fresh sushi.

Swedes who just a few years ago publicly dismissed their national dishes for the newer cuisine now fully embrace them. The classic Thursday dish of pea soup is now proudly brandished at outdoor cafés by Swedish diners -- as long as they have an espresso and biscotti to finish the meal, of course.

-Rob Hincks