Plank steak

Plankstek

Plankstek is one of my favourite ways of enjoying steak, especially during the asparagus season. In Sweden, plankstek is nearly always served with pommes duchesse (duchess potatoes), béarnaisesås and vegetables. More…

Welcome to SwedishFood.com

Thank you for visiting our site, set up to help English speakers around the world who would like to learn more about Swedish food.

All our recipes have been tried and tasted, include a clear summary, list ingredients in British and American units and include a photograph of the finished dish.

Happy cooking! John Duxbury

Recipe sources

Most of the recipes on this site have been adapted from my collection of Swedish cookery books. Where a single source has been used that is acknowledged in the introduction, but in most cases I have fused together several recipes.

For all husmanskost recipes (traditional Swedish cuisine) I always start by consulting the Co-op's Vår Kokbok (Sweden's most popular cookery book) and Per Morberg's excellent Morberg lagar husmanskost.

I have a long list of traditional recipes that I want to add to the site once I have finished testing them. If there are any recipes that you would like me to prioritise please let me know!

Many of the modern Swedish recipes, especially the salads, have been adapted from Mat Magasinet (The Food Magazine) edited by Maud Onnermark. It is an excellent magazine that I look forward to reading each month. (You can read an online version if you click here.)

Online security

Rest assured that this site is completely free to use and we never ask for any personal information. Not only does this protect you, but it also makes the site less likely to be attacked because we have no useful data for cyber thieves to steal!

Nettle soup

Nässelsoppa

Where I live, nettles are beginning to shoot up and are now perfect for making nässelsoppa as they are nice and tender as well as being packed with nutrition and flavour. Traditionally the soup is served with a hard boiled egg and crème fraîche, but I also enjoy it with a poached egg and some crispy bacon bits. More…

Rhubarb crumble

Rabarberpaj

Rabarberpaj (rhubarb crumble) is probably my favourite dessert at this time of year when made with forced rhubarb from the Yorkshire Triangle and served with some Swedelicious (!) vaniljsås (vanilla sauce). More…

Potatoes in chive sauce

Gräslökstuvad potatis

One of my favourite midweek meals is isterband (a lightly smoked Swedish sausage) with gräslökstuvad potatis (potatoes in chive sauce), inlagda rödbetor (pickled beetroot) and mustard.

Gräslökstuvad potatis is normally made with leftover new potatoes, but as I really like this dish I sometimes cook some potatoes specially! The sausages can be roasted while you prepare the potatoes, so it is an easy meal too. (If you prefer you can use parsley in place of the chives.)

Although I like to serve the potatoes with isterband sausages, which are available from specialists shops and online in Europe, you could use any sausage. More...

Wild garlic soup

Ramslökssoppa

At this time of year I really enjoy a nice bowl of ramslökssoppa (wild garlic soup, also called ramson soup). Wild garlic can be found growing in deciduous woodlands and is easily detected by its pungent smell. Only the leaves are picked, which are normally at their best between late April and May, before it comes into flower. The flowers are very attractive, but by the time wild garlic comes into flower the leaves are getting too big and they can be a little bitter. More…

Fish soup with wild garlic and carrots

Fisksoppa med ramslök och morötter

Fisksoppa med ramslök och morötter is a substantial soup and so I always serve it as a main course, rather than as a starter. The recipe has been adapted from Leif Mannerström's fantastic Fisk book. The original recipe used stenbit (catfish), but it also works well with any fairly meaty white fish such as pollack, cod or haddock. More…

Crispy asparagus

Krispiga sparris

Try some crispy baked asparagus for a delicious starter or tapas style dish. It is so moreish and is one of my favourite dishes during the asparagus season. More…

For a real treat serve it with some homemade lemony mayonnaise. Some commercial mayonnaise is very good, but because it has to be pasturised it really can't match the creamy delicacy of a good homemade mayonnaise. Our recipe is easy and produces consistent results - provided you are patient! More…

Potato pancakes with prawns in a creamy dill sauce

Rårakor med krämig räkröra

This is combines two of my Swedish dishes: rårakor and räkröra! Rårakor are thin lacy potato pancakes and here they are topped with räkröra (prawns in a creamy dill sauce).

Räkröra, also called skagenröra, is made by adding prawns (shrimps) and dill to a mayonnaise and gräddfil (a bit like soured cream) mixture, but here I've used crème fraîche in place of the mayonnaise and gräddfil. It makes a lovely starter to serve six people or a nice lunch for two.

Cloudberry parfait

Hjortronparfait

Hjortronparfait (cloudberry parfait) is one of my favourite desserts for a special occasion. It can be made with hjortronsylt (cloudberry jam) which is available from IKEA, specialist shops or online. Everything can be made a day or two in advance and assembled at the last minute. More…

Thin rye crispbread

Tunt knäckebröd

Knäckebröd (crispbread) is served always served with a meal in Sweden, so every Swedish supermarket has a wide selection of different types of knäckebröd. Most are made using rye flour and spices, but the thickness varies a lot.

Although you can buy very good knäckebröd outside of Sweden it is worth making the effort to bake some yourself as they always taste a bit special when homemade, especially tunt knäckebröd. More…

Top 20 Recipes

Top 20 Recept

Köttbullar (meat balls) was our most recipe during 2017, taking the top spot back from kanelbullar (cinammon buns). Cholkladbollar (chocolate balls) remains in third place. Surdegskultur (sourdough starter), lussekatter (Lucia saffron buns) and a klassik rödbetssallad (classic beetroot salad) get into the Top 20 for the first time. For details of all our Top 20 Recipes click here. 

2018 Calendar

2018 Almanacka

For a calendar of the main festivals and food events in Sweden to look forward to during 2018 click here.

Distinctive features of Swedish food

Swedish food has a growing reputation across the world. For instance, Jamie Oliver described Swedish food as "Big, bold, brave and definitely up there with the best in the world". But what makes Swedish food distinctive? Check-out our guide…

We have compiled a list of what we consider to be our Top 50 Classic Recipes. No two people are likely to agree completely on what should be included, but we hope you will approve of most of our choices!

I am are gradually producing a Swedishfoodpedia. Essentially this is a series of articles about food related events in Sweden and Swedish ingredients, especially those that might not be familiar to most readers. I have already assembled articles on many topics including:

• cloudberries (wonderful golden berries that grow in the north of Sweden),
• fika (a "proper" Swedish coffee break),
• lingon (lingonberries, an essential accompaniment to many Swedish dishes),
• surströmming (stinky fermented herring),
• Västerbottensost (the king of Swedish cheeses),

Many other articles are in the pipeline, but if there is anything you would like to know more about please let me know. To read existing articles click here.