Princess cake

Prinsesstårta

A prinsesstårta (princess cake) is Sweden's most famous cake. It is said that 70% of all cakes sold in cafés in Sweden are princess cakes and such is the popularity of the cake that nearly every Swede has at least one slice during prinsesstårta vecka (princess cake week), which occurs during the last week in September.

The cake normally consists of three layers of fatless sponge filled with vanilla custard and whipped cream. The cake is finished off with a covering of green marzipan with a marzipan rose on top. These days there is often a layer of raspberry jam as well.

A prinsesstårta is great fun to bake, if you like a challenge! Indeed it has been set as a technical challenge in the BBC's "The Great British Bake Off". So if you like to challenge yourself checkout our recipe. More…

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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

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Sweetened lingonberries

Rårörda lingon

Rårörda lingon (sweeten lingonberries) is one of the most popular accompaniments to main courses in Sweden and is incredibly easy to make.

Lingonberries grow in the wild in Sweden on small bushes in woodlands and on moorlands. They ripen in August and September and are picked with a scrabbler, a wide fork-like tool, which can strip a bush very quickly. Unfortunately they are quite bitter on their own, but they are transformed with the addition of a little sugar.

Rårörda is really two words joined together: rå means raw and rörda means stirred/shaken/moved. To make rårörda lingon is simple: add some sugar to some lingonberries in a jar and shake it up until the sugar dissolves. More…

Bilberries (wild blueberries)

Blåbär

Blåbär (bilberries/wild blueberries) are now plentiful and at their best. This year's crop is especially juicy following lots of rain over northern Europe, so if you live in an area where they grow it is worth making the effort to pick some!

Blåbärsglass (bilberry ice cream) is one of my favourites. It is easy to make and can be made with fresh or frozen bilberries (although the flavour and colour is not nearly as good if it is made with cultivated blueberries). It is shown above garnished with a mandelflarn (almond tuile), which are easy to make and can be moulded into attractive shapes if desired. For more ice cream recipes click here.

Blåbärspaj (bilberry pie) is one of my favourites, but bilberries are also superb in buns.

Traditionally one of the most popular ways in Sweden of preserving the goodness of bilberries was to turn them into saft (cordial/syrup). A glass of blåbärssaft is especially popular in winter to ward off colds.

In Sweden bilberries are also served with meat dishs such as hjortfilé med blåbärsås (venison with bilberry sauce) as shown above. It is a fantastic combination and can be made using a loin of venison, steaks, medallions or, my favourite, using a French trimmed rack of venison. More…

Baked cod with browned butter

Ugnsbakad torsk med brynt smör

Cod is so often served with brown butter and freshly grated horseradish in Sweden that most fishmongers sell fresh horseradish. Usually the cod is gently poached in a flavoured stock, but this version is slightly easier to cook, especially for a large group. For a real treat, serve the cod with some beetroot wedges tossed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil and then roast them until they are tender, but still with a little bite. More…

Venison with blackberries

Hjortkött med björnbär

With blackberries in season now try this fantastic dish. Even if you fancy venison at the moment I recommend picking some blackberries and freezing them so you can cook this dish for a treat later in the year. More… 

Cold poached salmon

Kall inkokt lax

Kall inkokt lax (cold poached salmon) is a summer classic in Sweden. A hot spiced marinade is poured over the fish which is then cooked for a short time and then left to cool slowly until cold. It is normally served with new potatoes tossed in finely chopped dill. More…

Mayonnaise

Majonnäs

If you are treating yourself to some lovely salmon or lobster then it is worth spending ten minutes making a bowl of delicious mayonnaise. Sure, good shop-bought mayo is fine most of the time, but because it has to be pasteurised, it'll never match the creamy delicacy of homemade mayonnaise. And don't worry, it isn't difficult, although it does need a little patience. More…

Steak on a plank

Plankstek

Swedes nearly always serve plankstek with pommes duchesse, bearnaise sauce, grilled or stuffed tomatoes and asparagus or French beans wrapped in bacon. Why not give it a try? More…

Wild mushroom tart

Svamptarte

If you are lucky enough to pick (or buy) some wonderful golden chanterelle mushrooms give these delicious tarts a try. The pastry cases are made with wholegrain spelt flour and chopped walnuts which give them a delightful texture which contrasts well with the filling. More…

Jams and compotes

Sylt, marmelad och kompotter

Now is the jam making season in Sweden! Often Swedes add spices when making jam, such as star anise, juniper berries, vanilla, cinnamon or liquorice. Checkout a selection of recipes and some jam making tips by clicking here.

White sourdough bread

Vitt surdegsbröd

Try our delicious white sourdough bread recipe! It produces consistently good bread and, if you have never baked any sourdough before, there are lots of photos to help you ensure that even your first loaf will look beautiful and taste fantastic! More…

Pickled beetroot

Inlagda rödbetor

Now is the time of year to get pickling! One of my favourites is inlagda rödbetor (pickled beetroot). The beets are normally lightly spiced with white peppercorns and cloves, but other spices can be added such as star anise or cinnamon can be used as well. More… 

Seeded rye bread

Rågbröd med frön

Rågbröd (rye bread) is very popular in Sweden. When thinly sliced it is perfect with cheese or topped with salmon or prawns. This version uses sunflower seeds and golden linseed as well as cracked rye and wheat to give it a fabulous nutty texture. It’s a really tasty loaf to be enjoyed slowly! Don’t worry it is not dry, it keeps well and it has a fabulous dark crust. More…

Our most popular recipes!

Våra mest populära recept!

These are our 20 most popular recipes during 2015, based on the choices of a quarter million readers. Have you tried them all?! For details of all the recipes in our Top 20 click here.

Calendar 2016

Almanacka 2016

Our calendar for 2016 includes details of all the röda dagar (red days or public holidays) in 2016. We wish all our readers a successful and enjoyable 2016. More…

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.