The Advent Candles are burning down and Christmas is almost over. I took some food photos, since I am @sweden this week and I feel responsible to share what I can! I thought you’d want to at least see some of the traditional Swedish food we have at our table every year. A few things missing but almost all is there this year. Come along on a odyssey of Swedish Christmas food, but don’t ask me for details or a recipe, because I didn’t do the cooking. Dad did most of it!
The table is set…
…and the food is waiting. It’s a smörgåsbord of different things. We call it julbord (Christmas smorgasbord!).
But first some warm glögg and pepparkakor (gingerbread cookies), with mashed blue cheese.
Then it’s time to pick and choose. I don’t eat it all, but took photos of everything this year!
Often we start with the sill, swimming in onions. It’s pickled herring is served cold and is homemade by my dad.
The most important thing on the table is the Christmas ham, grilled in the owen. Sorry if you’re a pig – or vegan, but it’s true.
Meatballs and sausage, “for the children”.
Christmas sausages.
Salmon rolls.
New on our table for the year, some kind of herring cake.
Another fish dish, with herring.
Collard and cream is totally yummy!
Brussel sprouts. My personal favorite and the only thing I asked for.
Knäckebröd = hard crispbread.
Vörtbröd = spicy Christmas bread, baked by mom.
This is my first plate, almost all my favorites there.
I also really enjoy dark bread with ham and mustard. I think this is very traditional.
When you think you can’t eat anything more there is always room for dessert, right? This year we had Swedish Cheescake (ostkaka) with whipped cream and raspberry jam.
Eating is the big thing for grown up on Christmas, the gifts that Santa brings the main thing for the kids. So we celebrate on the Eve, but went to my mom’s mother on Christmas Day. Here are photos from that dinner too! Don’t give up yet…
Christmas Day
A row of Santas waiting for their dinner.
Christmas Day dinner time!
My funny grandmother didn’t have any christmassy glasses, so she decorated the ones she had with stickers!
Turkey (spelled with a small t because it’s a bird not a country)! ;-)
Potatoes goes with everything.
More brussel sprouts, yay!
After dinner I walked the dog, and took deep breaths of air out in the slow falling snow
When I came back it was finally time for coffee before starting the car ride home. I fell a sleep in the car.
With the coffe: soft gingerbread cake, saffron bread and jam cookies.
I am not a food blogger even though I had a category for the occasional food mood posts (now a tag). Still I hope you enjoyed this photo food odyssey of traditional Christmas food of Sweden… Read more about julbordet at Visit Sweden.
That’s it. What is your favorite food at Christmas?
It all looks so scrumptious. Lovely pics too. I hope you had a great time!
This has been a fascinating look at Christmas food traditions from Sweden.
Thanks!
That truly IS a smorgasbord! Thank you for sharing your holiday with us. Merry Christmas!
i’ve been intruiged by Swedish culture for a long time, especially Christmas traditions, so this post was so fun for me to read! thanks for sharing.
What a lovely set of pictures. It looks like a yummy time was had by all. :-)
Congratulations for being chosen to tweet for @sweden, that’s amazing!
Happy New Year!
What a fun post… lots of time and love went into all of the food preparation. Looks delicious!
Thank you – 1,000 times!
We had ham this year, cooked in cola which is not as disgusting as it sounds. However last year we cooked it in cherry cola which was much better.
See we don’t deep fry everything in Scotland. That is just a myth!