Stockholm - Local gastronomy

When you think of Swedish cuisine the first things that comes to mind are herrings salmon, eel, shellfish, assorted roes and reindeer and elk meat.

If you want to have a taste of all the different dishes which are part of the Swedish tradition than you need to be in Sweden for Christmas and go to a top quality restaurant for a JULBORD ("Christmas table") where more than 400 dishes may be served. This amount represents the variety of the Swedish cuisine. Not all the Julbords are the same in some you may be served only 50 dishes. It all depends on the buffet price. There is not a standard for these buffets but it may be worth going to one of the traditional inns or restaurants if you want to have a taste of the "real thing".

Here is an example of the variety of food which may be served:

• Pickled herrings  in mustard or onion or tomato or sherryPates
• Cold fish:    smoked eel, poached salmon, assorted roes, cured and smoked salmon, shellfish Cooked fish:   stockfish, anchovy-potato gratin (Janssons Frestelse)
• Cooked meats:  meatballs, sausages, broths, chicken, pork, game ,
• Cold meat:   Cold cuts of meat
• Cooked vegetables:  red cabbage
• Pickled vegetables: beet salads, pickles
• Breads:    Rye crisp bread
• Sauces:    mustard, herb, roe, Cumberland
• Desserts:   rice porridge, mimosa salad, chocolates, puddings