Food & culture
Gastronomy in Sweden
Swedish chefs have been winning international prizes, while Sweden’s
Michelin-starred restaurants are getting excellent press, all over the world.
Of course, Sweden’s new-found reputation as a “foodie” country wouldn’t be possible without the influence of international cuisine or Swedish chefs’ take on imported as well as local produce. In addition, in Sweden you are as likely to have an Iranian kebab, or sushi for lunch or dinner, as you are to have Swedish mainstays such as meatballs or filled cabbage rolls – a reflection of the internationalization of Swedish cuisine.
Fabulous traditional Swedish ingredients, such as Kalix bleak roe, various local cheeses and lobster are not to be missed.
Modern Swedish icons ABBA, design and culture
Perhaps Sweden’s greatest export is its culture and its modernity. Swedish design, music, art and literature are admired the world over. That Sweden punches way above its weight, historically and in modern times, in terms of the impact of its culture around the globe is without doubt.
Take Björn Borg’s tennis game: stoical, rock solid, with a single-minded attitude and never-say-die tilt. Perhaps descriptive of Swedes as people. But instead of analysing Swedes perhaps we should just enjoy and celebrate the sheer showbiz of ABBA, the functionality and aesthetic of Swedish design, the peace prize of dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and the Swedish folklore-inspired works of Astrid Lindgren. And much, much more.
As Ingemar Stenmark, man-of-few-words skiing legend, replied to a sports commentator’s criticism of one of his performances: “Try it yourself”. So why don’t you try Sweden?