Posts under "food"

Slickepott – The rubber scraper

Posted by Katja 7 Comments
Feb 8 2012

Ok, so I thought of another kitchen utensil which can be found in almost all Swedish house holds. I don’t know who invented this one, so it may very well not be a Swedish invention. That does not stop swedes from using it religiously however.

Kids love to help out with baking, wanting to clean the bowl with the “Slickepott” as the rubber scraper/spatula is referred to in everyday Swedish. The Swedish verb for “to lick” is “att slicka” and “pott” derives most likely from a word for a container or bowl of some sort. Meaning that the Slickepott is something that you can wipe the very last from the jar, bowl or saucepan.

Just the same as the Osthyvel, cooking and baking is not the same without this utensil. It feels like a total waste to leave a jar of jam with lots left in it just because the knife or spoon doesn’t fit. However, there is a colorful solution.

Can you think of any utensils which are specifically used in your country that Swedes would appreciate as presents?

The cheese slicer – Osthyvel

Posted by Katja 12 Comments
Feb 1 2012

Do you know what this is? In Swedish it is called an Osthyvel.

It’s called a cheese slicer. This is in fact a Norwegian invention by Thor Bjørklund, who in 1925 is said to have been given cheese on a slice of bread for lunch. The had cheese melted before he had had a chance to eat it. Since he wanted to have thinner slices he looked around his carpenters workshop. The first attempt was with a knife, but to no avail. He then tried using one of his planes and it did the job, but he couldn’t store it in the kitchen and it was hard to use as well. So he made it smaller therefor becoming the inventor of today’s indispensable cheese slicer.

This kitchen tool is used every single day in Sweden, by millions of Swedes. Many are faced with a sort of culture shock when abroad and find their favorite way of eating cheese not available.  Many Swedes probably can’t even imagine cutting cheese with a knife. If you know any Swedes, ask them if they could even consider the thought?

The cheese slicer, even though it wasn’t a Swede who invented it, is a brilliant present for Swedes to give international friends as a thank-you for letting them stay at their place :)

 

Must try Must!

Posted by Katja 3 Comments
Dec 29 2011

Think you have tried all soft drinks? If you haven’t tried the Swedish Julmust then you’ve missed out. In Sweden there are two types of Must, Julmust (Christmas Must) and Påskmust (Easter Must). Sure it is brown, sugary and carbonated but definitely not the same as Coca Cola.

The recipe for Must is a special recipe kept under lock and key. Actually, the only thing different between the two types of Must, Påsk-and Julmust is the label on the bottles. So if you’ve forgotten to buy some Julmust or run out during the Christmas festivities, and happen to have a spare bottle of Påskmust left over from Easter then there’s no shame in drinking that up instead. The same goes for Easter and drinking leftover Julmust.

But the shops can’t charge the same price for a Christmas labelled drink when Christmas is over, so the shops sell all the Julmust at dirt cheap prices. Lucky for the Julmust lovers :) People can buy 4 big bottles of Julmust for 25:- or something like on the after Christmas sales.

If you haven’t tried it, check your nearest IKEA shop or other Ethnic Food store, if you’re lucky they’ll stock it.

Sankta Lucia in Sweden

Posted by Marcus Cederström 2 Comments
Dec 13 2011

A couple of years ago, we wrote about the Lucia tradition in Sweden. But with it being the 13th of December yet again, it was time to give a quick refresher course.

The Lucia tradition involves a woman dressed in white with a crown of candles upon her head. Following her are several young boys, also dressed in white, with conical star covered hats on their heads. The woman appointed to be Lucia is usually carrying baked goods and coffee to serve.  Known as Luciatågs (literally a Lucia train), these processions wander through offices and schools on December 13th spreading light and delicious fika materials.

Katja did a great job of explaining some of the baked goods that make a traditional Lucia day a few days ago when she wrote Lussekatter, Lussebullar and Lusselängd. If you’re feeling adventurous, check it out and try baking your own Lussekatter. Be warned, they do call for saffron and saffron is not cheap.

Along with the candles, the coffee, and the baked goods is the singing.  There are several Lucia songs that could be considered classic, but the one that always comes to mind from my time in Sweden is simply titled Sankta Lucia

The melody (apparently) is an old Neopolitan one, but there are several different lyrical versions. Below, you will find a lovely rendition on YouTube, as well as the accompanying text. Enjoy:

Sankta Lucia, ljusklara hägring,
sprid i vår vinternatt glans av din fägring.
||: Drömmar med vingesus under oss sia,
tänd dina vita ljus, Sankta Lucia. |

Kom i din vita skrud, huld med din maning.
Skänk oss, du julens brud, julfröjders aning.
||: Drömmar med vingesus, under oss sia,
tänd dina vita ljus, Sankta Lucia. |

Trollsejd och mörkermakt ljust du betvingar,
signade lågors vakt skydd åt oss bringar.
||: Drömmar med vingesus, under oss sia,
tänd dina vita ljus, Sankta Lucia. |

Stjärnor som leda oss, vägen att finna,
bli dina klara bloss, fagra prästinna.
||: Drömmar med vingesus, under oss sia,
tänd dina vita ljus, Sankta Lucia. |

YouTube Preview Image

Fika. Swedish Style.

Posted by Marcus Cederström 3 Comments
Dec 12 2011

After several years in Sweden and a move back to the United States, I realized I had picked up quite a few habits. Some decidedly Swedish. Like taking my shoes off every time I enter someone’s home. It’s just a nice thing to do in my opinion and it ensures that all of that gunk I’ve been walking on outside, doesn’t make its way inside.

One habit that I did not pick up was going out for a fika. Probably because I don’t drink coffee (on a side note, I was once told that me not drinking coffee made me a stereotypical American. Because Americans don’t drink coffee. Obviously.). But no trip to Sweden is complete without hearing the word fika on a regular basis.

A while back, Katja wrote about the classic snacks for a fika, and even took a look at the habit of fika-ing in cafes instead of at home.  Today, we’re going to talk a bit about the word and the cultural mainstay it has become.

First, what is it? Fika is a cultural phenomenon that is similar to English tea.  You’re supposed to have yourself some coffee, maybe some saft if you’re not into coffee, and some baked goods.  Fikas are common in the work place, where you’ll sometimes have both a morning and an afternoon fika.  They’re a common way to go on a first date. A common way to go on a last date.  A common way to meet new people, meet old friends, meet new colleagues.  Sometimes you might even have a job interview over a fika.

As you’ll notie above, there’s not much the fika can’t do.  It’s amazing really. The word itself is pretty impressive.  It can act as both verb and noun.  For example:

Verb form: Ska vi fika imorgon eftermiddag? (Shall we fika tomorrow afternoon?)
Noun form: Ska vi ta en fika lite senare? (Shall we grab a fika a little bit later?)

Fascinating isn’t it?  It gets better. Or at least for the linguistics amongst us it gets better.  Nationalencyklopedin has a very short, but very interesting (and unfortunately, now NOT free service) that describes how the word originated from a slang language used by marketplace merchants in Västergötland.  The Swedish word for coffee is kaffe, which became kaffi. Somehow, and this is where my linguistic knowledge hits a wall, the letters were rearranged and we are left with the word fika.

So next time you find yourself in Sweden and someone asks you out for a fika. Say yes. You’ll already have a great conversation starter (speaking of which, Katja has written a lovely post about a classic conversation starter in Swedish. Check it out.).

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