25+ Scandinavian Recipes • Nordic Comfort Food! (2024)

FAQs

What is the staple food of Scandinavia? ›

You'll soon discover that the Scandinavian countries have similar diets, featuring locally-sourced ingredients. Common foods include bread, dairy products, potatoes, porridges, creamy soups, salted or smoked meats and fresh, salted or smoked fish.

Köttbullar (Meatballs)

If there's one Scandinavian food that will give you a real taste of the region, this is it. Meatballs are served with boiled or mashed potatoes, a cream sauce, cucumber, and tart lingonberry jam. The meat can vary—some recipes incorporate pork, veal, and beef, for example.

– The rich flavours, the freshness, and the simplicity of our dishes, made from the best organic ingredients. Nordic dishes are generally not too complicated and most people love them because the individual flavours and ingredients can be recognised and enjoyed for what they are.

New Nordic Food is food produced with care and with a focus on taste and diversity, forgotten varieties and breeds, old processing methods and new ideas in the kitchen.

Fish and Seafood: Given the proximity to the sea, fish and seafood play a significant role in Scandinavian cuisine. Common varieties include salmon, herring, cod, mackerel, and shrimp. Root Vegetables: Root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, turnips, and beets are staples in Scandinavian cooking.

The Nordic diet emphasizes traditional, sustainable, and locally sourced foods, with a heavy focus on those considered healthy. Eat in moderation: game meats, free-range eggs, cheese, and yogurt.

Nordic diet is described by higher consumption of locally available plant-based vegetables, fruits such as oat, wholegrain, berries, rapeseed oil, and sea foods such as fish, shellfish from, and reduced intake of sweetened beverages and salt (Bere and Brug, 2009; Olsen et al., 2011).

An open-faced sandwich is a very common Scandinavian breakfast. It can be as simple as a piece of rye bread with butter and a slice of cheese, or you can spruce it up a bit with toppings like cucumber, apples, sliced egg, or bell pepper. Chopped chives or dill are never a bad idea.

Lunch in Scandinavia often consists of light yet satisfying dishes. Smørrebrød in Denmark, a variety of fish dishes in Sweden and Norway, and hearty soups in Finland are common. The emphasis is on fresh, local ingredients, making lunch a delightful showcase of Scandinavian flavors.

In the forests and plains grow blueberries, wild strawberries, cloudberries, lingonberries, rowanberries, elderberries and many more. Some are eaten fresh with milk or cream, other turned into homemade marmalade, jam or fruit syrup to be savoured during the cold season.

What do Nordic people eat in a day? ›

The Nordic diet is often compared to the Mediterranean diet because it has similar aspects. This diet places an emphasis on seasonal vegetables, unprocessed food, seafood as well as whole grains. Local foods such as fish and reindeer meat are a big staple.

The Difference Between Nordic and Scandinavian

In short, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are all Nordic countries with Scandinavian roots, but typically, you will only find Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish people referring to themselves as Scandinavian.

Internationally, the most renowned Swedish culinary tradition is the smörgåsbord and, at Christmas, the julbord, including well-known Swedish dishes such as gravlax and meatballs. In Sweden, traditionally, Thursday has been "soup day" because the maids had half the day off and soup was easy to prepare in advance.

Scandinavian food emphasizes simplicity, freshness, and a connection to the land and sea. Dishes often feature ingredients like fish, potatoes, berries, and dairy products, reflecting the resourcefulness of the people who have thrived in this challenging northern environment for generations.

Surströmming is a traditional dish from northern Sweden that arose during the 16th century when Sweden had a salt shortage. Today, the fish has become infamous due to its stinky smell, yet enthusiasts praise surströmming for its great taste.

Northern Norwegians eat a lot of smoked, dried lamb. Of course, we can't discuss meat without mentioning meatballs. There must be tens of thousands of different recipes – actually, that's probably a vast underestimation. In Sweden, a mixture of pork and beef is usually prepared, whereas Danes prefer pork and veal.

Scandinavian Land & Sea Seasoning Contains: California Salt, Garlic, Sugar, Black Pepper, Red Bell Pepper, Ginger, Dill, Cinnamon, Parsley, Bay Leaf, Orange Peel.

The Nordic diet encourages you to eat a lot of whole foods, particularly sourced locally and in season, including: Whole grains, particularly rye, barley and oats. Fruits, especially berries. Vegetables, especially root vegetables like beets, turnips and carrots.

What do Scandinavian people eat in a day? ›

Scandinavians eat simple, hearty meals. They generally eat three meals a day, plus a coffee break. Breakfast is light and usually includes bread or oatmeal porridge, fruit, eggs, cheese, herring, or potatoes. Fruit soup is a popular breakfast item in the winter and is topped with cream and served with bread and cheese.