Advertisement

Five tasty spring treats that don't involve chocolate eggs

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Five tasty spring treats that don't involve chocolate eggs
Boiled eggs, smoked salmon and potato gratin are all popular in Sweden. Photos: TT

Here are our favourite Swedish savoury snacks to try over Easter (plus a guide to making the snaps to wash them down with).

Advertisement

1. Crisp bread (knäckebröd) with eggs

Swedes are obsessed with crisp bread, which has been a staple at family dinners for centuries and is apparently still found in 80 percent of Swedish homes. Most people buy it from supermarkets these days, but why not make the most of the four-day break and to try make this super Swedish snack from scratch?

Serve your wobbly, crackly treats with good quality butter and eggs (the savoury not the chocolate kind) at Easter. They are also delicious with cheese, cold meats, yoghurt or salmon.

Click here for the full recipe


Photo: Leif R Jansson/TT

2. Cured salmon (Gravad lax)

This salmon dish is a year-round favourite in Sweden, but it's especially common on dinner tables over Easter and Christmas. The name literally means ‘cured fish’ and the recipe dates back from the Middle Ages, when fishermen buried their fish in order to preserve it. Gravad lax is probably Sweden’s most famous culinary export, but the good news is it’s also simple to make at home.

Click here for the full recipe


Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

3. Potato and fish gratin (Janssons frestelse)

Janssons frestelse translates to Jansson’s Temptation, and though Swedes don’t know for certain who exactly Jansson was, it’s easy to see why he couldn’t resist this hearty casserole. Made with potatoes, onions, cream and often fish, it has secured its place as a staple on most Swedes’ Julbords (Christmas buffet tables) and over Easter. Serve it piping hot, with bread, and you’ve got the ultimate Swedish comfort food.

Click here for the full recipe


Photo: Malin Hoelstad/SvD/TT

4. Swedish snaps

Swedes love to toast with alcoholic snaps on special occasions and despite being one of the most secular countries in the world, Easter is no exception.

Snaps is a form of vodka made from distilled grain or potatoes. It comes in a range of flavours from apricot to blackcurrant, caraway (our favourite) and even St John's wort. This drink is usually served cold and accompanied by a song sheet. Swedes love to rattle out a drinking song or two before they slip the whole shot down in one go.

Click here for the full recipe


Photo: Leif R Jansson/TT

5. Pyttipanna fry up

Not strictly an Easter dish, this recipe is nevertheless a firm Swedish favourite over public holiday weekends. It's a great way to use up leftover potatoes and eggs from large dinners with family and friends and an incredible hangover cure to help soak up all that snaps.

Click here for the full recipe


Photo: Leif R Jansson/TT

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also