01 November 2010

Swedish Fish

Yes, they do have Swedish fish in Sweden. No, I did not eat them. I didn't have Swedish meatballs either, but that doesn't mean I didn't intend to. We went to two "traditional Swedish" restaurants and they weren't on the menu at either place. We had some pretty good food while we were there, though some was way over-priced (like many things in Sweden). Luckily, I usually am only hungry for two meals a day when traveling. Isn't walking all day supposed to build an appetite and not diminish one? I just know that it saves me money! 
There are bulk bins of candy available all over the place, like in the millions of 7-Eleven's all over Stockholm
Swede's have a sweet tooth, just like the French. There are tons of bakeries all over, with delicious pastries and treats, like the one pictured below that was a couple doors down from our hostel. I haven't even stepped foot in a bakery in France yet, so I had a tough time getting breakfast from here. My normal idea of a breakfast doesn't come from a bakery, though I did end up getting yogurt and one of the pastries for my first breakfast here. I had a hard time deciding but I think I made a pretty good choice! 
Apple Cinnamon Stuffed Muffin - delicious!
One of the girls in our group had two friends, Victoria and Christina, from Stockholm whom she'd met on a study abroad program last year. They made us all a reservation at Restaurang Minerva, which serves traditional Swedish food in a very French-themed atmosphere.  Yes, that's a raw egg yolk atop my meal. It (the entire meal) was delicious! What was really interesting about this restaurant, was the little sign they had on the table that the Swedish girls translated for us. Basically, it said that they don't like to waste food, so if your meal isn't enough food for you, ask for another portion and they'll give it to you for free. My plate was huge; there was no way I could have needed more food! 
Boeuf à la Rydberg: Diced filet, onion, potato, egg yolk and mustard cream 


For lunch one afternoon before our boat tour, we stopped at Nybrogrillen, one of Stockholm's many street food stands. Street food is all over the place here, hot dogs, kebabs, tons of Thai, Mexican, Italian, American fast food (Burger King and McDonalds), sushi... you name it and they have it! Anyways, after staring at the menu for a few minutes, I ordered a comb of foods I wouldn't have thought to put together myself. Oh boy was it good; my stepdad would love this wrap: roast beef, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and lettuce in a Swedish flat bread.  Holy yum!
Heaven in my mouth. For such a simple sandwich, the combination was delicious!
The last night, we asked people on the street for recommendations on where we could get traditional Swedish food. We wound up at a restaurant called 1900, which was over-priced and not the traditional Swedish home cooking we were looking for. So, no Swedish meatballs. My dinner was good but not worth what I paid and not I was feeling like eating but it is what it is. 
Pan-fried Pike Perch with jus  of shrimp and Spanish saffron, baked tomato, carrot purée with fennel "crisp", there were also small baked potatoes on the side
I did also allow myself one special treat, which I'll write about soon. It's name translates to "vacuum cleaner" and I definitely hoovered it. Basically, whatever type of food you want, you can find it in Sweden (this is not the case in France). Like, my dinner the first night was courtesy of Elio, who insisted I eat half of his sushi - yummy! Honestly I think there was more international cuisine available than Swedish. I should have made time to have Thai food and Mexican.... I'll have to save that for another trip. :D

Bisous,
-kelse

3 comments:

  1. Your wrap looks yummy. Mashed potato in a wrap...who knew. I like the candy bins. :)

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  2. Trust me Kelsey, you don't want real traditional Swedish food. Think pickled herring and rotten herring. BUT if you come visit us in Bergen we can make you some of the nicer varieties of Swedish food... like reindeer or moose chili... or even some falukorv or pyttipanna! :) I'm so glad you experienced the Swedish fika! Never tried the dammsugare myself but guess I'll have to now!

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  3. All of this food looks delicious! YuM! Glad you had a good trip...miss you though miss kelsey may!

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