Hey there! When I started this blog, I set myself a mission to recreate as many traditional breakfasts from all around the world as possible. Many people skip the breakfast, but in my opinion it is the most important meal of the day. Your body and brain need some fuel to start moving for God’s sake! That’s why I find it insanely interesting to discover what people eat for breakfast in different countries across the globe. Let’s go!
After the last week's trip to the sunny and hot Brazil, in this #2 edition of the “Breakfast Around the World” posts series we are heading North to the land of the Vikings, meatballs and Ikea - Sweden! Let's see how the Swedish breakfast looks like!
Let's start from clearing up the myths. Despite the crazy popularity of the Swedish meatballs (hello, Ikea!) and Swedish pancakes around the world, they are not eaten for breakfast. The same can be said about another Swedish staple - salmon. Neither salmon, nor other kinds of fish such as pickled herring are common for breakfast. I found the fact that such a beloved food in Sweden as salmon is left behind a little bit surprising. In my humble opinion it is a perfect sandwich topping, and actually, even I have it for breakfast sometimes, but hey, it's their choice! If you are a Swede and you are reading this post right now, please clarify the situation with the salmon and Swedish breakfast in the comments section below. Thanks in advance!
So, now when we clarified what Swedes don't eat in the morning, let's talk about what is usually found on their breakfast table. It should be mentioned that Swedes eat their breakfast at home; going out for the first meal of the day is an unusual thing. Like in other European countries, open-faced sandwiches are a MUST. You can choose from different toppings that are put on top of either plain or crisp bread. One of the most authentic toppings is a fishy paste (cod roe spread also called "Kaviar") from a tube! More about it below. Boiled eggs are also a frequent guest. Swedes also like such international breakfast staples as oatmeal porridge and cereal or muesli.
Now, let's dive a little bit deeper into the details of the ordinary Swedish breakfast.
Beverages
Swedes can't imagine their breakfast without a cup of coffee. Strong coffee. In the last post about the Brazilian breakfast I told you that Brazil is the world's largest producer of coffee, right? Well, Swedes are not known for producing coffee, but they drink a hell of a lot of it! Sweden is in the top 5 of the most coffee drinking countries in the world! If you are not a fan of this black drink, like me, pour yourself a cup of juice.
Open-faced sandwiches (smörgås)
Breakfast sandwiches in Sweden are as plain as possible. Bread, butter or margarine, cheeses, cold cuts, and a simple veggie on top - cucumber, bell pepper or tomato. Nothing fancy. Well, there actually is one interesting sandwich topping option.
How about the roe spread (caviar) in the early morning? This fishy paste comes in tubes and Swedes are crazy about it. This Swedish specialty is not for the faint of heart and will most probably shock a foreigner's palate. I was so happy that I was able to find it in my country! You can look for it in your local Ikea, there is a 99% chance they will have it! The roe spread didn't make my palate feel bad at all, except the fact that you probably get a week worth of salt intake in one serving, ha ha! I guess I quite loved it because these types of products are common in Eastern European countries (not for the breakfast though). But anyway, you have to taste it at least once in a lifetime!
Some time ago the most famous cod roe paste producer "Kalles" ran the advertising campaign, during which this fishy Swedish paste was served to people in the streets of Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo and other places. You can read about and watch their reactions in this New York Times article. Hilarious!
Swedish sandwiches can be made either with a plain or a crisp bread (knäckebröd). It's a cracker like bread made from rye flour. It's super light and can last for months. Crisp bread was for a long time considered a poor man's food, however, lately it gained popularity in Nordic countries. I found it easily in my local supermarket, so you can try looking for it in your local shops or (once again) visit the mighty Ikea and you will find everything! I love the concept of Ikea. On one hand, it's a furniture shop, while on the other hand, it gives you a chance to familiarize with the country's culture. Pretty cool.
Boiled eggs
This Swedish breakfast option is very familiar to me, because we have boiled eggs quite often in the morning in Eastern Europe. The only difference is the topping. We put some mayo on top, while Swedes squeeze some roe spread from a tube on eggs. Actually it's even more common to put caviar on eggs, rather than simply on bread. I can prove the fact that Swedish fishy paste goes the best with boiled eggs. You can eat boiled eggs cut in half or sliced up on top of bread or crisp bread. Just don't forget that caviar!
Cereal, muesli and porridge
Lastly, more simple and well known Swedish breakfast options. Swedes eat their cereal or muesli mixed with yogurt or a local specialty filmjölk (milk product similar to buttermilk or kefir). Filmjölk is very popular among Swedes, unfortunately I wasn't able to find it and made my muesli with plain yogurt. Talking about the porridge, it's just the same as everywhere, made with oatmeal and topped with fruits and berries.
That's it! I really enjoyed this filling Swedish breakfast. Even their fishy paste! I have almost a full tube of it left, so I guess I have no other choice, ha! Have you noticed that there were no dessert at all? That's right. Swedes don't have any pastries for the breakfast. Just yogurt, muesli, some berries and fruits on top. Sometimes they do add some jam to a cereal bowl though.
If there is the IKEA in your town, or a nearby town, you can easily replicate this Swedish breakfast. Maybe you even don't need the IKEA and you will be able to find all the ingredients in your local or specialty shops. Believe me, it's worth it. See you in other “Breakfast Around the World” posts!
Swedish Breakfast – Breakfast Around the World #2
Ingredients
- Coffee or fresh juice
- Plain or crisp bread (knäckebröd)
- Cheese
- Cold cuts
- Vegetables for garnish (cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes)
- Hard boiled eggs
- Cod roe spread (caviar) the most known brand is "Kalle"
- Cereal or muesli
- Plain yogurt or filmjölk
- Rolled oats
- Berries and fruit for garnish
Instructions
- Serve all the items and enjoy your authentic Swedish breakfast!
Ezra
I'm from Sweden. Personally, my family would never serve salmon other than during festivities because it's too expensive, but picked herring and home-smoked fresh water fish isn't uncommon. Since I'm from the northern parts, cold moose meat isn't that unusual either. Though, the standard breakfast was oat porridge or, during weekend, rice porridge (sometimes translated to rice pudding which makes me wince) served with sugar and cinnamon. A common topping for oat porridge is lingonberry jam (I'm personally not a fan of that).
Also, I don't find emmental and grevé to be similar at all. No emmental cheese I've eaten have had the nutty flavour of grevé (and it should be mature one too).
Oh, and from the part I'm from, flatbread and goats cheese and.. goat-something... (uhm.. not sure how to translate it, but if you google "getmese" or "messmör" you might get what I mean) are common too.
(Btw, I can't stand "kaviar" :p)
(I wrote this on my phone and auto correct stepped in without me noticing. I've corrected the errors I found, so please delete my first comment. Sorry!)
Igor
Thanks for the comment, Ezra! Moose meat sounds exotic. It's interesting that salmon is too expensive in Sweden, while moose meat is not 🙂 Oh and sorry in advance if I'll sound stereotypical, but it's really strange to hear that something, moreover such a staple in Scandinavia as salmon, can be too expensive for you. You guys live quite well in Scandinavia, don't you? 🙂 Many people from my country (Lithuania) go to Norway or Sweden for work and return from there with their pockets full, ha! What I wanted to say here is that even I am able to eat salmon every single day (not in big amounts of course, just a little bit on sandwiches) while salaries in my country are almost the lowest ones in Europe.
Yeah, I read about the lingonberry jam but wasn't able to find it in my town 🙂 Rice porridge is awesome, we love it here too.
I've googled “getmese” and “messmör”. They look like something I would eat with a big pleasure 🙂
Thanks once more for clarifying some things and providing more interesting information!
Ezra
Well, the moose meat is cheap in the area I come from because pretty much everyone has at least one hunter in the family.
It's true Sweden is a rich country, but that also means everything is more expensive. I live in UK now, for studies, and I've been to Romania for my university, most things, including food, is about half the price than back home in Sweden. I believe that's one of the reasons people from other countries that's working in Sweden have so much money when they return, our salaries are made for our prices, while the prices in other countries are lower. Also, poverty do exist in Sweden (it's a rather common misconception that everyone is well off there and that the government will make sure you are, all of it sounds good on paper, but doesn't always work irl), I'm from one of those families where money has always been a struggle, but even for the more average citizen, it would be too expensive to eat salmon daily, though eating salmon once or twice a week (if you buy it raw and frozen) is within most families' budget.
Sweden is not perfect, but it's a good place and I do miss certain foods (like "fiskbullar" -fish balls-, "smörgåsgurka" -sweet and sour pickled cucumber- and salty liquorice) but most of all, I miss the nature and the solitude.
Also with meatballs on sandwich *points at message below* it's not uncommon to put beetroot salad on the sandwich first and then the meatballs. Back home is also not uncommon with thick slices of "falukorv" (a kind of sausage) and ketchup on crisp bread as well. Personally, I find it disgusting, but I'm just one single Swede. 😛
Igor
Once again, thanks for the comment, Ezra! It's very interesting to hear about Sweden from the Swede. I won't think that all people have loads of money there anymore 🙂
Also thanks for mentioning fish balls and pickled cucumber - I will look into them and maybe even make them for the blog 🙂
The sandwich with a beetroot salad and meatballs sounds absolutely divine. We love beet salad here in Lithuania and overall I think our taste is similar to Scandinavian 🙂
Mr. Swede
Actually, meatballs are sometimes eaten for breakfast. It's not uncommon to split cold meatballs in two and put them on the sandwich. Perhaps not as common as ham or cheese and such things, but still not uncommon either. 🙂
Igor
Thanks for the info! 🙂
Martin Svensson
Well, a classic sandwich to buy is one with meatballs and rödbetssallad (red beet salad) on it. Perhaps not always eaten for breakfast, but it is common to find in places where you buy ready made sandwiches. That said, to just eat a normal sandwich with meatballs for breakfast, it certainly does happen. I do it myself a lot 🙂
Igor
I have to try that sandwich because it sounds freaking awesome 🙂
Ingvor Franklin
My mother was born in Sundsvall, Sweden. When I was growing up, once a month we would drive downtown to the Swedish Arpi for herring breakfast. It included pan-fried fresh herring, boiled potatoes, and a horseradish cream sauce. I'm pretty sure there was something else on the plate, but I don't remember what.
Pancakes were for Thursday night - Platte and pea soup.
Igor
Fried herring and potatoes sound awesome, Ingvor. Horseradish is popular in Lithuania too so I can imagine how delicious the cream sauce is 🙂
Molly
I just discovered your site. I can't wait to try all the different breakfasts from around the world. Thanks for putting this together.
Igor
I am glad you liked the blog, Molly. Enjoy!
Jeff Hansen
Just came from my first trip to Europe and a great visit with relatives in Sweden and found out about the breakfast fare, it took a couple of days but got use to it. The pate on crisp bread with cheeses and boiled eggs with mackerel in tomato sauce were two types of breakfast sandwiches that I will continue to enjoy back in Chicago suburban area. Glad I found your blog to confirm what I was eating "correctly"
Thanks for the info
Jeff
Charlie
Hi Igor, I tried the tube caviar for the first time after seeing it on an advert in my local IKEA this week end at first it was a strange texture and taste but trying it on boiled eggs and sliced potatoes and adding my own twist with adding some picked gerkin to on the side I found it quite enjoyable...