sockerkaka - swedish sponge cake

Sockerkaka translates to “sugar cake”, but really it’s a type of sponge cake without all the fuss.

Today is my darling husband’s birthday and he requested I made him a sponge cake sandwiching strawberry jam and cream – for breakfast!

How could I say no?

Last weekend we bought almost 2kgs of strawberries for $9 and he’d asked me to turn them into jam, since strawberry is his favourite jam.

I’m glad I did, because nothing beats a sponge flavoured with homemade jam (see recipe below).

Although the recipe is very simple (and you can make it more so if you use 200ml milk and 100g butter instead of cream and buttermilk), the results are light, sweet and the perfect sponge substitute.

Sockerkaka (Swedish Sponge Cake)

Based on a recipe from www.sockerkaka.com. Serves 10-12.

Ingredients:
400ml (4dl) sugar
4 eggs
60g butter
125ml cream
125ml buttermilk
2 vanilla pods (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste)
2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
600ml (6dl) flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
For filling/decoration
200ml cream, whipped
60ml (¼ cup) strawberry jam, slightly warmed  (see recipe below)
Strawberries
1 tablespoon icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175’C. Grease and line 2 x 20cm round baking tins.

2. Scrape out seeds from vanilla pods.

3. Melt butter with buttermilk, cream, lemon zest and vanilla pods and seeds. Remove from heat once butter is melted. Set aside.

4. In a new bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light, fluffy and doubled in size (at least 5 minutes).

5. After removing vanilla pods, beat milk mixture into the egg mixture.

6. In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.

7. Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.

8. Divide between tins and bake in oven for 35 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

9. Cool 5 minutes in tin, then turn out onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

10. To assemble cake, spread the strawberry jam on top of one cake, the spread over the whipped cream. Gently place the other cake on top then dust with icing sugar. Finish with strawberries.

Note: you can use 200ml milk and 100g butter if you don’t want to use cream and buttermilk. If you slightly warm the jam is goes a bit runny and soaks into the cake. But make sure it's not hot or it will melt the whipped cream.

Strawberry jam is quite difficult to get right because strawberries have little to no natural pectin and therefore making a jam that sets can be hard and takes longer than other fruits. I know I have trouble.

There are plenty of websites that offer fantastic advice on how to rescue jam that hasn’t set, even after you’ve put it in jars, so don’t let fear put you off trying. Besides, even if you end up with runny jam, it’s still going to taste amazing.

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Anna’s very own recipe. Makes 6 x 250ml jars.

Ingredients:

1.5 kg strawberries, washed and hulled

1kg caster sugar

300g raw sugar

50g jamsetta

100ml balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. Place a small saucer in the freezer. You’ll use this to test the jam.

2. Heat strawberries in a large pot with vinegar for about 5 minutes, stirring to release juices and prevent burning.

3. Meanwhile, warm sugar on a tray in the oven for around 5 minutes, being sure not to burn or dissolve it.

4. Add warm sugar and jamsetta to fruit purée, then heat and stir until sugar fully dissolves.

5. Bring to a gentle boil for 10 to 20 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent burning.

6. To test the set of the jam, remove the saucer from the freezer and teaspoon on a little jam. Wait 30 seconds then run your finger through. If it crinkles and leaves a path, then the jam is ready. Otherwise continue cooking.

7. When ready, remove from heat and pour hot jam into sterilised jars. Seal immediately.

 

finger lime & elderflower gin fizz

Jonas is giving me a hard time about not blogging enough.

He’s right, but it’s hard at the moment because I’m really busy with TWO intensive writing projects and an exciting recipe project that all suck my time and energy like a black hole.

It will be worth it in the end, but for now my blogging might be a little infrequent and I hope you’ll bear with me. I will be back to full time in April.

But something I just can’t wait to talk to you about is the crazily massive box of finger limes I received from Fred and Janet Durham at the Australian Finger Lime Company.

I have written about finger limes before, but for the uninitiated these gorgeous little beauties are native to Australia and therefore a food source to the Australian Aboriginal people for thousands of years.

European settlers weren’t so bright, and cleared so much land for cattle grazing that they almost wiped out these amazing citrus fruits. Luckily some trees remained in National Parks and people like the Durhams have been able to resurrect the numbers to turn them into a viable commercial crop.

If you ever have a chance to taste a finger lime, do not hesitate. You will be amazed.

When you cut a finger lime, the tightly bound cells of citrus burst out like caviar. They come in very pretty colours like vivid pink, electric yellow and bright green. Perfect for delicious, decorative touches on both sweet and savoury dishes.

The generous box the Durhams gave to me was so big I had to freeze some for later, but that’s fine since the limes retain the perfect caviar interior even after freezing. It makes them perfect fruit to stock up on during their short season, then freeze and enjoy throughout the year.

I love finger limes mixed into gin drinks, but you could easily put them into custards and creams, use where you would have used lime or lemon juice or zest, make them into jam or curd like this company (they ship internationally).

This recipe is close to my heart because, like the Glögg Summer Punch I made at Christmas last year, it’s another marriage of Sweden and Australia, just like my husband and I.

It also ticks off a 2011 Food Challenge to use more native ingredients.

Finger Lime & Elderflower Gin Fizz

Anna's very own recipe. Makes 1.

Ingredients:
2 parts gin
1 part finger lime syrup (see below)
½ part elderflower syrup
1 tablespoon finger lime caviar
Soda water
Ice

Method:
1. Fill a shaker with ice, then add the gin, finger lime syrup, elderflower syrup and finger lime caviar. Shake it like a polaroid picture.
2. Pour into an ice filled tumbler, top with soda water.
3. Stir and serve.

Finger Lime Syrup

Anna's very own recipe. Makes approx. 350ml.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup finger lime caviar (approx. 4 large limes)

Method:
1. Bring the sugar, lime caviar and water to the boil, then stir to dissolve all sugar.
2. Reduce to a simmer and bubble away for around 5-10 minutes until reduced to your preferred thickness.
3. Remove from heat, bring to room temperature and then chill.
Note: Use as a cordial with soda, in a cocktail or drizzled over yoghurt or ice cream.


This, with finger limes as the theme ingredient, is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen.

For other exciting finger lime recipes, check out these:

Finger Lime Caviar Butter
Finger Lime Martini
Finger Lime Vinaigrette
Lemon & Finger Lime Curd
Mango, Finger Lime & Coconut Cream
Malaysian Finger Lime & Chicken Curry
No-Cook Finger Lime Tart
Sardines w Tomato Purée & Finger Lime
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese on Rye w Finger Limes
Tuna Tartare w Avocado & Finger Lime

hot smoked mackerel

As I browsed aimlessly through the shops yesterday, I noticed that the fishmonger was almost giving away bright, shiny mackerel at a mere A$2.50 per kilo! Outrageously cheap!

I snapped up two with the intention of bonding over the smoker with Jonas, whose loves mackerel as all good Swedes should.

My first ever experience with fresh mackerel was in June 2008 during our sailing adventure along the Swedish west coast. Jonas and his mum threw baitless hooks into the sea to test the line, then pulled it up with five fat fish already attached! We didn’t even need to fish after that!

This recipe was our first real attempt at smoking anything, part of my 2011 Food Challenges, and it was an absolute success. We now have four (oh Jonas!) three fillets of sweet, smoky, juicy fish to eat throughout the week.

If you’re thinking about smoking yourself, I highly recommend our compact Nipper Kipper smoker which is the perfect size and allow us to smoke food on our inner city apartment balcony. It’s very small and tidy, so doesn’t take up any space on our balcony, and yet each shelf is big enough for four fillets of fish. Frankly, I couldn’t be happier with it.

The Nipper Kipper is made from galvanised steel, cost us about A$50 and came with a burner, two internal shelves and some wood dust to start us off. We paid an extra A$14 for a stand to keep the hot elements off the balcony tiles. You can get a slightly more expensive version in stainless steel too.

Hot Smoked Mackerel

Recipe based on this and this. Makes 4 fillets.

Ingredients:
1kg blue mackerel (about 2 fish)
50g (⅓ cup) brown sugar
50g (¼ cup) fine salt
1 litre water

Equipment:
Smoker
Smoking dust
Metholated spirits

Method:

1. Wash the mackerel then fillet. Pull out the more obvious bones with tweezers but don’t worry too much because after they cook it’s easier to debone.

2. Prepare the brine mix by stirring the sugar, salt and water. You can also add other ingredients at this stage, like garlic or onion powder, pepper, bay leaves, spices etc. Mix until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

3. Lay the fillets skin side up in a ceramic dish then cover with brine and allow to rest in a cool place for 2 hours.

4. Remove the fillets and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Some people even go as far as to give them some time under a cold fan to make sure they’re extra dry as you want as little moisture in the smoker as possible.

5. Prepare your smoker as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook for 20 minutes. Things to note:
- We used 1 tablespoon each (so that’s 3 tablespoons in total) of Australian native woods, American hickory and a rum drenched dust. If you’re not sure, I’d stick to pure hickory and only use 1 tablespoon.
- Oil the grill racks to prevent sticking (we used cooking spray).
- Cook the fish skin side down on the racks.
- Don't try to pack the smoker with too many fillets or it will generate too much moisture which prevents proper cooking. Better to do them in batches if you want to make a lot.

6. Cool the fish, wrap tightly and refrigerate.

Storage: Lasts up to a week in fridge or a few months in the freezer (where I’m told the texture won’t change upon defrosting).

Note: Blue mackerel is also sold as "slimy mackerel".

redzepi & radishes

Last night was the launch of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival and I listened with absolute pleasure to René Redzepi talking through his inspirations founding and building Noma.

I was more than a little proud when Redzepi asked the very same question I had proposed when I reviewed his book: why don’t more Australian chefs become locavores and use native Australian ingredients?

Chefs Ben Shewry (Attica) and Mark Best (Marque) joined food critics Joanna Savill and Terry Durack to discuss the concept of Australian cuisine and the applications of native produce.

From his Victorian property, Shewry had foraged some amazing wild produce including red salt berries; butterfly-leafed wild sorrel; verdant, crunchy sea succulents; and glistening strips of seaweed.

It was impossible not to be inspired by all the amazing and interesting herbs and I was restless watching them from my seat as they tasted each one on the stage. I wanted to taste them too! I already had my own recipe ideas bubbling away!

But we weren’t left out! At each seat was a small packet of leaves which we were encouraged to crush and smell, one by one. It was the first time I had smelt lemon myrtle, anisata or mountain pepper leaf in their fresh state. Normally I see them dried and, while they smell similar, the dried versions take on a stronger yet staler scent. The essential oils in the fresh leaves were simply marvellous.

As Redzepi pointed out, the wild food opportunities in Australia are endless given we have equatorial, tropical, subtropical, desert, grassland and temperate climates!

Redzepi challenged Australians to invent their own cuisine from the amazing array of cooking techniques, cultures and wild foods that we have at our disposal.

I hope some brave young Aussie chef takes up the challenge.

As we filed out of the auditorium, small tables of fresh vegetables and native leaves were a surprise extra gift from Redzepi. Seemingly civilised old women were knocking down children to grab what were really just good quality vegetables, and I almost didn’t bother throwing myself into the fray.

But I’m glad I did because this afternoon, when I sat down on my sofa to read the Noma newsletter and crunched into a small misshapen radish, I was instantly transported back in time to my maternal grandfather’s garden in Coffs Harbour. I would pull up radishes from his vegetable patch, dash into the house to wash off the dirt then bite into the red, crunchy root curling my toes in anticipation of the peppery hit I was about to get.

These days when I eat radish I feel like those memories must have been inaccurate because radishes never taste like much, especially not anything akin to the peppery-spice of my Grandpa's radishes. But when I tasted the radish Redzepi had given me it had an intensity of flavour and, finally, the elusive peppery heat I had been missing all these years.

Noma’s newsletter is predominantly about the early food memories of the restaurant staff, and I found it ironic that this radish had done the same trick for me.

It made me consider my own early food memories, in addition to the radishes:

• Riding my paternal grandfather’s back like a horse as he tended the vegetable patch and handed me exquisitely sweet tomatoes straight from the vine. I have only ever tasted a few tomatoes as good as these ever since.

• Hiding in the back garden when I was sulking and popping peas straight from their pods into my mouth. No wonder when we sold our home and moved closer to the city that I refused to eat the frozen peas my mum started serving me.

• My brothers bringing home trays of stone fruit from their summer jobs in a nearby orchard and my mother asking me to peel the peaches, her favourite fruit, because the fuzzy texture literally gave her shivers of repulsion.

• The smell of lamb chops under the grill and my parents begging me to eat the meat from the lamb chops, whereas I only wanted to eat the fat.

• Sucking overripe blood plums through the gaps of my missing front teeth and dripping deep red juices all over my clothes.

Now that I have a few fresh samples of wonderful Aussie herbs, I think I'll forge some new memories.

Now brace yourself as Crave Sydney International Food Festival begins!

And if you're a food bloggers, send the links to your posts this way!!!

noma: time & place in nordic cuisine

Crave Sydney International Food Festival will launch on Friday 1st October, and first up they will be firing the big guns with René Redzepi, Head Chef at Copenhagen restaurant Noma, the recent winner of Restaurant Magazine’s prestigious Restaurant of the Year award.

Redzepi is an international ambassador for Nordic produce and has had a Michelin-starred career working at Pierre André in Denmark, Le Jardin des Sens in France, elBulli in Spain and The French Laundry in California before opening Noma.

From the harbour-side converted warehouse in the bohemian Copenhagen suburb of Christianshavn, Redzepi and the Noma team are pumping out some awe-inspiring dishes with native ingredients and unique presentations.

Having watched Redzepi and Noma’s popularity grow online, he has truly helped revive Nordic ingredients both in their native countries and abroad.

Think birch, wood sorrel, sea buckthorn, horse mussels, musk ox, lichen, curds and cloudberries.

I could go on and on and on. I really could.

The thought of these exciting ingredients conjures up memories of my husband’s Swedish homeland: the crisp air, pure drinking water, green herbs, flavoursome potatoes, powdery snow, rich moose meat, gentle sunlight, sweet crayfish, sparkling harbours, dappled forest light and bountiful tart berries.

Again, I could go on and on and on.

I am remarkably privileged to get a sneak peak into Redzepi’s new cookbook Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine.

The book begins with the evolution of Noma from widely-scorned concept to globally-adored gastro temple as well as an interesting diary excerpt from Redzepi’s produce-sourcing quest across Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Everything I see and read about Noma echoes my own memories and sensations of Sweden.

Reading how the launch of Noma was met with disdain by other Scandinavian chefs (it was nicknamed Blubber Restaurant, Whale Penis and Seal F**ker by non-believers) reminds me that very few Australian chefs take inspiration from local Australian produce.

To date, most native Australian products have been siphoned off as “something for the tourists” and tarnished by the stigma of the crassly named “bush tucker”. It’s almost as if there’s been some sort of shame surrounding native ingredients and no one has dared take up the challenge to produce world-class cuisine that happens to focus around our native produce.

It’s such a shame, because there is a wealth of truly amazing flavour sensations in native Australian spices, fruits, vegetables and meats. My favourites are wattleseed, finger lime, quandong, akudjura and mountain pepperberry, as well as kangaroo meat, Balmain & Moreton Bay bugs (crustaceans), and the luscious native rock oysters.

Just in case you were wondering!

The Noma cookbook is more inspirational than home cooking, although some of the more sophisticated and well-tooled home cooks will no doubt give the recipes a whirl.

There are some truly magical creations such as:

• fried potato crisps frozen in liquid nitrogen then sprayed with a yoghurt and buttermilk glaze;

• fresh radishes planted into cream herb flavoured cheese then topping with “soil” made from dark malted crumbs

• slices of oyster served with wafer-thin pickled apple, cream infused tapioca and malt oil;

• cucumber balls sprinkled with cucumber peel ash and served with raw sea urchin, dill granita and frozen milk foam

• shards of dark birch meringue, pale birch sorbet, mead & honey jelly and fresh chervil

• lingonberry sorbet, hay-flavoured cream and crispy carrot cake crumbs
• a floral dessert of rose hip meringue, elderflower mousse, violet sauce, thyme gel and Icelandic skyr sorbet

Just to list a few!

As Noma has put Nordic cuisine on the “must-taste” list of every foodie around the world, here’s hoping that Australia can learn from Redzepi’s experience and cook up our own inspirational temple of native wonders, with an equally sophisticated and elegant approach that shakes off the “bush tucker” cringe.

Now we just need to get a copy of this cookbook into every Aussie kitchen!

Photo credits:

http://verygoodfood.dk/2009/03/15/noma-rising-third-star/

http://thefabday.blogspot.com/2010/04/copenhagen-noma-worlds-best-restaurant.html

västerbottenostpaj - swedish cheese pie

It’s a little known fact that Sweden produces some spectacularly delicious cheese (ost in Swedish).

Herrgardsost is a very popular cow’s milk cheese with a slight grassy flavour, full-bodied tang and soft texture.

Hushållsost, which just means “household cheese” is a typical farmer's cheese being semi-soft and mild in flavour. It’s easily for sliced and melted which makes it good for cooking and eating.

My personal favourite is prästost, meaning "Priest Cheese" in Swedish. Apparently the name comes from the days when farms gave a tenth of their produce to local clergy. Prästost is strong, biting, moreish and reminiscent of tangy, soft Cheddar. It’s wonderful, and another cow’s milk product.

But we’re here to discuss Västerbottenost, the so-called emperor of Swedish cheeses, being reserved for the most special of occasions. It’s produced in huge wheels and aged for almost a year, making it hard, crumbly and strong. Its flavour is similar to a young Parmigiano Reggiano (which makes a good substitute) and it’s perfect eaten on its own as a decadent nibble.

Jonas made this pie and it was AMAZING.

It’s not healthy, so don’t even pretend. But it does taste wonderful.

On Easter Sunday we were hit with our first taste of winter’s cold winds and torrential rain. It was enough to make us retreat into my dad and stepmum’s cosy home to enjoy a slice of the fabulous pie followed by some sticky Middle Eastern Orange Cake and an excess of Lindt chocolate.

If you don’t have access to Sweden’s wonderful Västerbottenost, just substitute with a combination of parmesan and taleggio.

Västerbottenostpaj (Västerbotten Cheese Pie)
Jonas’ very own recipe. Serves 8.
Ingredients:
250g västerbottenost (or 200g parmesan and 50g taleggio)
1 brown onion
3 eggs, beaten
200ml thickened cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Butter, for frying
20g extra västerbottenost (or parmesan), for garnishing
Prepared pastry shell, as per below
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180’C.
2. Dice the onion very finely.
3. Heat the butter in a frying pan then cook onion until translucent and a little golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
4. Whisk together the eggs and cream.
5. Add the salt and pepper, onion and cheese and whisk to combine.
6. Pour into the prepared pastry casing and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until set.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.
8. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Note: The pie can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight. The next day simply reheat and serve.

Savoury Shortcrust Pastry
Jonas’ very own recipe. Makes 1 pastry case.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
125g butter, chilled and cubed
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons hot water
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180’C. Grease and line a springform tart tin.
2. Blend the ingredients in food processer until it forms a ball of dough.
3. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.
4. On lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 5 mm thick.
5. Line the pastry tin and bake for 15 minutes until golden.

swedish christmas fare

Jonas and I recently came home from a lovely Christmas and New Years in Sweden.

It was my first winter Christmas, and luckily it was very, very white! In fact it snowed beautiful, large flat snowflakes for days. Combined with bright blue skies and no wind at all, the -15’C (5'F) didn’t seem that cold at all.

We spent Christmas in Lindvallen (Sälen) at the ski fields with Jonas’ mother and stepdad, older brother (+ his wife and two sons), his older sister (+ her fiancée and daughter) and his younger sister (+ her boyfriend). We stayed in three lovely little stugar (cabins) that even had two bastur (saunas). It couldn’t have been more lovely and picturesque.

But the fun didn’t stop in Sälen, because after we relocated to Stockholm, we stayed with Jonas’s father, stepmother and little brother and sister and spent New Years Eve setting off fireworks on the frozen edges of Lake Mälaren. We went for long walks on the thick ice and it was my first time walking on a frozen lake, feeling it shift and groan and shudder (scary).

In fact, this was the first time I had properly been in snow.

As a two year old my grandparents took me to the Snowy Mountains but I sat on the car bonnet and watched everyone else playing in the man-made ice. Then, when I was 10, on the way home from a school excursion our bus past a snowy field and they let us out to play for an hour. Then finally, when I was a 19yr old nanny, I watched my charges go up and down an artificial-snow slope in northern Italy. I stood on earth, they skied on snow.

That was the extent of my exposure to snow.

So this holiday was amazing. I was in snow, touching snow, being snowed on. I even got waist-deep in the stuff. There was so much of it, most of it lovely and powdery.

But I know you just want to know what I ate, so here’s the foodporn (and some travel porn too).

These are the cabins we stayed in.


How can you go to Sweden without eating a plate of Swedish meatballs? This was really husmansmat (traditional food): a generous portion of beef meatballs with rich gravy and served with preserved lingonberries (like cranberry sauce), pressgurka (slices of fresh cucumber dressed in a light vinegar) and boiled mandelpotatis (or almond potatoes, a speciality of northern Sweden). We ate this particularly fine dish of food in Saluhall.


Many visitors to Sweden are too narrow-minded to eat sill (pickled herring), and they’re really missing out. Most sill dishes have a sweetness from the dressing (senap – mustard; inglad – onion or matjes – spices) and a soft saltiness from the fish. I just adore pickled herring with boiled potatoes. It’s hard to beat.


Skis lined up at Lindvallen's popular slope, Gustavbacken.


Jonas’ sister, Helena, made this cake of almond paste and dark chocolate. It was simply delicious.


The smoked reindeer meat was very strong and I’m not sure I liked it. I think I prefer fresh reindeer or dried reindeer jerky over this type of smoked meat.


This is Jonas's little sister Maria, walking across a frozen Lake Mälaren.


Roast moose is just great. It has a strong gamey flavour like venison, but it’s really moreish and juicy if cooked right. A new favourite meat!


Everyone should know this tasty, famous delicacy: gravlax. Lax means salmon and gravad means buried. The dish is made from curing raw salmon in covering of salt, sugar and dill.


An afternoon stroll across fields outside Stockholm.


This game sausage is great. It’s strong-flavoured, soft-textured and has a fatty mouth-feel that you know is bad for you, but you just don’t care.


Glögg (mulled wine) is an extremely important part of a Swedish Christmas. It’s always served warm with almonds and raisins added, and pepparkakor (ginger biscuits) on the side. We drank our glögg at 3pm while watching Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul, and ate cookies, fudge, chocolates and julskum too.


Snow falling on New Year's day.


Lingonberries are popular at winter time, and a nice hot bowl of porridge sweetened with preserved lingon is wonderful.


Ostkaka is a type of Swedish cheesecake, flavoured with bitter almonds and, in this case, served with cloudberry jam and whipped cream.


The rustic charm of Dalarna's unique fences.


Jonas’ dad and stepmother made a great mushroom dish by taking dried chantrelle mushrooms and frying them in butter. The mushrooms soak up some of the butter and soften a little, but they retain the concentrated intensity from the drying process.

This shot was a delicious discovery, introduced by my two sisters in law, Helena and Tove. They said Hot Shots were very popular drinks at ski resorts in the 1990s and, after tasting them, I can understand why. Yellow galliano, hot coffee and thick cream are layered in a glass and I admit it was very difficult for me to get the whole thing down in one go. But it tasted delicious!

cider & rune stones

It’s another Swedish post! Did the runic inscriptions give it away?

This time I wanted to take you through some of the alcohol I tried in Sweden, but first I wanted to introduce everyone to Systembolaget.

Systemet is a chain of government owned liquor stores. It is the only retail shop in the entire country where you can buy alcohol over 3.5%. This means, if you want to buy anything stronger than light beer, you have to go to Systemet.

The opening hours are quite restrictive and the anti-drinking messages are strong. It’s a Government monopoly to prevent underage drinking and alcoholism.

At first I was totally against it, thinking it was another one of the Swedish Government’s ploys to play parent over adult citizens, but I have been converted.

Anundshög rune stone

Why?

Because Systemet, buying for 9 million Swedes, is one of the world’s largest wine, beer and spirits buyers. I can’t even comprehend the purchasing power this commands!

They stock the most amazing range of alcohol from every nation in the world. I had no idea Romania made wine until I saw it on a Systemet shelf! Saba from Israel, I’d only read about the stuff! Beautiful Belgian beers a plenty!

Now imagine that every tiny village in Sweden has a Systemet, so even people in the remotest towns can order in the very best, the very latest alcohol at very, very, very reasonable prices. In fact some Aussie wines on the shelves were cheaper in Sweden than here!!!

With all this in mind, I was able to achieve two more of my 2008 Food Challenges: trying wine from the USA and South Africa.

Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of the South African Drostdy-Hof Cape Red, made of Pinotage, Shiraz and Ruby Cabernet grapes. It had smoky flavours, as well as hints of liquorice, vanilla and forest berries.

But I did get a snap of the 2006 Frei Brothers Redwood Creek Chardonnay (Sonoma, California). It was a light, refreshing chardonnay without overbearing wood. Vanilla, apple and pear flavours with a pull towards lemon at the end. Very good. Me likes.

 

After all this alcohol talk, I’m sure you’re imagining Vikings glugging down mead, so why not throw in some photos of rune stones.

Rune stones are typically raised stones with inscriptions in the runic alphabet, the writing system of the Vikings. The tradition began in the 300s and lasted into the 1100s. Most are located in Scandinavia, but there are also rune stones in locations where the Vikings travelled. Sweden has around 2,500 with almost half of those in Uppland.

Rök, Östergötland (ÖG136)
The Rök Runestone is the most important rune stone in Sweden because it is the earliest known example of Swedish writing and therefore signifies the historical beginning of Swedish literature. It was probably carved in the 800s and the extensive writing outlines a dramatic story of battles, betrayals, heroism and monsters. It’s too long to include here so visit Wikipedia to read the full (and complicated) story. Ironically, the stone was named after the village of Rök, however this word means “stone” in Old Norse so the village was originally named after the stone anyway.

Eriksberg
I don’t like beer, but every now and then I sample a beer that makes me reconsider. Eriksberg is simply delightful. This pilsner is from the Carlsberg group and is slightly malty, quite aromatic and certainly a little stronger than most lagers. I’m a big fan.

Broby Bro, Uppland (U151) This stone is from a group of approximately 20 runestones called the Jarlabanke Runestones, pertaining to a local strongman, Jarlabanke, and his clan.
Old Norse: Þorbiorn ok Ingiþora letu ræisa stæin þenna æftiR Igul, faður sinn, ok Ærinvi æftiR boanda sinn ok æftiR ...
English: Þorbjôrn and Ingiþóra had this stone raised in memory of Ígull, their father; and Erinvé in memory of her husbandman and in memory of ...

Kiviks Fläderblomscider
This was the most beautiful, smooth and wonderful cider I have ever had. The base cider was made from apples and the extra edge came from elderflowers. It was halvtorr, which means “semi dry” and it was an excellent balance between sweet and savoury. Highly recommended and won’t even make a dent in your wallet.

Täby, Uppland (U164) This runestone is from the mid-11th century and is located at the causeway, known as “Jarlabanke's bridge”.
Old Norse: Iarlabanki let ræisa stæina þessa at sik kvikvan, ok bro þessa gærði fyr and sina, ok æinn atti allan Tæby. Guð hialpi and hans.English: Jarlabanki had these stones raised in memory of himself while alive, and made this bridge for his spirit, and (he) alone owned all of Tábýr. May God help his spirit.

Rekorderlig Sommarcider (Rabarber/Jordgubb)This is a special edition strawberry and rhubarb flavoured cider. It looks lurid pink and it tastes luridly sweet. It was kind of nice, but it’s more like an alcoholic soft drink than a fruit cider. Maybe my tastebuds have matured more than I thought? 

Täby, Uppland (U226)
Arkils tingstad is the remains of a Viking assembly location, created by the Skålhamra clan. There are two rune stones at Arkils tingstad.
Old Norse: Ræistu stæina ok staf unnu(?) ok inn mikla at iarteknum. Ok Gyriði gats at veri. Þy man i grati getit lata. Gunnarr hiogg stæin.
English: (They) raised stones and produced the staff(?) and the great signs (of acclaim); Gyríðr also cherished her husband: he will therefore be commemorated in weeping. Gunnarr cut the stone.

 
Rekorderlig Krusbär
Wow. This gooseberry cider was sickly sweet. It was awful and I could barely finish one glass. After drinking this I realised that the Rekorderlig brand is too sweet for me.

Vallentuna, Uppland (U236)
This stone says "Ulf's heirs at Lindey had these stones raised and made the bridge after (in honour of) their father and brother. Visati hewed (cut these runes)."

Bro, Uppland (U617)One of the Hakon Jarl Runestones from the time of King Knut the Great (died 1035). Called the Bro Runestone after the church where it stands, it was commissioned by a noble family
Old Norse: Ginnlaug, HolmgæiRs dottiR, systiR SygrøðaR ok þæiRa Gauts, hon let gæra bro þessa ok ræisa stæin þenna æftiR Assur, bonda sinn, son HakonaR iarls. SaR vaR vikinga vorðr með Gæiti(?). Guð hialpi hans nu and ok salu.English: Ginnlaug, Holmgeirr's daughter, Sigrøðr and Gautr's sister, she had this bridge made and this stone raised in memory of Ôzurr, her husbandman, earl Hákon's son. He was the viking watch with Geitir(?). May God now help his spirit and soul.

For other Swedish posts try:
Swedish landscapes
Muskö, Stockholm's archipelago
Sailing on the West Coast
Swedish food
Göteborg's Xmas Markets

And these recipes:
Fisksoppa (fish soup)
Fläderblom Martini (elderflower cocktail) V
Glögg (spicy mulled wine) V
Glasört & Smör (samphire w butter) V
Kräftor i Lag (crayfish in dill broth)
Lingonberry Daiquiri V
Pepparkakor & Glacé Fruit Ice Cream Sandwich V
Pytt i Panna (potato & meat hash)
Rödbetssallad (beetroot & apple salad) V

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia sweden runes rune stones cider swedish cider beer swedish beer