13 Delicious Foods to Try in Sweden

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Before visiting Sweden, you might not know what types of foods are popular there. Perhaps you have your suspicions, involving Swedish meatballs and smoked salmon, but you probably aren’t aware of the array of delicious foods to try in Sweden.

After spending a few weeks in Stockholm and Malmo, in the south of Sweden, tasting my way around the countryside, I now have a much better grasp of Swedish food. It is always my aim to try as many different foods as possible when I’m visiting a country that is new to me and Sweden didn’t disappoint.

Cold salmon and potato salad - foods to try in Sweden
Cold salmon and potato salad

One of the best ways to do that is to go on an organized food tour. The 5-hour food tour I went on with Food Tours Stockholm was a perfect way to become acquainted with a lot of foods I hadn’t tasted before. Another great way to find foods to try in Sweden is to take the advice of others who have already been there.

I’ve put together a list of my favorites of the foods I tried in Sweden, and I’ve included where you can find these foods, too. Of course, there are dozens of others besides these 13 foods to try in Sweden I’ve listed here. I make no claim that this is a comprehensive list or that it comprises the most popular. But I do think that you’ll get a pretty good idea of Swedish food from tracking these down. So let’s get started.

Spending some time in Stockholm? Check out our shortcut travel guide to the city. You might also want to check out the underground art!

Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)

Swedish meatballs
Swedish meatballs (Photo by Savored Journeys)

Obviously, you can’t go to Sweden and not try the quintensential Swedish dish: Swedish Meatballs. Whether or not this dish was intended to become the icon of all things Swedish, it is probably the first dish that comes to mind for many of us. I had to try them, even though I’m not a huge fan of meatballs.

They are often made with a mixture of beef and pork, but can be made up of different meats. The sauce is a deep, flavorful gravy. And the dish is always served with potatoes (usually mashed), a bowl of lingenberries and pickled cucumbers.

I found this highly recommended and delicious plate of Swedish meatballs at: Bakfickan, Jakobs torg 12, 111 52 Stockholm, Sweden

Fermented Herring (Surströmming)

Surströmming
Fermented herring on bread (Photo by Savored Journeys)

After a few days, I started to lose track of how much herring I’d tried and in how many different ways it was prepared. Typically, you’ll find it as the main component of an entree, served with boiled potatoes, or on top of a piece of rye bread as a snack.

Surströmming is a bit different than the others. It’s fermented and the herring has a meatier consistency than fish usually does. It’s actually pretty good once you get used to it.

I had these tasty herring snack in Malmo at an outposting of a popular deli and restaurant in the Malmo train station: Salt & Sill Deli, Centralstationen | Centralhallen, Malmo 21120, Sweden 

Reindeer Paté

Reindeer pate
Reindeer pate (Photo by Savored Journeys)

You have to get over a few things when eating in Stockholm, one of which is eating Reindeer. If you think of it as the cute red-nosed guy who delivers Christmas packages, you will miss out of the pleasure of eating reindeer meat and, especially, reindeer paté.

The pate is very spreadable and can be enjoyed on crackers or bread. It’s really creaming and flavorful. I could have eaten a lot of it! The pate is pictured at the forefront of the picture, alongside other popular meats that you can get cut fresh at the delis in any market.

The reindeer pate I had came from a deli with tons of great cured and smoked meat options, and the pate is one of their top sellers: Hellbergs Fågel & Vilt in Hötorgshallen 46, 111 57 Stockholm, Sweden

Swedish Fish Soup (Svenska fisksoppa)

Swedish fish soup
Kajsas Fish Soup (Photo: Savored Journeys)

It’s not surprising that a popular dish in Sweden is fish soup. All of that fresh and wonderful fish they’re so well known for cooked in a tasty broth to make a filling and soul-satisfying bowl of fish soup. I found this amazing bowl of fisksoppa at a restaurant in Hotorgshallen, that has been run by multiple generations.

It is incredibly popular for its fish soup, and you’ll understand why after just one small sip of broth. It is seasoned and flavored to perfection.

Kajsas Fisk, Hotorgshallen 3, Stockholm 111 57, Sweden

Cured Salmon (Gravadlax)

Cold salmon and potato salad
Cold Cured Salmon salad (Photo by Savored Journeys)

In Sweden, a very common way to make salmon is to cure it with a mix of dill, salt and sugar, which gives it a very distinct flavor. It’s much sweeter than we’d find in the states. It is then served in thin, silky strips that can be layered on bread or crispbread, or it might be lightly cooked and served as the main component of an entree, with a side of potatoes.

I tasted many version of cured salmon in Sweden, but one of my favorites was this cured salmon salad from an archipelago hotel I visited: Djuronaset Conference & Hotel, Seregårdsvägen 1, 139 02 Djurhamn, Sweden

Smoked Salmon (Varmrökt lax)

I’ve had a lot of smoked salmon in my life – especially living in Seattle where salmon is king – but there’s a different between the smoked salmon in Seattle and in Sweden. The salmon in Sweden is very lightly smoked with Alderwood, giving it only a mild smoked flavor, and an extremely tender texture, unlike the more heavily smoked flavor and dry flesh I’m more accustomed to.

It’s really delicate and light, which means it can be eaten and enjoyed in many different ways. My favorite smoked salmon came from a family-owned fishing business in Malmo (in southern Sweden), where we were able to see the smoking process take place. They also smoke salmon jerky there. Yum.

Bla Hoddans FiskBanérskajen, MALMÖ, Sweden

Västerbotten Cheese (Västerbottensost)

Swedish Cheese
Fromageriet cheese board (Photo by Savored Journeys)

Sweden doesn’t really make a lot of its own cheese. It imports cheese from around the world. But they do make one very special cheese, called Vasterbotten, which is a hard cow’s milk cheese that is aged for at least 1 year. It’s sometimes referred to as the Swedish Parmigiano, because has similar properties like the little crystalized bits and strong flavor. However, Västerbotten is less salty and more sweet than its counterpart.

Tip: you can find it at Ikea if you’re keen to try it without making the trip to Sweden.

I sampled Västerbottensost at a great little cheese shop in Hotorgshallen in Stockholm: Fromageriet, Hötorgshallen, 11157 Stockholm, Sweden

Hamburgers (Hamburgare)

Yeah, I know, what is this doing here! Who has a burger when they’re in Sweden surrounded by all this amazing food? I would ask myself that too, but then once I’d tried a few of them, I absolutely knew why.

The Swedes know how to make a darn good burger! The patty on these burgers were huge and the toppings were plentiful – usually including a really soft and pillowy bun, bacon, cheese and lots of mayo oozing out the sides.

I tried burgers at three different places and all of them were very good.

Swedish Bread, Flatbread, Crispbread

Swedish breads
So many different kinds of delicious bread (Photo by Savored Journeys)

I tried so many fantastic breads in Sweden that it’s too hard to pick just one. The bread is made with all kinds of different flours, nuts and seeds and is so much more hearty and satisfying than typical white bread. The delicious flatbread we tried had anise, fennel, and sour milk.

They also eat a lot of crispbread in Sweden, which is a flat and dry type of bread or cracker, containing mostly rye flour. For breakfast, I even tried Swedish caviar on my crispbread. It’s not caviar as you might know it. It’s a fish paste that comes in a tube and is squeezed out onto bread for breakfast. Super salty and a little too fishy for breakfast, if you ask me.

I tried all of these hearty nut breads at: Bakery & Spice, Torsgatan 46, Stockholm, Sweden

Shrimp Sandwich (Räksmörgås or Räksallad)

Shrimp salad
Salad version of a Räksmörgås sandwich (Photo by Savored Journeys)

This Swedish open-faced shrimp sandwich is topped with lemon, egg and mayo. It’s served in so many restaurants for lunch. You’ll see it listed on many sandwich boards set out in front of cafes and eateries. It’s a great sandwich, and a great way to try the local shrimp that is so tiny, but incredibly succulent and fresh. I was also lucky enough to find this salad version, which was absolutely pilled high with shrimp.

The shrimp salad I had was one of a handful of options on the menu at a new and very popular beachfront restaurant on the Falsterbo peninsula: BadhyttenSkanors Hamn, Skanor 239 32, Sweden

Rose-Hip Soup (Nyponsoppa)

Rose Hips
Rose Hips (photo by Savored Journeys)

We were biking along a beach-side path when I noticed these red berries on the side of the road. I thought they were strawberry bushes at first, but they’re actually rose hips. I’ve had rose hip tea before, and I really like it, despite its floral scent. But I’d never had rose hip soup before.

The hips are cooked with water and sugar, and then the mixture is strained and thickened with potato flour, so it takes on the consistency of tomato soup. It can be served hot or cold, like gazpacho.

Aquavit (Akvavit)

Aquavit
Aquavit (Photo by Savored Journeys)

You can’t go around tasting things in Sweden without throwing in at least a few local drinks. Aquavit is a flavoured spirit produced in Scandinavia. It is a traditional Scandanavian digestif that is distilled from wheat or potatoes and flavored with caraway and spices like dill, anise, fennel, coriander and cardamom.

I tried this popular brand of Aquavit, while sinking a traditional Swedish drinking song at: Hav in Hotorgshallen 111 57 Stockholm, Sweden

Swedish Wine (Vin)

You probably didn’t even know that there is wine production in Sweden, but there is! Only a handful of wine makers are producing wine in the south of Sweden, using vines that have only recently been planted. Solaris and rondo are the most commonly grown grapes in Skåne.

More wineries are starting up, but for now it’s a very small industry for Sweden. Most of the supply is consumed in and around Skane in southern Sweden, and across the border in Copenhagen.

We visited Hällåkra vineyard in Skane for a taste of the wines they are producing. Hällåkra Vingård, Hällåkravägen 47-0, S-231 72 Anderslöv

CONCLUSION

If you’re in Sweden and looking for great food to try, this list of 13 foods to try in Sweden should keep you busy and very well fed! I sure was.

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foods to try in Sweden
13 Delicious Foods to Try in Sweden

11 thoughts on “13 Delicious Foods to Try in Sweden

  1. Jessica C says:

    I love Barrels for their burger, it came highly recommended and I’m so glad we found it. My husband even went back with a new friend…and we’ll be back AGAIN once we found our way to Stockholm again 🙂

    A quick note on the herring. I found it to be very good as well and completely different than Dutch herring. I might even like the Swedish version better!

    • Laura Lynch says:

      I’m glad I sought out Barrels too. They had a really good Shandy that I liked a lot too. I think I agree about the herring. It was better also than I remember Finnish herring to be. Still a bit of an acquired taste, but I could get used to it. Thanks for visiting, Jessica! It was nice to meet you guys.

  2. Pamela Morse says:

    I could go a few days on the flatbread and rosehip soup..but vegetarians have a hard time in those nordic places…closest I have been is Holland…another herring place. I would like the scenery enough to tolerate the food.

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Yeah, it’s probably best for pescatarians, really! But there are enough choices for vegetarians too, these days. It’s easy enough there to avoid the foods you don’t like much and still eat really well. I really love that Sweden is very concerned about the healthiness of their foods and meats. You can know you’re eating healthy products there, unlike in the U.S.

  3. Jazzy says:

    I have never been to Sweden but this post is definitely making me add it to my list! I think what I am looking forward to is the meatballs and the smoked Salmon… it’s making my mouth water as we speak!

    Thanks for sharing and who would have thought Swedes make bomb burgers.

  4. Karin B says:

    As a swede it’s always interesting to hear what other people think of Swedish food. You’ve tried several classic Swedish dishes. I love salmon but I’m not so fond of the pickled herring, though I eat it. Pickled herring is usually served during all the major Swedish holidays; Christmas, Easter and midsummer.
    (A quick note on the herring. Pickled herring is called “inlagd sill” in Swedish whereas “surströmming” is a fermented fish ordinarily eaten outdoors because of the strong smell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surstr%C3%B6mming)

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Thanks for leaving a comment, Karin. From your perspective, it sounds like we did a pretty good job trying all the classics. Noted on the surstromming!

    • Scot Liddell says:

      Hej Karin,
      Thanks for setting them straight about the surströmming! That could have been quite the nasty surprise for someone!

  5. Pingback: The Best of Stockholm Sweden - City Discovery Series | Savored Journeys

  6. Peter says:

    I noted that you still have the wrong translation of pickled herring.
    Too bad you didn’t have the chance to try the real surströmming, it might not taste that delicious to foreigners, but it is an experience to remember.

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