What's Cooking?

Sooner or later, the weather will settle down to a point when people will be getting outside. Vacations will be organized and people are anxious to shake the winter blahs. It’s time to take a trip. Things are warming up in the Scandinavian country.

 Where can we go to sample some “Old-country” experiences? What do they eat there? Menus in a “foreign language” can be an adventure.Sometimes, it’s good to know what to avoid when you travel!
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One place of interest is the famous business" Ikea". Everyone knows that’s the place to see the latest  modern furniture and houseware.I just found out that they serve food as well! While you’re at the store, take some time to relax  in the Ikea restaurant for a quick snack or stay for a leisurely breakfast, lunch or dinner – the whole family is welcome. For the little ones, there’s  highchairs, changing areas and a play area, plus FREE organic baby food with any purchase. Among the Swedish-style dishes and local specials on the menu, you’ll find healthy organic and vegetarian options, so everyone leaves satisfied.  Here’s a deal: Purchase your meal in the restaurant and you will receive a coupon with your receipt.When you finish shopping, just give your coupon and receipt to the check-out cashier and receive the total amount of your meal deducted from your purchase of over $100!.

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 Due to environmental concerns, the

Swedish furniture giant  is planning to put vegetarian meatballs on the menu in an attempt to cut down on its "carbon footprint".

Customers who flock to the Ikea stores consume 150 million meatballs between their various stores each year, and the company's head of sustainability in the UK said the beef and pork content of its existing meatballs make them rather carbon intensive, and changes are in the planning. The Ikea meatball recipe has been tweaked!.
 In 2013, Ikea temporarily pulled meatballs off the menu after it was revealed they contained traces of horsemeat. Following an investigation, the popular Swedish mealtime favorite was returned to its restaurants.“We had people begging us to put them back on the menu whatever was in them," said Yarrow. Apparently, the horsemeat appealed to some diners!
Food experts  continue tweaking the recipe of its existing meatballs, and that a chicken meatball and a vegetarian alternative would be available for hungry customers in 2015.
In the meantime the company will continue selling its regular meatballs but stated they were striving to introduce lower carbon alternatives for the future.

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So, what’s expected, as different countries have different tastes?National dishes are part of a nation's identity and self-image.During the age of European empire-building, nations would develop a national cuisine to distinguish themselves from their rivals.Traditional food of Norway draws heavily on the natural resources of 

Norway and the  Scandinavian region. Surrounded by water, Scandinavian cuisine includes lots of seafood. Popular traditional Norwegian seafood meals include Fiskesuppe (fish soup), Røkt Laks (smoked salmon), Sild (pickled herring) and Gravlaks, consisting of salmon fillets marinated in a dill mixture and served with  mustard sauce.The largest Norwegian food export (in fact the main Norwegian export of any kind for most of the country's history) in the past has been stockfish ("tørrfisk" in Norwegian). The Atlantic cod variety known as

Racks of stockfish drying

'skrei' because of its migrating habits, has been a source of wealth for years, fished annually in what is known as the 'Lofotfiske' after the island chain of 'Lofoten'. Stockfish has been a staple food internationally for centuries.For meateaters: lamb's meat and mutton is very popular in autumn, mainly used in fårikål (mutton stew) with cabbage.

And of course, everyone’s favorite..Lutefisk, right? Maybe not..

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Norway has excellent cheeses, but be careful around" Gamalost...Gamalost translates as "old

cheese", a traditional Norwegian cheese. To make Gamalost", lactic starter is added to skimmed cow's milk, causing it to sour. After several days of souring,  mold is  rubbed on by hand  and then allowed to cure for four to five weeks.Literally translated, it means "old cheese." Through the years, its  been named "stinky cheese"  among other adjectives.  It has been claimed that a cook in a Norwegian family brought some home for a meal,but it stunk so badly that she couldn't even leave it in the trash--she had to bury it in the back yard.

 If you buy it for a friend, Don’t forget it in the trunk of your car!

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                                    And, what's cooking in Sweden?...................
 Historically, in the far North, meats such as reindeer, and other
game dishes were eaten, some of which have their roots in the Sami culture. Many traditional dishes are usually simple, contrasting flavors, such as the traditional dish of meatballs and brown cream sauce with  lingonberry jam (similar in taste to cranberry sauce).Sweden's long winters explain the lack of fresh vegetables in many traditional recipes. In older times, plants that would sustain the population through the winters were staples such as turnips , kålrot (rutabaga)  and , later, potatoes in the 18th century.Breakfast usually consists of open sandwiches,

Sometimes, you better ask..

“What is this bludpudding?”Blodpudding is a black pudding .Blodkorv Blood sausage made of pig's blood. Other than pig blood, the ingredients include flour, pork, raisins and spices.The Swedish name literally means "blood pudding". Sweetened and spiced, it is eaten with lingonberry jam, and sometimes bacon.

Knäckebrod

possibly crisp bread (knäckebröd) most often buttered, with toppings such as hard cheese, cold cuts, caviar, messmör (a sweet spread made from butter and whey), ham (skinka), and tomatoes or cucumber. But, again, ask..
World travellers have to make some choices of  local tastes. Adventerous tourist-diners may point to the menu saying “ I’ll try this. Whatever, it is”. Good luck.

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As in Norway, Swedish food is fairly plain. They don’t cook with a lot of spice.There are too many to mention, but everyone knows about Swedish meatballs!  Happy dining!

When driving through Denmark, check out the sandwiches!

 Denmark's  open -faced sandwiches are excellent. Back in “the old days” Denmark was primarily a nation

of farmers and fishermen and the Danish food traditions still reflect a culture of hard working people who need  food that provides high levels of energy and nutrition. You must try  Danish “sild!”. That’s herring and
pronounced “seel”.
Danes have a saying, that “the herring needs the snaps to be able to swim!” And “you can’t have just one snaps, you need two; one for each leg.” Snaps is a Danish and Swedish word for a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal.In Denmark, snaps will always be akvavit.
When all the herring and other type of fish has been enjoyed, the next course is the open-faced sandwiches. Danes have turned these lunches into a real art form with a huge variety of food using dark rye bread, cold butter and a selection of cold cuts topped with dressings, vegetables and herbs. The open sandwiches, known as smørrebrød, the usual fare for lunch, can be considered a national speciality. It was based on the need to make use of natural products available on the family farm or in the neighborhood. In 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 the Copenhagen restaurant "Noma" (short for nordisk mad - Nordic food) was named the world's best restaurant by The Restaurant magazine.

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Denmark has a long tradition of fishing, since it is surrounded by the sea, but again, Denmark is known for good cheeses. Their strong cheese is Gamle Ole ("Old Ole"- Ole is a man's name), a brand of  cheese that has matured for a long period of time. It can be bitingly strong. It is often served in combination with sliced onion on Danish rugbrød spread with lard.One might also refer to Gamle Ole's pungency when talking about things that are not quite right, i.e. "they stink". Again, Denmark has something in common with Norway!

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  For those of you who have enjoyed a Finnish sauna and are looking for something to eat...

Sauteed Reindeer

 The country's harsh climate is tough on vegetable production. In the past, fresh fruit and vegetables were largely unavailable for nine months of the year, and this led to a heavy reliance on things like turnip and potatoes.,  Forests and lakes are major food-sources, providing long traditions of hunting and fishing in Finland, as hunters focused on deer, moose and bear. Approximately 70,000-80,000 moose are culled yearly, producing significant amounts of meat.  Moose meat is mainly consumed within households, while Finnish restaurants are accustomed to serving reindeer dishes.

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 In the summer and fall, it is still quite common to go picking berries

straight from the forests. Wild raspberries, bilberries and lingonberries (cowberries) are found in almost every part of Finland. Every country has it’s traditional food and drink.

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 There are WAY too many to mention for each country and I'm getting hungry!.

 Enjoy, but read the menu carefully. You never know what’s cooking!