Scandinavian food is straight forward - a bit like Scandinavian people, really: no beating around the bush about anything. Each nation and region has its own very distinct flavours and ingredients, but the staple goods remain similar:
- Grain and cereal such as rye and oats
- Seafood and fish - mainly prawns, salmon, mackerel and herring
- Meat - such as smoked and cured meats, including lots of game (sorry, Rudolf)
- Stuff from trees and bushes - such as wild berries and mushrooms
In Scandinavian kitchen you will find our food is based on these ingredients: lots of rye breads, fish and cured meats.
The long winters made our Scandinavians ancestors warm to the idea of preserving food for the dark months ahead. Food was smoked, cured or pickled - and bread was heavy and made to last and to provide enough energy for a long day felling trees in the woods or setting sail for some good old plundering and exploring.
Scandinavian food is simple. We call it “husmanskost” – basically, farmer’s food. It is supposed to be basic, made with the staple goods found on the land. In our opinion, trying to turn our traditional dishes into fancy pancy food is not being true to what we are: when you work with amazing produce, there is no need to be fancy about it. Husmanskost is the staple lunch table: meatballs, beetroot, rye and of course the humble herring.
While herring doesn't represent the entire culinary repertoire of Scandinavia, it is hard to deny that herring is a good fish and that we eat heaps of it. There's plenty of herring around too, so there's no risk we're going to run out of it anytime soon. It is packed with nutrients and we Scandinavians like to pickle it in almost anything. At SK we stock around 18 different kinds of herring. We are pretty obsessed about herring and we believe we can convert most people, so do pop by and try.
© Scandinavian Kitchen 2007 | Terms & Conditions apply
