Scandinavian Cooking Also by Beatrice Ojakangas
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❁Scandinavian Cooking Also by Beatrice Ojakangas The Great Holiday Baking Book The Great Scandinavian Baking Book Great Whole Grain Breads Pot Pies Quick Breads Scandinavian Feasts Beatrice Ojakangas ❁Scandinavian Cooking University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis — London Copyright 1983 Fisher Publishing Inc. Originally published by HPBooks, 1983 First University of Minnesota Press edition, 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by the University of Minnesota Press 111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290 Minneapolis, MN 55401- 2520 http://www.upress.umn.edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ojakangas, Beatrice A. Scandinavian cooking / Beatrice Ojakangas.—1st University of Minnesota Press ed. p. cm. ISBN 0-8166-3867-5 1. Cookery, Scandinavian. I. Title. TX722.A1.O43 2003 641.5948—dc21 2003006544 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper The University of Minnesota is an equal-opportunity educator and employer. 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents ❁ Acknowledgments — vii Introduction: Scandinavian Cooking — ix Scandinavian Equipment and Ingredients — xv Breakfasts and Brunches Farmhouse Brunch — 3 Summertime Garden Breakfast — 8 Smørrebrød—Open-Face Sandwiches Smørrebrød Sampler — 17 Smørrebrød to Honor Danish Arts — 30 Lunches and Suppers Winter Fun Party — 43 Supper at Grandma’s Farm — 51 Holidays Easter Festival — 61 Christmas Eve Supper — 70 Old-Fashioned Christmas Smörgåsbord — 77 Celebrations May Day Brunch Buffet — 95 Norwegian Independence Day Buffet — 101 Nameday Dinner — 111 Dinners and Buffets Danish Roast Beef Buffet — 123 January Fish Platter — 133 Scandinavian Game Buffet — 141 Midsummer’s Day Buffet — 149 Karelian Country- Style Dinner — 160 Dinner in Finnish Lake Country — 169 Smörgåsbords Cooperative Smörgåsbord — 177 New Year’s Eve Smörgåsbord — 189 Parent’s Day Smörgåsbord — 204 Specialty Baking — 221 Scandinavian Yeast Breads — 229 Danish Pastry — 251 Coffeetable Celebrations — 265 Scandinavian Cookies — 267 Index — 285 Acknowledgments the author is grateful to Ruth Kielland, Norwegian ❁ Dairies Association; Maria Bøgvald and Jytte Nipper, Danish Dairies; Marja Pekkala of Valio; Finnish Dairies; Marjatta Pauloff, of Arabia of Finland; Kaija Aarikka, of Finland; Gudrun Hoivik, Ivan Nylander, and Lise Gindy, readers for languages; Sally Arntson, Helen Gildseth, Esther Luoma, and friends and relatives who shared ideas and taste-tested recipes and menus for this book. Special thanks to Maid of Scandinavia, Minneapolis; Kaj Dahl of Scandinavian Center, Los Angeles; Arabia of Finland, Niles, Illinois; and Norwegian and Swedish Imports, Duluth. vii This page intentionally left blank Introduction Scandinavian Cooking each scandinavian country has a personality and cuisine ❁ of its own. The differences among the four countries represent ways of life fashioned by people adapting themselves to their own climate, natural resources, and terrain. The backbone of Norwegian cuisine is wonderfully fresh fi sh and sea- food, but it also includes the Norwegians’ skill with dairy products. Den- mark, the country most infl uenced by continental cuisine, offers a fl ower garden of smørrebrød and other beautifully presented food. Sweden, the bountiful, is lavish with pork, dairy products, and wonderful baked goods. Sweden gave the world the smörgåsbord, or “bread and butter table.” This basic idea has spread throughout Scandinavia, and all kinds of “tables” are set. As you travel, you might begin the day with a breakfast table. When you visit a home, a coffeetable may be waiting for you. If you’re invited to lunch, a sandwich table might be served. Or, the food at a cocktail party may be served as a cheese table. Finland has blended infl uences from Sweden and Russia into its cuisine, but maintains an earthiness native to itself. Karelian pastries of rye and rice, three- meat ragout, rye and barley breads, and fi sh- fi lled pies refl ect the abundance of whole grains and fi sh, as well as a knack for baking. Thick soups, hearty breads, fruit puddings, buttery pastries and cookies, cardamom-fl avored coffee breads, and spice cakes are healthy and down-to-earth. The roots of Scandinavian cuisine lie in the area’s climate and northern position. In the past, people had to stock supplies for long winters. Today, they fi nd fresh foods in the market from everywhere in the world, although the tastes of the Scandinavians run toward the seasonal. The preservation of ix meat, fi sh, vegetables, and fruit has become a fi ne art. The Vikings developed ways to salt, dehydrate, and cure foods a thousand years ago to prepare for their long voyages. Although we often think of the Vikings as Norwegians, they came from the entire Scandinavian peninsula. During the Viking Era (a.d. 800 to 1050), borders did not separate Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. With prac- tically inexhaustible force and energy, Viking plunderers set out on raids, near and far. The word vikingar translates to pirate. The British Isles and France suffered Viking incursions, and some reports indicate that they made their way as far south as the Mediterranean. Viking power in Scandinavia was followed by Swedish power and wars between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Independence came to Denmark in 1665 and to Norway in 1903. Finland was part of Sweden for six hundred years, until it was conquered by Russia in 1809. In 1917, Finland obtained its freedom. Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish share linguistic ties as Germanic lan- guages, but Finnish bears no resemblance to them. Finns have always felt their language held them apart— so much so that Bishop Agricola, who brought Christianity to Finland, had to convince the Finns that God could understand Finnish. Iceland shares cultural and linguistic ties with Norway and Denmark, but its cuisine is not included in this book. Geographically, Finland is not part of Scandinavia, but its past, present, and future have close ties, culturally and historically, with Scandinavia. This book presents the cuisines and customs of those countries that share borders— Norway, Sweden, and Finland—and Denmark, which is almost an extension of Sweden geographically. This re- gion is often, and more accurately, called Fennoscandia. Because the gulf stream sweeps past the Scandinavian countries and their summer days are long, the climate is temperate enough to raise a variety of food crops. The crops vary somewhat according to the terrain. Denmark, with no mountains, produces fi eld crops and dairy products. The Danes export a wide variety of cheese and pork products. Sweden also depends on dairying and fi eld crops, but has some fi shing industry. Norway is mountain- ous with deep fjords and inlets and relies heavily on its fi shing industry, but it also has a very effi cient agricultural program. A great deal of cheese is pro- duced for export. Finland exports a large amount of cheese and other food x / introduction products. These countries produce about the same kinds of food products, but in varying amounts. The ancient tradition of handicrafts, including woodcarving, metalwork, weaving, embroidery, and rosemaling, is closely related to the aesthetic art of food preparation. Ordinary everyday articles are decorated because they are then considered more enjoyable to use. The handle of a wooden spoon might be carved with fanciful designs. An engraved brooch might be used to hold an apron strap. Cupboard doors and chairs in Norway might be rosemaled— painted or carved with colorful fl oral or other designs. Much of Scandinavian cookery has been a well- kept secret. A story is told about a tourist in Oslo who asked a boy, “Where is a good place to eat?” The boy answered, “Best place I’ve found is right at home.” There are fi ne restaurants in Scandinavia, but they do not serve the kind of food that is eaten every day in homes. Restaurants serve more European fare than Scandinavian specialties, re- fl ecting French and German infl uences. In Helsinki, Finland, there are several fi ne Russian restaurants, though Russian food is seldom seen in the average home. Pizza parlors, hamburger stands, ice cream parlors, and European- style coffeehouses are scattered throughout cities in all countries. Scandinavian chefs feel free to adapt the foreign classics to include their own available ingredients. This makes eating out rather interesting for a tourist. You might have dishes such as Potatoes Anna or Veal Oscar fl avored with allspice and onions— a deviation from the authentic dishes. You may fi nd the same dishes in any of the countries. Names and spellings may differ slightly from one village to the next or from one country to another. Delicate homemade Scandinavian pastries, grain- rich breads, buttery cookies, sumptuous cakes, homemade cheese, slowly simmered ragouts, light-textured meat and fi sh loaves, fresh berry desserts, vegetable platters, and seasonal salads are better than those we found in restaurants. In fact, the bakery section of a Scandinavian church bazaar is the best showcase for specialties. The local bakery cannot compete with homemade crisp buttery sandbakelsers, pepperkaker, goro, rosettes, æbleskiver, cardamom breads, and other delicacies. Meals in Scandinavian homes feature the best of what is in season. New potatoes might make a whole meal when they are fi rst in season. A drizzle of butter, perhaps with a sprinkling of fresh dill, is the only adornment. Fresh introduction / xi strawberries are served with cream and sugar, or mixed with whipped cream and generously stuffed between layers of sponge cake, or simply eaten like candy out of a bag. Scandinavians are master bakers, and everyday cooking is far from bland because they use common ingredients creatively. There is always good bread and something sweet or savory with coffee.