This past Sunday my friends and I went to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, FInland and Iceland. Introducing the second evening of the “cuisines of the world potluck.” This week’s hostess took the group to her family’s roots, to the regions of Scandinavia. As you may expect, there were lots of potatoes, cream, meat and pickled vegetables. Included here are some of the dishes prepared and feasted upon by the 10 world travelers.

I did not get photos of everything, though now I wish I had. The potatoes took 3 forms: mashed, boiled with a parsley cream sauce (our dish) and covered in caramel (the winter land equivalent of the caramel-covered apple.) We also had some pickled vegetables, roasted meats and some open-faced sandwiches – a real smorgasbord!

Here in America some of us are just learning how to pickle and/or can vegetables. Of course there are folks older than me that have been doing this for years, as it was passed down to them from their parents and so on. Back in the day before refrigeration, people relied on curing meat with salt and canning vegetables in a salt brine; when vinegar is added the pickling process begins. It’s interesting to consider how pickling has taken form in cuisines around the world.

Growing up all I knew about was pickles, and I had no idea how they were made. Later in life I learned about sauerkraut, but again I had no idea what it was or how it was made. As I’ve gotten into food preservation I have learned some of these skills and pieces of knowledge. One other thing to say about fermented foods is their nutritional effects. Fermented foods aid digestion and help prevent disease. Though the flavor is often acquired over time, we Americans have our own set of palate-pickiness, i.e. beer, pickles and cheese – things we take for granted but in other parts of the world these are unheard of.  By the way, an excellent resource on fermented foods is a book by a guy named Sandor Ellix Katz, Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. I should also mention that the hostess of the potluck shared some pickled green beans she made. The beans were crunchy and spicy, an excellent side to the heavy meal.

Another classic dish prepared by one of the guests was Smørrebrød (an open faced sandwich.) The open faced sandwich is very common in the Scandinavian countries, especially during lunch. The Smørrebrød prepared for Sunday was impressive in presentation and had the strange combination I could only expect from a Danish meal.

As far as I remember the layers were as follows: rye bread, cream cheese, sliced radish, smoked salmon (?), sliced cucumber and baby shrimp. The combination of flavors is out of my normal range, but when dining in a new culture you have to be open to such quirkiness. Maybe a foreigner would be equally taken aback by a bun, a slice of tomato, lettuce, onion, mayo and a patty of ground beef. Who knows? Though I suppose with a world filled with McDonalds, the hamburger experience is less exciting than the Smørrebrød.

Moving onto the meat options, there were two to choose. The hostess made both dishes and again, it was delicious.

I’ll admit the presentation isn’t ‘perfect,’ but sometimes a homemade meal doesn’t have to look like its from a fancy restaurant. What matters is the taste and in this case, the authenticity of the dish. I know that the woman behind the dish dug up an old recipe book from the library that reeked of Scandinavian cuisine. One thing that was striking about this experience was the expected familiarity of the meal. The hostess is from a Danish background and when she chose the theme of the meal she was hoping to have a seasonal flare to the meal. Many of us were able to contribute that flare, but more surprising was that the food was not too special for her. That is to say that she grew up eating this way.

Our idea of comfort food is taken from the immigrants of Northern and Eastern Europe. The cold climate brought them (and now us) potatoes, meat, dairy, pickled foods and the infamous casserole! Sadly there were no casserole dishes…maybe next time.

Even though I did not have this dish, as I do not eat pork, it looked awesome and (I hear) tasted fabulous. The prunes were taken from her backyard and she found the apples while riding her bike in the neighborhood. Seeing this dish here reminds me of the season before us – winter.

Don’t get me wrong, I love fall and I hope to enjoy it some more. But the colder weather makes me want to braise and roast and fill the home with stovetop smells.

All in all it was a great evening. We also brought some aquavit which is a Scandinavian liquor made with potato and caraway seed. Between the aquavit, beer, the hearty meal and a group of friends sitting around a candle-lit table, the potluck was a grand success. I look forward to the next installment – stay tuned for our next culinary travels!

Related posts:

1. Cuisines of the World potluck – Vietnam
2. Cuisines of the World Potluck – Portugal
3. Cuisines of the World Potluck – Morocco
4. Dinner Party Galore
5. If time is money, then we eat like king and queen

Tags: "ethnic food", foraging, lamb, seasonal eating