In the magical times of Christmas, there is a lot to be prepared and everyone in Sweden has their traditions and their own Christmas food to make for them to get into the right Christmas mood.
In Sweden, many children and also grownups have a Christmas calendar or Advent calendar as it is also called. Starting December first, they can open one “window” a day until Christmas Eve on the 24 of December, there is something exciting behind each “window”. Usually a small toy, a candy or a nice picture, or in our case some of the most beloved recipes of the Swedish Christmas food.
We have made our very own calendar here for you to enjoy in your cabin, it is filled with some of the most traditional Christmas recipes from Sweden, and we hope you will try out these recipes in your stay at your cabin.
Also read: Christmas traditions in Sweden
This was a favorite as a child (it still is as a grown up), at every Christmas buffet that I went to I had to eat a lot of liver pâté, preferably with pickled red beets.
500 grams of pig or young beef liver
250 grams of whole piece of lard or really fat pork
1 yellow onion
1 tablespoon butter
6 anchovy fillets
3 eggs
0.5 dl wheat flour
3 dl whipping cream or milk 3%
1 tsp salt
2 ml of a measuring spoon of white pepper
2 ml of a measuring spoon of brandy (optional)
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
0.5 tsp dried ginger
Boil 1.5 liters of water in a large pot.
Rinse and clean the liver. Cut away membranes and tendons. Cut liver and lard into smaller pieces/dice.
Remove the boiling water from the stove and add the liver and lard. Leave for 5 minutes.
Finely chop the onion and fry it in a little butter. Let cool.
Drain the liver and lard and place in a bowl. Let cool.
Add all ingredients to the bowl of liver and lard. Please leave to cool completely in the fridge. Up until here you can prepare.
Blend quickly to a smooth batter or grind and stir together. You can mix in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Or grind in a meat grinder. In the meat grinder, it is easier if everything is well chilled and the grinder parts have been in the fridge and became cold.
Heat a frying pan and fry a small taste test to see if more salt and seasoning is needed.
Here you can prepare and store the batter in the fridge.
Set the oven to 175 degrees conventional oven.
Place a pan on the bottom edge in the oven and fill with hot water approx. 2 cm. You have to calculate the amount of water so that it does not overflow when you put in the molds with liver pate later. For now it will just be a pan of water that will get hot in the oven.
Pick out a large oven-safe form, e.g. one or two long narrow bread tins or several smaller tins.
Grease the mold or molds with butter. Pour in and distribute the liver pâté batter in the molds up to 2-3 cm from the edge.
Cover the forms with foil and place them in the oven pan/long pan with the water bath. Bake the liver pate to an internal temperature of 70 degrees and use a frying thermometer to check the temperature. For me it took 1 hour and 10 minutes. But it depends on the molds and the oven, so take the liver pate out when it has an internal temperature of 70 degrees. Larger shape takes longer. Porcelain takes longer.
Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to give the liver pate some color - it's optional.
Take out at 70 degrees internal temperature - check with a thermometer.
Let cool.
Store liver pate in the fridge - lasts up to a week. In the freezer, liver pate will last at least one month.
This fantastic hot drink says Christmas all over it, the Swedes also like to mix in port wine, cognac, vodka or brandy into this drink.
Swedes like to drink mulled wine during Advent, at Lucia and on Christmas Eve. To be honest, I have to tell you that the Original mulled wine is way too sweet for me, so here are my own recipes. My guide to: Less sweet - more flavor
Have fun making this joyful drink, happy holidays from Michael Dertnig and the team from Incoming Center of Scandinavia AB.
A bottle of red wine
1 to 2 dl vodka and brandy (at your own discretion)
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
15 whole cardamom seeds
Pour the wine into a saucepan, add all the spices. Heat and simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved. Now add the vodka. Pour the hot mulled wine through a sieve. And cheers :-)
A bottle of red wine
1 dl of cognac
1 dl of rum
2 dl white port wine (can also be a red one)
2 dl raisins
10 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Mix together the cognac, rum, port and raisins and leave in the container for at least 24 hours. Now put everything in a saucepan, add the wine, the cloves and the cinnamon sticks. Now let it simmer gently. Pour the hot mulled wine through a sieve. And cheers :-)
This recipe is roughly based on my grandfather's homemade recipe. Here's a little warning. Even just smelling this mulled wine made me foggy as a child. Don't enjoy this drink in bulk, but in moderation.
1 bottle of brandy
1 bottle of white port wine (can also be red)
1 dl of cognac
2 dl raisins
2 prunes
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
5 whole cardamom seeds
2 sugar cubes
1 dl of sugar
Put the port wine in a saucepan along with all the spices and fruit. Boil this mixture until the port wine has reduced a little. Now turn the temperature down, add the brandy and the sugar cubes and simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved. Now heat 1 DL sugar in a pan and carefully add the liquid sugar. Refine with cognac according to your taste. Remove the pot from the stovetop and leave it covered for at least 24 hours. Pour the hot mulled wine through a sieve. And cheers :-)
Also read: The Swedish sandwich cake
Two Christmas candies from great grandmother Alma. This is a really old recipe from my great grandmother Alma, the recipe is at least 110 years old.
2 teacups (5dl) of sugar
1 coffee (1, 5 dl) cup of milk
1 tbsp. vanilla sugar
1 tbsp. powdered sugar
Boil the sugar, milk, and vanilla sugar together in a saucepan until the mixture stiffens on the sides of the saucepan.
Remove the pot from the plate.
Stir the powdered sugar into the mixture.
Place a piece of parchment paper in an oven dish.
Put the mass on the baking paper and spread it to a thickness of approx. 1 cm. Let the sweets cool down and cut them into the desired sizes.
2 1/2 coffee cups (3, 5 dl) sugar
1 coffee cup (1, 5 dl) of milk
1 coffee cup (1, 5 dl) of butter
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tbsp. powdered sugar
Melt and mix the sugar, milk, butter, cocoa powder, and vanilla sugar together in a saucepan until the mixture stiffens on the sides of the saucepan.
Remove the pot from the stove.
Stir the powdered sugar into the mixture.
Place a piece of parchment paper in an oven dish.
Put the mass on the baking paper and spread it to a thickness of approx. 1 cm. Let the mixture cool down and cut them into the desired sizes.
Also read: Best fishing waters in Sweden
Christmas saffron cheesecake from Sweden, a very smooth and delightful cheesecake that fits the Christmas season perfectly.
150 G Pepparkakor (Swedish Gingerbread) – You can get it at Ikea or you can make your own, here is the recipe
60 grams of butter
400 gr Philadelphia cream cheese
3 eggs
1.5 dl of sugar
1 packet of saffron (0.5 GR)
Zest of half a lemon
400 G Crème Fraiche (4 DL) (Not Light Crème Fraiche)
1 tbsp. real vanilla sugar
Fresh fruits, preferably passion fruit, fresh figs
This easy and delightful treat is a must in all Swedish homes for Christmas. The following is required for approx. 50 pieces
250 g block chocolate, half -light chocolate and half dark chocolate, preferably 70%
125 g coconut fat
50 small silver tin cases
In our family we have the golden tradition that we meet with all women and children at grandmas during the Advent season and bake pepparkakor (gingerbread) all day long.
We, the children, love this tradition that has existed for generations, with the loveliest Christmas scent that spreads throughout the house...
5dl sugar
800 grams of flour
1 tbsp. ginger powder
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. baking soda (bicarbonate)
2dl water
1 egg white and 4 dl powdered sugar (enough to get the desired icing consistency).
Using a blender, mix the decorating ingredients well together until the consistency is smooth.
Use a garnish syringe or a disposable piping bag, squirt the mixture onto the gingerbread that has already cooled and let it dry.
Also read: Swedish phrases and when to use them
Butterscotch / Knäck, a Swedish Christmas candy
approx. 50g chopped almonds
2 dl sugar
2 dl heavy cream
2 dl syrup (light)
Risgrynsgröt (Swedish rice pudding/ porridge) is a very traditional Christmas dish. Lots of families gather for lunch, often in their popular vacation homes, and eat Risgrynsgröt together. For example, many will celebrate lunch with their father's relatives, and in the evening they’ll enjoy the Christmas buffet with your mother's relatives and hand out the Christmas presents. An almond is often stirred into the dish and whoever finds it is said to be lucky next year, or it is also said that the finder of the almond will get married in the coming year.
On the evening of December 23rd, the children put a plate of Risgrynsgröt in front of the front door, this for Santa Claus, called tomte in Sweden. That's why the dish is also called Tomtegröt.
2.5 dl round grain rice
5 dl water
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp salt
8 dl whole milk
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 almond
Place a few spoonful’s of rice pudding in the center of a soup bowl, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top and add milk to the outer edge.
Jansson's Frestelse or Jansson’s temptation is a very classic dish for Christmas in Sweden.
1 kg potatoes
2 yellow onions(optional)
250 g anchovy fillets
The liquid from a can of anchovies
1 dl milk
3 dl cream
Breadcrumbs
Butter
Peel and cut the raw potatoes into fine, long sticks. Then peel and finely chop two large onions. Fry the onion in a pan with butter but so that the onions don't get any color. Cut the anchovy fillets into small pieces. Grease an oven dish with butter, then layer the potatoes with the onions and the anchovy fillets in the oven dish. The first and last layer should be of the potato sticks. Mix the liquid from the can with the milk and cream and pour it evenly over the oven dish. Finally, pour the breadcrumbs over the casserole and a few spoons of butter on top.
Now let the casserole bake in the oven for about 50 to 60 minutes at 200°C.
Jansson Frestelse is ready when the casserole is golden to the color and the potatoes are fully cooked.
Also read: 100% CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE MOOSE IN SWEDEN
40 gr yellow mustard seeds
40 gr brown mustard seeds
1 tbsp. Coleman's mustard powder
1.5 tbsp. raw sugar
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp. of water
5 tbsp. honey
5 tbsp. sunflower oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 pinch ground ginger
Grind the mustard seeds and put them in a bowl. Add the sugar, lemon juice and vinegar. Pour this into a household machine. Add the oil, honey and water drop by drop while stirring constantly.
Put the mustard in a pretty bowl and let it sit for a few days, after that it will taste really good. Please keep cool and store it in the fridge.
An excellent gift for someone who already has everything! You can enjoy this delicacy not only in Swedish vacation homes but throughout the whole year in your own home too.
Sweets are just as much a part of Christmas as snowmen or Christmas tree decorations are. How about Swedish mint kisses for a change. You can now enjoy at your home what our grandmother made in the vacation cabin for Christmas.
Mint kisses are easy to make. Store the mint kisses in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
My tip: Make sure you use enough powdered sugar. The dough needs to be fairly firm, yet spreadable. (You can also spoon out and flatten the batter).
1 egg white
3.5 to 4 dl powdered sugar (The amount may vary due to the size of the egg white).
5 drops of peppermint oil
Garnish:
25-50 GR dark or light chocolate, melted
Lussekatter or Saffron buns.The Lucia festival is a custom that can be traced back to an Italian saint and is particularly widespread in Sweden. The festival falls on December 13, which is the memorial day of St. Lucia in the Christian churches and was the shortest day of the year before the Gregorian calendar reform. If you are vacationing in a cabin in Sweden during this time, you can take part in the church celebrations, it is a very beautiful event.
100 grams of butter
1 g saffron, ground
5 dl milk
50 grams of yeast
250 grams of low-fat quark
2.25 dl sugar
1 tbsp. cardamom, ground
1 pinch of salt
1.5 l wheat flour
1 dl raisins
1 egg, beaten well for brushing on top of the buns.
On December 13, Lucia is celebrated to a large extent in kindergartens, schools, nursing homes, workplaces and in cabins and homes all around Sweden. Lucia Day – also called Saint Lucy’s day – can be traced back to the 4th century. A Christian feasting day, it commemorates the martyr Lucia of Syracuse in Italy, who as legend has it, brought food to Christians hiding in Roman catacombs, lighting her way with a candlelit wreath on her head. We have for centuries here in Sweden transformed it into the tradition we have here today. Lucia is traditionally celebrated in Sweden with candles, Lucia procession, singing and coffee consisting of saffron buns, gingerbread cookies and mulled wine. The idea is to give a cozy and magical taste and atmosphere of what’s to come in the coming weeks of Christmas, the Lucia celebration is for many an important step in the Christmas season.
The old school way of celebrating is, we start the day with breakfast in bed, with the typical saffron buns, gingerbread cookies, coffee and burning candles.
Afterwards we take a long walk through the city when it is still dark here in winter and marvel at the burning lights on the roadside.
Our children will then celebrate in kindergarten and schools and parents are invited to watch the Lucia procession.
Lucia Clothing: White long gown, a crown with electrical lit candles to put on the head and a red ribbon around the waist
Handmaidens (girls): white dress, glitter in her hair and around her waist and a candle in her hand
Star Boys: white dress, white paper cones on the head with gold stars. Gold star on a stick in hand
Gnomes or elves: small Santa Claus or Santa’s helper.
Gingerbread Man: Clothes in the same color as the Swedish gingerbread, brown with white icing.
Because of the risk of burns, most children today carry electric candles.
The parents of the children are invited to schools and kindergartens either in the morning or in the afternoon when it is still dark or already dark. When all the parents are gathered, the children walk in a procession and sing different songs, which of course have been rehearsed a lot beforehand. Then the parents are invited to mulled wine, saffron buns and Swedish gingerbread cookies.
When the children are older, one Lucia from the group of children is usually chosen to lead the Lucia procession, and this is elected in their respective classes.
Many Swedes go to church on the morning of December 13th and watch the Lucia procession there, this can be a truly big event which is often televised.
Many young people celebrate the so-called Lussevaka, which means that they are up all night from December 12th to 13th to wait for this magical day. Lussevaka in the old days meant to stay awake through the whole night to guard oneself and the household from evil, it has now found a modern day form of it by people throwing parties until daybreak.
If you are vacationing in a cabin in Sweden during this time, you are more than welcome to watch the Lucia procession in a church. Just check the local listings for it.
Also read: Halloween on October 31st in Sweden
The Swedish Christmas ham is the crown jewel on the Swedish Christmas dinner table. Here is great recipe for Swedish Christmas ham. The scent of the Christmas ham spreads wonderfully here in our Swedish vacation home
1 cured ham, salted, approx. 3 kg
8 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Coleman's mustard powder
1 dl mustard
2 pcs egg yolk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 dl breadcrumbs
Also read: The Tourist Season in Idre Mountains
The pickled herring is a big favorite of many in Sweden for both Christmas and Midsummer celebrations, and quite a few other celebrations as well, it has been the staple dish for the Swedish smörgåsbord and for Christmas for decades.
You need 8 whole pickled herring fillets (boneless) or 3-4 cans of pickled herring from Ikea (called sill in Sweden).
But you can also buy 2 cans of herring fillet in every grocery store in Sweden. Please save the liquid in the can.
Dry the herring and divide it into approx. 1-2 cm wide parts, put them in a bowl.
0.5 dl of the liquid from the herring fillet containers.
1 dl heavy cream (40%)
2 dl mayonnaise (80%)
0.75 dl Swedish caviar on a tube (available at Ikea)
1.5 dl finely chopped dill
Chop a 20 cm leek into fine small pieces
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 chopped red onion
Mix this together, then mix in the herring. Leave the herring in the fridge for at least 1 day before you eat it.
Kalvsylta or veal aspic. An old school Swedish Christmas dish that was very common back in the old days, and has now made a comeback with the younger generation.
2 liters of water
10 spice peppercorns
3 bay leaves
2 carrots
1 large yellow onion
About 20 cm leek, the green part
1.5 kg veal (ideally veal shoulder)
1.5 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
6 sheets of gelatin
Veal broth
We in Sweden eat the jelly with mayonnaise!
Julvört or Spiced Christmas bread is a very common bread for Christmas in Sweden.
50 grams of yeast
33 cl Julmust (a Swedish Christmas drink that is usually available at Ikea.)
If you can’t find a Julmust you can also use a malt beer.
33 cl dark beer, preferably bock beer
250 g quark (10% fat) (can be replaced with Greek yogurt)
1 dl bread syrup 4 tsp salt
1 tbsp. ground ginger
2 tbsp. ground orange zest (from bitter oranges)
0.5 teaspoon ground cloves
2 dl raisins
Approx. 22 dl rye flour
Dopp i Gryta – In Swedish, this means to dip into the pot.
This is an absolute must at our Christmas buffet, a big favorite of my brother, mom and grandma.
The water that remains when you cook the Christmas ham.
A Christmas ham.
Vörtbröd – spiced bread.
Beef Stock Cubes.
Grandma's cured salmon with salmon sauce
This dish can be eaten on a piece of hard bread with the sauce on top of it, or on a plate with boiled potatoes.
1 kg salmon fillet, de boned, from the freezer.
0.5dl sugar
0.5 dl of salt
20 pcs Peppercorns, white
3 dl fresh dill
Thaw the salmon and cut the salmon in half.
Scrape away any scales and dry the salmon well, do not rinse in water.
Crush the pepper and coarsely chop the dill.
Mix together the pepper, salt and sugar and massage this mixture onto all sides of the salmon.
Take a pan or a dish and put a little dill on the bottom.
Place the first part of the salmon in the pan.
Sprinkle the remaining pepper, sugar and salt mixture over the first part of the salmon.
Put plenty of dill on the first salmon.
Place the second part of the salmon on top of the first.
The skin sides should be on the outside of both salmon pieces.
Take a plastic bag and place the fish in the bag as it is.
Seal the bag after removing all the air from the bag.
Place the salmon in a rimmed dish in the refrigerator and weigh the dish down.
Turn the salmon once a day.
The salmon should be turned in the fridge once a day so that the liquid is evenly distributed.
Marinate the salmon in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Take out and unfold the fish, remove (scrape) the dill and spices off.
Thinly slice each half of salmon in long flat pieces and serve with lemon, dill and the gravlax sauce.
The salmon does not keep for very long, about 1 week, please always keep the salmon in the fridge during this time.
3 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 pinch pepper, white
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vinegar or squeezed lemon
1 dl chopped dill
1 dl oil
Mix together the mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar and dill. Use an electric mixer to let the oil flow into the mixture, first drop by drop and then in a small stream, so that a creamy sauce is done.
Let us know how you like it!
Here is a recipe for delicacy eggs, which should not be missing at the Christmas dinner buffet.
12 eggs
1 dl heavy cream, 40%
About half a tube of caviar (you can find it at Ikea or any other grocery store in Sweden)
1 red onion
Fresh dill for garnish
Boil the eggs hard-boiled.
Divide it lengthwise and remove the yolk
Crumble the yolk and place in a bowl
Finely chop the red onion
Squeeze the caviar into the bowl and mix it with the egg yolk and onion
Whip the cream and pour it into the bowl as well.
Now fill the egg halves cut to length wise with the mixture.
Garnish with the dill.
For those who can't get caviar or don't want to use the caviar, we also have another variant on our Christmas buffet. You can garnish the egg halves with a dab of mayonnaise and shrimp on top of it.
Rörost – scrambled crème cheese!
A really old Swedish recipe, the taste is very special, you can eat the scrambled crème cheese as it is or on a slice of bread.
3 liters whole milk, 3%
3 tablespoons cheese rennet, available to buy at pharmacies in Sweden.
1 cinnamon stick
0.5 dl raisins
2 tbsp. light syrup
1 egg
1.5 dl flour
1 dl milk
Now the cream cheese is ready! Let us know how you like it!
Slarvsylta – Christmas aspic meat
In Sweden, we eat jellied aspic meat on bread, preferably with mayonnaise, but you can also eat it with vinegar, oil and red onions.
Approx. 250 g fresh lean pork, preferably shoulder or leg
Approx. 250 g chicken fillet
1 liter of water
2 teaspoons of salt
4 spice peppercorns,
4 peppercorns, white
1 pinch of thyme
1 pinch of cinnamon
1/2 pinch nutmeg
1/2 pinch cloves
1 bay leaf
(1 pinch is approximately 0, 5 -1 spice measure)
Pickled cucumbers and pickled beets goes well with the aspic.
Rodbetssallad - Swedish classic beetroot salad
A must at the Swedish Christmas buffet together with the pickled herring and the meatballs. Beetroot salad is something that is very common on meatball sandwiches in Sweden too.
1 can of pickled beetroot
2 red apples
1 onion
1 dl mayonnaise
1 tablespoon French mustard
Salt and pepper
1 dl light crème fraîche – sour cream
Now season with pepper and salt, and its ready.
Meatball recipe, Grandma Mildred's famous meatballs for Christmas
There no real Christmas buffet without meatballs, they are probably just as important as the ham.
500 gr. ground beef
2 slices of white bread
1 teaspoon of salt
1 pinch of white pepper
0.5dl milk
If you want to make a cream sauce, use the broth from the pan and add a little flour to the pan and add heavy cream. Now cook this for at least 3 minutes.
Tip: What my grandma learned from her grandma. Before serving the meatballs for Christmas, turn them over again so they look shiny and not dry.
Christmas sausages is a fun and easy Christmas food to make at the cabin with the whole family or friends.
250 g pork
125 g parsnips, boiled cold
250 g beef
250 g lard
125 g potatoes, boiled cold
1.5 dl pork stock (or chicken broth)
200 cm sausage casings
2.5 tablespoons of coarse salt
1.5 tbsp. caster sugar
1 tsp saltpeter (potassium nitrate)
Water
2 bay leaves
5 white peppercorns
5 allspice grains
Peel and boil potatoes and parsnips in lightly salted water, until soft. Let cool.
Grind the meat, potatoes and parsnips for the sausage well. Mix with finely ground spices and milk, potato flakes and broth.
Carefully stuff the meat mixture into the skin casings, making sure it's not too firm. Tie to the desired length and poke the casings with a needle.
Rub the sausage with salt, sugar and saltpeter. Leave for ten hours.
Place the sausage in cold water and spices and cook very gently for about 20 minutes.
Serve with mustard, mashed potatoes and/or red cabbage.
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Cookies make the website more user-friendly and collect relevant information about your use for our analysis and marketing. They measure and monitor performance so that we can improve our website and make your experience even better. Click on "Accept all" to give us consent or click on "Settings" to choose which cookies we are allowed to use.