Sharing Sweden: Food

I again find myself in Prague, Czech Republic, my home away from home. I love going this time of year, and not only because it is warmer than Skellefteå!

This time I wanted to bring my friends something really Swedish. Which got me thinking. What is “Swedish”. We have some candy that is only available in Sweden, but candy is pretty much the same anywhere (though godis are a bit better than “regular candy”, they still don’t have that something Swedish). So what could I bring to share with my friends, to show them a side of Sweden?

1. Västerbotten ost

You may have heard me talking about this cheese before. It is made in a small town not too far from Skellefteå, and it the recipe can’t seem to be replicated anywhere else. I really haven’t tasted anything like it.

It is a strong, crumbly cheese, and I can promise if you like cheese you will love this cheese!

2. Dried Chantarelle

Now not only are these amazing Swedish mushrooms that grow in the forest near the coast in Norrland (and maybe in the south too?), but they dry very easy, keep for a long time, and are easy to travel with.

Oh, and they are also taking over my flat! 🙂

3. Moose and reindeer meat

Now this is Sweden. Or at least in my opinion it is. Or maybe it is just really, really good, so I say it is Sweden so I can buy it, bring it to my friends’ house, and have an excuse to eat some!

Usually we can pick up dried reindeer meat in the store, but the local store was all out. Luckily, in Arlanda, the Stockholm airport, there is a fabulous store in Sky City (the shopping/food center that connects the terminals) called Salmon Deli. They have delicacies from all over Sweden, including but not limited to västerbotten cheese, chocolate, fish and various meats.

They had a huge meat selection. I am so glad our store ran out of dried reindeer meat! While this store did have it, you can bet that the prices were much higher (it is the airport after all!)

I selected smoked reindeer heart (pictured above), and reindeer and moose salami, to bring back to my friends. We haven’t tried the salami, but the smoked heart was a big hit!

 

So I think I did already for bringing a piece of Sweden to my friends in Prague. What would you have brought? What do you consider as “Swedish food“?