I wonder if anyone else on this forum lays out a tradional Smorgasbord at Christmas. In America, Smorgasbord is just like a buffet of a lot of dishes, but in Sweden there is a particular set of dishes in a particular order. Just how extensive it is depends on how much time/money we have at our disposal.

This is what we have:

A fish course which MUST have pickeled Herring. Shrimp if I have the funds, Crab salad or crab spread. Any other seafood that I can lay hands on. Sardines and anchovies. This is served cold, with rye bread and knockebrot-Its a kind of rye cracker/hard tack. There has to be rye bread with butter-and preferably homemade ryebread-I tried to get away with just buying a loaf of ryebread-my husband was horrified to the point where he made it himself.

There's more cold food, though not served with the fish-potato salad, olives, many kinds of picked vegtables, cold cuts(these are not crucial)cheeses-havarti, if I can get it, at least one cheese ball again served with buttered ryebread and knockebrot, deviled eggs and dilled cucumber salad.

Then theres the hot course-the ledgendary Swedish meatballs, Swedish brown beans, scallopped potatoes, and if I'm feeling adventursome a dish called Johnsson's Temptation which is a browned potato/anchovy dish, hot pickeled beets.

Desert? you bet. Tradionally-theres a plain cake ( some sort of unfrosted poundcake) fancycake-a frosted, usually chocolate cake, and as many kinds of cookies as I can bake. Theres coffee bread and cinnemon rolls.

There's LOTS of coffee-even the kids get a tablespoon or so in thier milk, Wine for adults, cider for kids, and we skoal with Aquavit if we can get it.

I think if I start tomorrow, I might finsh by Christmas Eve.

I wondered if anyone else does this-I have lots of traditional Swedish/scandinavian recipies and would love to swap recipies,ideas with others. (Its really difficult to find pickeled herring, knockebrot and Aquavit in South Central Kentucky) It is a tremendous amount of work-but it means a great deal to my family

-- Kelly (Ksaderholm@yahoo.com), December 01, 2001

Answers

I would love to have your Swedish Meatball recipe.........that's great your carrying on your family traditions. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

-- Jo (farmerjo@kvalley.com), December 01, 2001.

Kelly, WHAT?! No lutefisk?! Seriously, marrying into a Swedish/Finnish family after being raised by my English/French raised in Massachusetts parents was a real culture shock! The worst was, we got married on December 30, (31 years this month) and kissing my husband-to-be-during Christmas season with pickled herring, Sinny salad, lutefisk, etc. on his breath was...well, challenging. The worst faux paus I made was when he offered me a big bite of sinny salad, and I actually threw up. Hey, it looked like fruit salad, and when that's what you're expecting, and it tastes like fish, what do you expect? But, of course, you learn to adapt...I was a little appalled though, when my sons asked for pickled herring for their first birthdays, and even drank the juice! I made a mortal enemy of my mother-in-law when she refused to give me the recipe for sinny salad, and DH and I figured it out by making it and tasting until it was just right. Until the day she died, she locked her doors while making pickled herring after that. There used to be a local company that made great rye-tack, but about 4 years ago they dropped the plastic wrapping and started wrapping it in paper, and now it is always stale. So I would love to get your recipe for knockebrot, rye bread and, of course, pickled herring. In exchange, I can offer you recipes for lefse, Lingonberry jelly, Mutsemias, and tell you how to make sinny salad, and even how to make the salt salmon for it! Oh, and I also have a great recipe for crab spread that is even better made with artificial crab--even around here, Dungeness crab is over $20 a pound, and we can get the artificial for $2.49. This thread is a great idea! Do you also make the Skandinavian cookies? I know they are a lot of work, with all that molding and frying, but I always try to make at least a single batch just for the family...which reminds me, I have the recipe for frying-pan cookies, too. Kathie

-- Kathie in Western Washington (twinrosefarm@centurytel.net), December 02, 2001.

Not a smorgasbord, nor lutefisk, for that matter, since we're Danish, but maybe a smorrebrod! Definitely aebleskiver with homemade applesauce, and Rødgrød med fløde, since I didn't have but a few red currants and black currants this year---not enough for jelly, but enough for soup. And Frikadeller. And Red Cabbage, and Rice Pudding with an almond in it! !

Try IKEA for Swedish food, Kelly, if you know someone who lives near one. Mine is an hour and a half away, but everytime I'm near it, I stop and fill up on goodies.

-- Julia (charmer24@juno.com), December 02, 2001.

Sorry! I draw the line at lutefisk. My husbands grandmother used to make it and everyone agreed that it was the one part of smorgasbord they could give up. Yes,I do make the rice pudding and almond. I'm not Scandinivian, myself, (good old Scots Irish/ Appalachian here!) and the first time I was exposed to the full smorgasbord I was three months pregnant and it was hard to deal with! My kids though have had it every year, and they love it. They love pickeled herring. Usually, I buy the pickeled Herring instead of trying to do it myself- theres usually someone coming in from either Louisville or Lexington and they pick up the Herring and knockebrot, if I call ahead the Winn- Dixie in Glasgow will order it for me. I would love the sinny salad recipie and the pan fried cookies-I don't have the cookie irons for the other cookies, though I would love to get some. I do spritzer cookies though, I will post the rye bread recipie-its really good. I have a knockebrot recipie too, but I can never get it to turn out right.

-- Kelly (ksaderholm@yahoo.com), December 02, 2001.

I just usually a huge spread for nacho bell grande. With 15 people and more in and out it is a big hit. I just put anything and everything one them and have lots of sweets for later.

-- lynne (leaves8@hotmail.com), December 02, 2001.

Sinny Salad

Cook and cube potatoes as you would for potato salad, add cooked diced beets and carrots--about twice as many beets as carrots. Finely chopped onions to taste, salt and white pepper. Mix with mayonnaise as for potato salad (can't use miracle whip, it changes the taste.) Add your finely minced salt salmon to taste--a little goes a long way. Let sit for 24 hours before serving.

Frying Pan cookies

1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup sugar 1 cup chopped dates 1 cup chopped nuts 4 oz marachino cherries with juice 2 eggs 2 cups rice krispies coconut Melt margarine and sugar in large frying pan. Add dates, nuts chopped cherries with juice. Cook until well mixed. Remove from heat. Beat eggs well and s-l-o-w-l-y add to mix. Return to heat until it bubbles. Stirring constantly add rice krispies. Form cookies with teaspoons and roll in coconut, let cool on waxed paper.

-- Kathie in Western Washington (ywinrosefarm@centurytel.net), December 02, 2001.

Kathie - Would you please post your crab spread recipe? Thanks!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), December 03, 2001.

Jean, I'm happy to, but it's not a recipe, because it depends on how much you make--so I'll list the ingredients, you can make it "to taste". Softened cream cheese, fresh garlic (powder will work) and chopped artificial crab. The "secret" is too make it at least a day in advance, the longer it sits, the better the flavors blend. My family loves this on Ritz type crackers. When giving this as a gift, I form it into a "cheese-ball" shape, and roll it in finely chopped fresh parsley, or green onion. Kathie

-- Kathie in Western Washington (twinrosefarm@centurytel.net), December 03, 2001.

I'm not scandinavian, but I have lived in Denmark. And miss the food greatly!! Rugbrød & Leverpostej, Smørrebrød, Frikadeller, Saltlakrids and good Danish beer. But living in England all this things are virtually impossible to get hold of! I have a recipe for good danish ryebread & frikadeller, but would love to get hold of some more recipes, or suggestions of anywhere in the UK I can buy danish/scandinavian ingredients. I have freinds in Copenhagen that occasionally send over some danish liquorice, but other items are not easy to send. Any advice would be great.

-- Matt (cartemj2@hotmail.com), June 22, 2002.