The Agriculture of Scandinavia are a result of the countries’ proximity to the sea and diverse landscape, as well as its varied climate. Scandinavia is almost completely surrounded by water. Norway’s coast contains fjords, long, deep inlets of the sea between high cliffs, which allow for more coastline, are more access to the sea. The Scandinavian mountains run through the entire Peninsula. Denmark is comprised of flat, low areas. Sweden and Norway contain a series of small islands. And, Finland contains lakes left over from melted ice. The climate is just as varied as the geography. Denmark, southern Sweden, and west Norway have mild climates due to their proximity to the sea and west winds. In contrast, central Scandinavia has a more humid continental climate. Finland’s climate is very diverse due to its location: it has both a marine and continental climate. Due to its latitude, Iceland’s temperature is cool but varies with the time of the year. It has a seasonal change that results in no sunlight for a small period of time midwinter. The colder climate of Scandinavia has limited the amout of resources available year long.
This map shows the countries that comprise Scandinavia as well as their proximity to the sea. http://www.scandinaviantravel.com/plan-your-visit/map-of-scandinavia/
Fjords allow for greater acess to the sea. Many houses are build along the water to take advantage of what the sea has to offer. https://journal.amberjack.com/2015/08/go-north-angler-brief-tour-fishing-norway/
The Sea as a Main Source of Food
One of the biggest influences is Scandinavia’s proximity to the sea. It is almost completely surrounded by water: the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Scandinavians’ use their most abundant resource, fish, in many of their main dishes and it is considered one of their core foods. Commonly fish and shellfish include cod, herring, mackerel, pike, salmon, sardines, shrimp and trout.
Preservation
Because of the different climates and long cold winters, Scandinavians put a large influence on preservation. This allows them to keep food for long periods of time. Fish can be dried, smoked, or pickled. Milk is fermented or allowed to sour. Foods usually include large amounts of salt to postpone the spoilage process.
Smoking fish, such as herring in denmark, is one of the oldest methods of meat preservation. https://ruralspin.com/2012/03/10/food-preservation-lets-talk-methods/
Shown is a family-run farm located near the Sea. https://www.workaway.info/13566336994a-en.html
Vegetable Farming
Long winters also limit the amount of fresh vegetables and fruits that can be grown. Vegetables than can be grown in the winter are usually incorporated in meals such as potatoes, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery root, cucumber, beets, turnips, onions and leeks.
Pickled herring, potatoes, chopped onion, sour cream, and an egg, hard boiled.
Husmanskost
Swedish husmanskost denotes traditional Swedish dishes with local ingredients, the classical every-day Swedish cuisine. This term was originally used for most kinds of simple countryside food outside of towns. Genuine Swedish husmanskost used predominantly local ingredients such as pork, fish, cereals, milk, potatoes, cabbage, onion, etc. Although husmanskost is focused around more traditional Swedish cooking with traditional ingredients, it has lately become more modernized by famous Swedish chefs that are modernizing the dishes.
Pyittipanna, consisting of onion, potatoes, egg, minced sausage, and pan-fried.
Breakfast
Breakfast usually consists of open sandwiches, possibly crisp bread. The sandwich is most often buttered, with toppings such as hard cheese, cold cuts, caviar, ham, tomatoes, cucumber. fermented milk, or sometimes yogurt, is also traditional breakfast food, usually served in a bowl with cereals such as corn flakes, and sometimes with sugar, fruit or jam.
A pitepalt dumpling, a common Swedish lunch item.
Lunch
Swedish culture typically enjoys an early breakfast, a light lunch before noon, and a heavy evening dinner meal. The lunch meal is lighter and not nearly as heavy nor esquisite as dinner or breakfast meals.
A plate with isterband (sausage), mashed potato, pickled beets and saurkraut
Dinner
The main meal in Swedish culture, as with most cultures, is without a doubt dinner. A limited range of fish and other seafood is an important part of the Swedish cuisine. Farmed salmon from Norway has become increasingly popular. Herring is another very popular Scandinavian seafood course. Dishes range from all sorts of ingredients such as mutton, cabbage, stews, vegetables, potatoes, spices, and seafood.
Game
In central Scandinavia, the mountainous land allows for game to be incorporated into the diet. Mutton, lamb, reindeer, elk, venison, hare, goose, beef, and pork are included in the diets of those who live inland.
Hunting in Sweden is practically a national past time with almost 300,000 hunters in a population of just over 9 million. http://www.visitsweden.com/sweden/Things-to-do/Adventure--Sports/Hunting-in-Sweden/
Written By: Rachel Moore & Matthew Mandry
Sources
"Food in Sweden." Food by Country, www.foodbycountry.com/Spain-to-Zimbabwe-Cumulative-Index/Sweden.html.
Goldstein, Darra, “Fire and Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking”, Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony, 2015.
Kittler, Pamela Goyan, et al. "Scandinavians." Food and Culture, Seventh ed., Cengage Learning, pp. 196-204.
Samuelsson, Marcus, “Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine”, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003.
"Scandinavia." New World Encyclopedia, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Scandinavia. Accessed 21 Nov. 2016. "Weather in Scandinavia." About Travel, goscandinavia.about.com/od/scandinaviatripplanning/a/weatherclimate.htm. Accessed 21 Nov. 2016.