Religion doesn't have as noticeable of an influence on the cultural foods in Scandinavia as much as it does on many other nations. In fact, Scandinavia is known to be one of the least religious areas in the world. For example, a whole 18% of Norway's population report as being non-religious. The majority of those who do identify as belonging to one religion are Christians, with Lutheran being a large portion of that. With this in mind, there are still plenty of annual celebrations that are part of Scandinavian culture, each with distinct foods unique to the particular nation.
Holidays
In Scandinavia, December and into January is known as the Christmas season. There are a few different holidays throughout this time, but most notable is obviously Christmas. Each country has a traditional Christmas Eve feast, with variations present as for each nation. Some main dishes are pinnekjøtt in Norway, lutefisk in both Sweden and Norway, stuffed duck or turkey in Denmark, and roast pork in Finland. Dessert for most Scandinavian countries consists of some form of hot rice pudding.
In the same time of the year, deep winter, Iceland has its own unique celebration. Thorrablot is a midwinter feast that is typical in Iceland. It has roots deep in Viking history and tradition. The typical foods of Thorrablot would be considered unappetizing to most of the American population, as it consists of dishes such as putrefied shark meat, smoked lamb’s meat, sour lamb breasts, liverwurst and blood sausage, topped off with a shot of Brennivin.
Norwegian Pinnekjøtt Christmas dinner.
Icelandic cuisine, typical of Thorrablot.
Now onto one celebration that doesn’t take place in the dark of winter! Midsummer’s Day is one of the most celebrated holidays in Scandinavia, alongside Christmas. It is essentially their take on the summer solstice. Among bonfires and celebration, herring or other smoked fish are enjoyed with potatoes and fresh fruit, alongside schnapps and/or beer.
The Smörgåsbord
This tradition originated in Sweden. It is a buffet meal consisting of a large variety of foods. The foods are eaten specifically in the following order due to ritual. The meal is kicked off with herring of some sort, followed by various other fish such as smoked salmon. Next up come salads and meats, like cold cuts or pâtés. Then is the final course, which consists of hot, prepared dishes such as meatballs or omelets. Aquavit is drank throughout the meal.
Other Social Gatherings
When in meetings or conferences, guests are usually served coffee with milk to go along with pastries or open faced sandwiches and fruit. For other miscellaneous event gatherings, sandwich cakes are the norm for food served.
Written by: Jax Mikkelsen All images courtesy of Google Images.
References:
Kittler, Pamela Goyan, Kathryn Sucher, and Marcia Nahikian-Nelms. "Chapter 7: Central Europeans, People of the Former Soviet Union, and Scandinavians." Food and Culture. 6th ed., pp. 183-89. Print.
Charney, Noah. "A Scandinavian Christmas: History and Food Traditions." Fine Dining Lovers. N.p., 24 Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.