We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
With new restaurants popping up in major cities across the U.S., it’s clear that Nordic cuisine is trending. Scandinavian food has always been fantastic, thanks to fresh ingredients and simple preparations. Nordic chefs have a great love for ingredients one would find foraging in the woods, as well as fresh vegetables, lots of seafood, and uncomplicated seasonings. Your breakfast, lunch, and dinner routines are about to become a bit more exciting.
Lohiketto (Fish Soup)
This Finnish soup from Oliver Magazine incorporates fresh dill, potatoes, and white fish. It tastes like summer, and it’s ready to slurp in under 30 minutes. Usually, the recipe calls for heavy cream, but we made this dish a few times with whole milk—it turned out perfectly fine and made the soup lighter for warmer months.
Kohlrabi and Potato Salad
This is the potato salad to end all summer potato salads. The comfort of the potatoes, the tanginess of kohlrabi, and a good handful of dill make this salad perfect for potlucks and picnics. Add some roasted chicken, and you have a well-rounded lunch.
Köttbular (Swedish Meatballs)
No need to wait until your next IKEA visit to indulge in this famous Scandinavian dish via The Recipe Critic. These Swedish meatballs in cream sauce are best served with simple boiled potatoes and cranberry jam. Since you have to roll the meatballs, make a big batch and freeze some for easy weeknight dinners.
Smoked Salmon & Farro Salad
Created by Finland’s Masterchef 2013 winner, Kira Åkerströ, this salad proves that using the right ingredients creates the perfect taste and balance—without excessive seasoning. A little preserved lemon, a good mix of herbs, and some shallots are everything you need to make the other ingredients pop.
The Perfect Danish Hot Dog
The Danes love their hot dogs, and the hot dog wagons sprinkled across Copenhagen are a national treasure. While the American hot dog varies from state to state, the Danish hot dog almost always follows the same template. The bun, the dog, Danish remoulade, ketchup, mustard, crispy and raw onions, and sliced dill pickles.
Danish Pickled Cucumbers
It doesn’t get any more fresh than this easy side dish from Sweet Paul. Served in almost all Scandinavian countries next to fish and chicken, this salad is made in no time and will give your meal a fresh note. If you like it a bit more creamy, you can add a spoon or two of sour cream.
Gravlax
This classic from Scandinavia is also a brunch staple here. And while it sounds a bit intimidating to cure salmon at home, believe us, it isn’t. You just need some patience. Try impressing your guests next time with this delicious and stylish salmon platter by Honestly Yum.
Smørrebrød
(Open-Faced Sandwiches)Another traditional dish from Scandinavia: the famous smørrebrøds. The open-faced sandwiches are served at almost every restaurant for breakfast and lunch. The good thing about smørrebrøds is that you can mix and match as you please. There are no rules. The more colorful, the better—like this collection by Green Kitchen Stories.
Fish Pie
Fish and peas in a creamy sauce topped with mashed potatoes and oven-baked until golden-brown—need we say more? This dish from Jamie Oliver is comforting and suitable regardless if it’s summer or winter. Serve with a simple green salad with lots of herbs.
Finnish Spinach Soup
Served with a soft boiled egg and rye crisps, this spinach soup from Scandi Foodie is quick to whip up and makes a perfect lunch staple or healthy Netflix binge bite.
Norwegian Breakfast Porridge
This rice pudding from The Modern Proper is filling and will also satisfy your sweet tooth first thing in the morning. Traditionally topped with plum compote and cinnamon, you can also switch it to fresh fruit, vanilla sauce, or anything else that makes you happy.
Pulla (Finnish Cardamom Buns)
A beloved sweet treat in Finland and Sweden, these buns can be found at any bakery or coffee shop, usually accompanied by coffee and long chats. We think this recipe from My Blue and White Kitchen is a great alternative to the breakfast cinnamon bun.
Read More:
IKEA Has A Swedish Supermarket, And These Are The Best Things In ItWhat Is Scandinavian Breakfast (and here’s why you need it immediately)23 Instagrams To Follow If You’re Obsessed With Scandinavia
Published on May 2, 2017
FAQs
Meatballs. Thanks to a certain Swedish furniture company meatballs (köttbullar) are perhaps the best known of any individual Scandinavian dish. They are traditionally made with a combination of ground beef and pork, alongside spices including nutmeg and cardamom.
What is the most popular food in Scandinavia? ›
Meatballs. Thanks to a certain Swedish furniture company meatballs (köttbullar) are perhaps the best known of any individual Scandinavian dish. They are traditionally made with a combination of ground beef and pork, alongside spices including nutmeg and cardamom.
What is a traditional Scandinavian dish? ›
While Scandinavian cuisine comes with plenty of traditional dishes that immediately spring to mind—gravlax, cinnamon buns, waffles, reindeer, and aquavit—there's a sophisticated food movement now in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
What is the staple food of Scandinavia? ›
You'll soon discover that the Scandinavian countries have similar diets, featuring locally-sourced ingredients. Common foods include bread, dairy products, potatoes, porridges, creamy soups, salted or smoked meats and fresh, salted or smoked fish.
What are the staples of Nordic food? ›
Popular Scandinavian Ingredients
- Meat: a large variety, including pork, poultry, veal, beef and also wild birds, elk, deer, bear, horse & even whale.
- Seafood: both salt & freshwater.
- Bread: a proliferation of varieties but most common are rye bread forms.
- Fruits & root vegetables: mostly preserved & pickled.
Swedish meatballs, or köttbullar, are perhaps one of the most internationally recognized dishes from Sweden. These small, flavorful meatballs are traditionally served with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and a creamy gravy, making for a comforting and satisfying meal.
What are the three main cuisines of Scandinavia? ›
The three main cuisines of Scandinavia are Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian, each with its unique flavors and dishes that reflect the geographical and cultural diversity of the region.
What is the famous Scandinavian fish dish? ›
For centuries, Scandinavians have used it to prepare dried whitefish, typically cod, in a dish known as lutefisk. We have the Vikings to thank for the unique technique, which rehydrates dried fish in alternating containers of water and lye.
What fruits do Scandinavians eat? ›
These fruits and berries are common to grow in Sweden: Apples, which I guess is both most common to privately grow and eat. Pears, Plums, Cherries, Gooseberries, Red and Blackcurrant are all pretty common to. Blueberries, Lingonberries, Cloudberries are growing naturally in the woods particular in the nothern parts.
What do Scandinavian people eat for lunch? ›
A traditional lunch can take hours, and aquavit is enjoyed at regular intervals, of course. Popular dishes for a smörgåsbord include bowls of pickled herring served with rye and crispbread, beetroot and apple salad, meatballs, pâtés, and different types of cured and smoked salmon.
Nordic vegetables are cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, roots and peas. Fish varieties include salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring and dried salty cod. Fruits do not grow abundantly in the region; therefore, berries tend to be the primary source of fruit.
What is a Nordic sandwich? ›
The Scandinavian open sandwich (Danish: smørrebrød, Norwegian: smørbrød, Swedish: smörgås or macka) consists of one piece of buttered bread, often whole-grain rye bread (Danish: rugbrød, Swedish: rågbröd, Finnish: ruisleipä), topped with, for instance, cheese, cold steak, ham, turkey, shrimps, smoked salmon, caviar, ...
What is a typical Scandinavian breakfast? ›
An open-faced sandwich is a very common Scandinavian breakfast. It can be as simple as a piece of rye bread with butter and a slice of cheese, or you can spruce it up a bit with toppings like cucumber, apples, sliced egg, or bell pepper. Chopped chives or dill are never a bad idea.
Are eggs part of Nordic diet? ›
Lean meats, such as skinless poultry, and eggs are acceptable in moderation, although most Nordic Diet proteins are derived from fish and plant alternatives, such as legumes, nuts, and seeds.
What is Norway's most popular food? ›
Fårikål – mutton stew: the national dish of Norway. Cabbage and mutton are layered in a pot along with black peppercorns and salt (and, in some recipes, wheat flour to thicken the sauce), covered with water and simmered until the meat is very tender. The dish is served with potatoes.
What is Scandinavia best known for? ›
Notable are the Norwegian fjords, the Scandinavian Mountains covering much of Norway and parts of Sweden, the flat, low areas in Denmark and the archipelagos of Finland, Norway and Sweden. Finland and Sweden have many lakes and moraines, legacies of the ice age, which ended about ten millennia ago.
