The 100% Swedish gastro expirience

The Swedish Christmas table

At this time of year all over Scandinavia, restaurants, hotels and other catering establishments have been gearing up to and serving the much-loved Christmas smorgasbord. Many other countries also serve a Christmas smorgasbord or buffet but here in Sweden it is steeped in the local traditional food culture. If you are trying it for the first time, ask for tips or advice, it's not just a walk in the park, with the sometimes 100 plus dishes.

 

 

Winter view at Engsholm Slott Panoramic winter view over Engsholms Slott, a year round get away destination, with a quality focus.

A smorgasbord of dishes

Whats on the menu!

In my opinion and of course I have one, most of the dishes on the Swedish Christmas smorgasbord are built around food preservation techniques. For example, Preserving, salting, smoking, pickling, ageing, gravning, sweetening as in jam ect. ect.

Quiet a few of the favourite smorgasbord dishes are eaten year-round at easter, mid-summer, birthday gatherings and more.

There are many international ideas, ingredients and dishes that help make up the the Swedishness of the Christmas smorgasbord, many of these influences seem to get lost in translation at this time of year.

Riksarkiv, entrance under the stars Walking in to to the mulled wine station at Riksarkiv, Stockholms busiest Christmas smorgasbord

The Smorgasbord evolution.

Now days the Christmas smorgasbord has gained in stature with a stronger anchoring amongst proud Swedish chefs, there are often more seasonal twists with dishes related to local produce, harvests and culture.

With the recent surge in popularity of local produce, foraging, and the increase in general food awareness so has the quality on offering on many Christmas Smorgasbords increased, the offerings on the buffets have moved from volume products to more a tasting experience with some more specialised and interesting produce, of course intertwined the age old favourites that nobody can replace.

Vendace roe, Kalix is best. Vendace roe, traditionally with smetana & red onions on toast. A much appreciated addition to Riksarkiv's buffet.

New day- new $

The Christmas cash cow

This season I’ve had the opportunity to work with the two different restaurants at either end of the volume spectrum whilst both establishments focusing on interesting and quality driven end of the market.

While one is very busy with huge numbers over 30 000 for the November December period the other is more relaxed and personal with just over 1000 guests. That aside the kitchens in both establishments are busy, long hours and hard work at this peak business period.

The Christmas season can be a make-or-break opportunity for many establishments, a good season can turn around a poor year into a yearly profit whilst poor sales can easily turn a bad month into a catastrophic year.

Always look for quality, a good Christmas smorgasbord can put a lot of pressure on the restaurant/establishment, fly by night and pop up's need to cut corners to meet the spread.

 

 

Smorgasbord in a corridor Naturally chilled in Engsholms castle's glassed in veranda

Smorgasbord etiquette

How to eat your way through a smorgasbord and not be ridiculed by the staff.

The do's and don'ts.

Not being an expert on etiquette, take my advice as survival tactics.

I’ve had the opportunity to work on the smorgasbord at both restaurants, I like the chance to interact with the guests and observe their behaviour.

For the inexperienced eating your way through a smorgasbord is a strictly regulated and cultural steered meal. An easy guideline is, your meal consists of five courses “visits to the buffet”, but again everyone has their own opinion.

Take a new plate and cutlery at each visit, your waiter/waitress should clear your setting each time you get up.

So, these are the rules but obviously rule number one is, there are no rules, if you don’t like it hop over it and move on, but if you are curious try something new.

Some cultures think they should take loads of food to show their appreciation, this is a fool’s game as they only eat 10% of what they take & in our modern world it’s called food waste, and the individual is a perpetrator.

Some feel that its courteous to leave food on the plate, we in the industry feel you don’t know how hungry you are or how much you can eat, you need to plan your meal so theres no wastage.

Some try to cram it all on the one plate, some of these guests are just novices or ill informed, the locals that do this are ignorant to their own culture, we in the service industry laugh and mock them in silence and think they are idiots.

What to drink, Christmas soft drinks, beer, aquavit, wine, water ect.

sillbord The herrings station at Riksarkivet.

The different courses

The first course: Herrings & Baltic herrings plus garnishes, boiled potatoes, crispbread and hard cheese.

The second course: Salmon and other preserved fish, plus garnishes, boiled eggs with toppings, appropriate salads & dips, “nowadays the salads tend to be a bit more varied with vegetarian & vegan options, pickles and local variations.

The third course: Cold cuts and charcruterie, “here again are there lots of variations, sourced locally plus various game meats, mustard, pickles, the star here on this course being the Christmas ham.

 

egg and salmon at he castle The cold fish station at Engsholms Castle, with the gravad pike mosaic in the for ground.
second course riksarkiv Riksarkiv's egg and salmon station, it never ends.

Småvärmt, the hot station

The fourth course: hot, sausages, pork ribs, meatballs, vegetables, Janssons temptation, and often more potatoes, nowadays there is often vegetarian and vegan alternatives.

småvarmt, riksarkivet The hot selection on Riksarkivet's Christmas smorgasbord

Rounding off with sweets.

 

The fifth course: cheese and desserts, “this can be broken into two visits if needed” local cheeses of which there are many in Sweden plus a few international standards, various local and international fruit, puddings and conserves, chocolate, candy, toffee and old-fashioned sweets.

This course is the course that brings back most childhood memories to the adults and is the most anticipated smorgasbord visit for the children, this is a make or break selection for a winning concept.

The liquorice wheels above are big winners, cut off as much s you like, wow effects on the buffets are what brings the guests back year after year.

 

efterrätts bord vid Engsholms slott Engsholms castles home made Christmas sweets.
choklad hyllor vid riksarkivet Part of the dessert station at riksarkivet, the chocolate shelves

Enjoy the smorgasbord

All the best for Christmas enjoy the food.

If you are going to a Christmas smorgasbord, get a bit  dressed up, let your hair down, wear something a bit Christmassy or a Christmas hat.

Relax and enjoy yourself.

 

Jul tomte i köket Santa made it into the kitchen, but he was empty handed.
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