The sea-girt countries at the top of Europe—Norway, Sweden and Denmark—have developed a cuisine which, though rooted in Continental tradition, has flowered in a way uniquely its own. A robust style of cookery that makes lavish use of energizing foods, Scandinavian cuisine is also colorful, imaginative, and strikingly beautiful in appearance.
To Americans the most familiar aspect of Scandinavian dining traditions is the smorgasbord, far-famed buffet of appetizers, hospitable invitation to hearty sociability. If this has been your introduction to Scandinavian cooking you are already familiar with a fascinating array of hot and cold dishes, meats, cheeses and vegetables, and piquantly seasoned fish, especially herring.
But there is much more to Scandinavian tradition than this first course. There are sauces (richest in the world); dark and delicious breads; cookies, puddings and cakes; open-face sandwiches that are meals in themselves and a joy to behold. Above all, there is the Scandinavian sorcery with fish—bountiful harvest of the cold northern seas which the Scandinavians garner so industriously and cook and garnish so handsomely.
It may seem from the pages that follow that the northern countries' menu is a heroic one, and so it is. With fare like this the hardy ancestors of modern Scandinavia conquered uncharted seas in their open Viking ships and adventured boldly toward a new world.
SMÖRGASBORD
Best-known of all Scandinavian dining customs is the smörgasbord—usually the prelude to the feast, but on some occasions the whole feast itself. In Sweden, where the custom is believed to have originated in the festivities of country people, the smörgasbord is served as a first course. A small number of appetizers, which invariably include herring, are presented buffet-style to guests who relax and nibble, exchange toasts and conversation, and then assemble around the dining table with appetites pleasantly stimulated hut unimpaired. In other countries, and especially in America, the character and function of the smörgasbord have altered and it may comprise the principal part of a meal. A munificent variety of fish, meat, cheese, egg and vegetable dishes is arranged on a necessarily commodious buffet or table and guests visit it as often as they please. A dessert (by recommendation simple) and good strong coffee bring the feast to a close.
A time-tried ritual is prescribed for the proper enjoyment of either a small smörgasbord or the full-scale, panoramic affair. First, and always first if one is to observe the Scandinavian spirit of the occasion, the herring! Then one adventures (with clean plate in hand) through dishes in which fish is combined with other ingredients, then cold meats, the delicious hot dishes, the salads and aspics, and finally, for digestion's sake and to soothe a possibly jaded palate, a bit of cheese.
In Norway, the smörgasbord is also called koldt bord. It usually consists of a few appetizers—fish, meat and cheese—but on special occasions may be elaborate and bountiful, including roasts of meat and several kinds offish. Roast beef tenderloin, for example, and loin of pork served with prunes and apple slices; boiled lobster with mayonnaise, whole baked or boiled salmon with sour cream; and a whole cold ham. Include parsley potatoes in the more elaborate type of smörgasbord. Rum pudding usually rounds out these heroic collations.
A Swedish adaptation of the smörgasbord is the gracious supe—a late supper served after the theater or an evening of dancing. The supe too is governed to some extent by tradition. Hot dishes arc always served. They may be croustades with creamed filling, an omelet or souffle, new potatoes with fresh dill. Breads, especially the fragrant limpa, accompany the dishes. Fish and a relish, such as sliced tomatoes, are included as a matter of course. Amounts served are not lavish. The dishes are kept small, but always garnished with the flair for beauty that characterizes Scandinavian cuisine. Cookies are sometimes included in supe and coffee is always served. To precede a Swedish dinner, a plate of three (it must be three) canapes is placed before each individual. Canapes would not be served with a smörgasbord.
The smörgasbord recipes here have been selected with a deep bow to Scandinavian tradition and an understanding nod to some American food preferences. The fruit molds, cream-cheese aspics, macaroni and cole slaw salad would probably not be found on a smörgasbord table in Stockholm, except perhaps at the height of the tourist season.
The American homemaker can make a respectable gesture toward a smörgasbord with herring, sardines, anchovies or other small canned fish, a platter of ready-to-serve meats and cheese and a relish or two—all of which may also be included in a much more elaborate buffet.
A word about bread and cheeses: Custom dictates that only the dark breads belong to the smörgasbord and that knackebrod (hardtack in American parlance) should be among them. Cheese may be Swiss, Danish Bleu, Edam, goat cheeses or bond ost, butitis never proffered in slices. Guests cut it to individual preference.
SOME RECIPES
1. Pickled Herring (Inlagd Sill)
The herring of Scandinavia are truly the harvest of the sea. As the season for them approaches, fishermen gather on the shores ready for action. When the clouds of gulls which announce the run are sighted, men and boats take to the sea for the hard toil of gathering one of the most important "crops" of Scandinavia. Pour into a large bowl
3 qts. cold water
Put into the water
2 sail herring, cleaned and cut into fillets
Set aside to soak 3 hrs.
Clean and thinly slice
1 large onion
Separate onion slices into rings.
Mix together
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Drain herring and cut into 2-in. square pieces. Put a layer of herring into a shallow bowl and top with some of the onion rings. Repeat layers of herring and onion. Pour over the vinegar/water mixture. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator several hours or overnight to blend flavors.
When ready to serve, drain off liquid. Toss herring and onion lightly to mix and put into a serving bowl. Garfish with sprigs of parsley.
(10 to 12 servings)
2. Herring Salad (Sillsalat)
What beans are to Boston and ambrosia to the gods, herring is to many Scandinavians. It appears in a hundred different guises, and this salad is one of the finest.
Pour into a large bowl
2 qts. cold water
Put into the water
1 salt herring, cleaned and cut into fillets
Set aside to soak 3 hrs.
To Prepare Herring—With a sharp knife cut off and discard head. Slit along underside of the fish from head to tail. Remove entrails and scrape insides well. Cut off tail and fins. Rinse thoroughly in cold water. Cut off a strip about 1/2 in. wide along each of cut edges. Discard strips. Make a slit along backbone just to the bone. Using a sharp knife, carefully pull and scrape the blue skin from the flesh. Be careful not to tear fish. Then cut along backbone through bone and flesh to remove one side of fish. Repeat for the second side. Remove as many of the small bones as possible without tearing fish.
For Salad—Wipe with a clean, damp cloth and cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1/2 lb. veal
Put into a saucepan with
3 cups water
Cook over medium heat about 1 hr., or until meat is tender. Drain; chill in refrigerator.
Meanwhile, leaving on 1- to 2-in. stem and the root end, cut off leaves from
1 lb. (about 5) medium-size beets
Scrub beets thoroughly. Cook 30 to 45 min., or until just tender. When beets are tender, drain. Plunge beets into running cold water; peel off and discard skin, stem and root end. Cut beets into slices 1/4 in. thick. Cut slices into strips 1/4 in. wide. Set in refrigerator to chill.
While beets cook, wash and scrub with a vegetable brush
2 small (about 1/2 lb.) potatoes
Cook about 20 min., or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain potatoes. To dry potatoes, shake pan over low heat. Peel potatoes and dice. Chill in refrigerator.
Hard-cook
3 eggs
Cut 2 of the peeled eggs into halves length-wise. Finely chop the egg whites and egg yolks separately and set aside. Cut the remaining peeled egg into slices crosswise. Set aside.
Put a bowl and beater in refrigerator to chill.
Clean and finely chop 2 medium-size onions Drain the herring, dry on absorbent paper, and cut into 1/2 to 1/4 pieces. Put the herring, veal, potatoes, and onion into a large bowl with
1 large apple, rinsed and diced
Pour over ingredients in bowl a mixture of
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Few grains pepper
Toss lightly to coat evenly.
Using the chilled bowl and beater, beat until cream is of medium consistency (piles softly)
1 cup chilled whipping cream
Turn the whipped cream over the herring mixture and toss lightly until thoroughly combined. Add the beets and mix thoroughly, being careful not to break the strips. Turn into a serving bowl and chill thoroughly in refrigerator. If desired, turn Herring Salad into a 2-qt. mold. Pack lightly. Chill thoroughly.
When ready to serve, spoon the chopped egg white around the edge of the salad, the chopped egg yolk over center. Arrange the hard-cooked egg slices in a circle between the chopped egg white and egg yolks. Complete the garnish with sprigs of parsley. Place a cruet of white vinegar, colored with beet juice, and a cruet of cream on the table so that each person may sour the salad to his own taste.
(10 to 12 servings)
3. Fish Balls (Fiskekroketer)
Set out a deep saucepan or automatic deep-fryer and heat fat to 350°F.
Heat over low heat in a saucepan
2 tablespoons butter
Blend in
1/4 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Heat until mixture bubbles. Add gradually, stirring constantly
1 cup cream
Cook rapidly, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; cool.
Meanwhile, flake finely enough cooked fish to yield
3 cups flaked cooked fish (cod, trout, fillet of sole, whiteflsh)
When sauce is cool, blend in the fish and
1 egg yolk, beaten
Shape mixture into balls 1 in. in diameter.
Dip balls into
2 eggs, slightly beaten
To coat evenly, roll balls in
1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
Deep-fry Fish Balls in heated fat. Deep-fry only as many balls at one time as will float uncrowded one-layer deep in the fat. Turn balls often. Deep-fry 2 min., or until lightly browned. Drain; remove to absorbent paper. Keep Fish Balls warm for the smörgasbord.
(About 5 doz. Fish Balls)
By Staff Home Economists of Culinary Arts Institute (Director Melanie de Proft) in "The Scandinavian Cook Book", Culinary Arts Institute, (Book Production Industries),Chicago, USA, 1956. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.