Scandinavian Smorgasbord
By Fred Plotkin
It may come as a surprise to some people that the author of “Italy for the Gourmet Traveler” and a collection of Italian cookbooks would declare his love for Nordic food, but it shouldn’t. Indeed I am passionate about everything Scandinavian, and not because the Nordic countries are everything Italy is not, or vice versa. They are not opposing entities, Apollo in the sauna versus Dionysus on the Mediterranean shore. Both places are world leaders in design, each with their own great music, alpine peaks, beaches, sophisticated cities, idyllic farmland, gorgeous people and fantastic cuisine. And because so many cruise ships ply the Baltic, it is possible to set sail from one capital to another, making visits to the rest en route. Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki all offer many delicacies served on beautifully designed plates with cutlery, glasses, place mats and cloth napkins that reflect the Nordic passion for elegant and practical simplicity.
My first contact with Scandinavian flavors came around 1960 when I was a toddler. New York, my hometown, received many Norwegian ships in its port. The seamen stayed in residences in Brooklyn that served smorgasbord, a plethora of fish, meat, vegetables, cheeses, bread and sweets that is the best introduction to the food of these countries. This is not an American-style “all you can eat” buffet. Norwegians select foods with restraint, learning how to pair flavors and textures. They might start with 3 pieces of herring, one lightly preserved in vinegar and served with chopped onion, another with tomato and a third with mustard. With this would come a boiled potato, a dollop of sour cream, a sprig of dill and a couple of slices of crisp bread made with rye or oats. On a return trip one might select a couple of frikkadeller (tender meatballs with brown gravy), a spoonful of lingonberries, a piece of poached salmon, cucumber slices and some Jarlsberg (cow’s milk cheese) and Gjetost, a brown goat’s milk cheese with a nutty flavor. All of these foods are to be savored, and I learned early the lessons of meditatively tasting one’s food rather than scarfing it down. It tastes better.
There are variations on the smorgasbord from one place to the next. In northern Norway, they like rømmergrøt, a sour cream porridge that pairs well with air-cured reindeer meat, a sort of Arctic prosciutto. The Finns make an incredibly textured and flavorful oat porridge that does for meat and fish what polenta would in Venice. The Swedes have the most varieties of herring. It might be cured in vodka and dill, or perhaps apple and rhubarb. An Icelandic buffet would have cold strips of that country’s exquisite lamb, perhaps the world’s best. There would also be poached cod, in slices with boiled potatoes and generous amounts of butter. The laws in Nordic countries allow anyone to wander in the forests to collect berries and chanterelle mushrooms, so these flavors are central to many Scandinavian meals.
The Danes enjoy smorgasbord, but have another delicacy: smørrebrod. Rather than going to a buffet, they go to a cafe and have two or three of these open-faced sandwiches, usually on dark bread. Smørre is butter and Danes are justifiably proud of theirs. A thin layer is smeared on dark bread and then topped with one or more ingredients. These might be boiled baby shrimp (also loved by the Swedes) and a boiled egg, or slices of famous Danish ham, liver pate or some variety of fish. Denmark makes some of the world’s best beer, and it is very food-friendly—especially with smørrebrod.
The Finns have many delicacies that taste much better than they sound. Vorschmack is cooked minced lamb and spices that gets a small kick from the addition of chopped herring. It is served with potatoes, beets and pickle and is very gratifying. The Finns adore rye and make incredible breads of all types. They also use rye flour to coat fresh herring, which is then pan-cooked in butter. Creamy salmon soup, with butter, dill and peppercorns, is one of the world’s best and a meal unto itself. The Finns love muikku, a small versatile fish cooked in many ways. Its red roe is Finnish caviar, best with sour cream and tender rusks of bread.
At the end of a Nordic meal comes a bracing cup of coffee (Scandinavians drink much more coffee than Italians, and it is excellent). In Copenhagen it is served with—would you believe it—Danish pastry. This is not a “Danish,” the overly sweet roll Americans have stuffed with plum or apricot jam. Instead, it is a small, flaky crescent flavored with almond paste and cinnamon or nutmeg. Its caloric load is half that of an American “Danish” and it tastes infinitely better. The Swedes like coziness and they all make time to sit down for afternoon coffee and spice cake or buttery, crumbly cookies. The Norwegians might have a small bowl of cloudberries (golden raspberries with a tart finish) and whipped cream. The Finns have the best strawberries I know. There is a short growing season, but one with sunlight all the time. The berries are tiny (unlike big American strawberries) but all perfume and flavor that permeate your nose and mouth when you bite into one.
In June, July and August, Scandinavia truly feels like summer camp for adults. There are no crowds. You can take a sauna and then jump right in a lake, or the Baltic if you prefer. There is fishing, hiking and sleeping out of doors. Winter has long nights, so people ski and play when it is light and sit by romantic candlelight when it is not. They gather in indoor saunas to socialize. Or they attend world-class performances by national dance, theater, and opera companies and symphony orchestras. All of these pursuits build an appetite and, in their calm quiet way, the people of the north have created delicious foods that please the palate and the soul.
Visit the official site for the Scandinavian Tourist Boards of North America at www.goscandinavia.com