21 Scandinavian Foods You Need To Try Now
As Stockholm restaurant, GRO, pops up at London's Carousel, chef, Henrik Norén, shares his favourite Scandinavian dishes.
1. Semla

"A bun flavored with cardamom and filled with almond and whipped cream. You can only get it during fast before Easter. Traditionally only served on Tuesdays which why it's also called 'Fatty Tuesday bun'. If you're hardcore you eat it in a bowl with hot milk".
2. Kroppkakor
"Kroppkakor means 'body cookies', which is really strange. It's potato dumplings filled with cured pork, onions and allspice. Served with clarified butter and lingonberries. The lingonberries keep occurring".
3. Veal in dill
"The veal is cooked until super tender in a sweet and sour creamy sauce with a lot of dill. This is also a must try. Sometimes made with lamb and sometimes with horse radish instead of dill".
4. Crispy waffles with cloudberries and whipped cream
"Cloudberries are a delicacy in Sweden. A taste of its own and a must if you've never had them. Also good warm with vanilla ice cream".
5. Breaded, butter fried herring with potato purė and lingonberries
"This might sound strange but it's actually really good. You can even get it in a food truck in Stockholm".
6. Crayfish with beer and dill flowers
"In August there are crayfish parties in Sweden that involve drinking a lot of schnapps and beer but most importantly eating crayfish that are cooked in beer, sugar, salt and dill flowers. Super delicious!!!"
7. Gravlax

"Gravlax basically means 'grave salmon'. It's cured with salt and sugar and served raw in slices with sweet mustard sauce or creamed potatoes with dill. A few thin slices are enough and the special 'grav' curing makes it really good".
8. Meatballs in cream sauce, mashed potatoes, pickled cucumber and lingonberries
"Eat it in a good restaurant. It's nothing like the crap that they serve in the IKEA restaurants".
9. Smørrebrød
"Traditional Danish small dishes served on a special rye bread. Top the bread with things that go well together like liver patė, bacon and deep fried onions".
10. Raggmunk
"Swedish potato pancakes served with slices of cured pork belly and lingonberries. Lovely combination of salty, sweet and sour. You can also get the same pork with creamed onion or brown beans. All very good".
11. Cardamom rolls

"Like cinnamon rolls but made with a lot of cardamom, which is used a lot in Swedish pastry".
12. Pickled herring
"Called 'Sill' in Swedish. Comes in endless flavours best are with onions or "Matjessill", with a special blend of spices and eaten with new potatoes, sour cream and brown butter".
13. Kalops
"A Swedish take on boeuf bourguignon. Beef cooked with carrots and allspice. Served with pickled beetroots".
14. Pork shank
"Served with with root mash (swedes and carrots) and mustard".
15. Kåldolmar
"A traditional version of the Turkish dolmades. Minced meat rolled in cabbage and seared in butter and malty syrup. Also served with lingonberries. There's also 'kålpudding' which is the same ingredients made like a lasagna".
16. Souvas
"Smoked reindeer meat. A salty and savory tradition in the north of the Nordic countries".
17. Filmjölk
"Maybe not so much of a dish. It's sour milk but very different from yoghurt, different bacterial culture. Try it with just some sugar on top".
18. Tunnbrödrulle
"A quite new tradition. Means thin bread roll. You can get it in one of the many hot dog places in Sweden. Might sound really weird. It's hot dogs, mashed potatoes and shrimp salad rolled in a thin soft bread. Popular on the way home after a late night out".
19. Ostkaka
"This is a cheese cake but far from the American version. More like a sweet baked ricotta actually. Flavored with bitter almonds and served with either cherry or blueberry jam and whipped cream".
20. Ärtsoppa
"Yellow pea soup made with marjoram and salted pork (or vegetarian without the pork). Served with mustard and "Punsch" on the side. Punsch sweet alcohol flavored with arrak. Traditionally served on Thursdays and sometimes with thin pancakes for dessert".
21. Isterband
"A classic Swedish sausage. It's a sour sausage with barley in it. Served with creamed potatoes or creamed cabbage and pickled beetroots. An acquired taste".
Eat Henrik Norén and Magnus Villnow's cooking at GRO's London pop-up at Carousel from the 13-24 January.