Little known fact: One of the Eaters is partially Swedish – and though we are not particularly keen on Swedish food – there is no denying the appeal of the delicious cookies and pastries served on St. Lucia’s Day. One of the most traditional are the Lussekatter – saffron sweet rolls. The name means “Lucy’s Cats” – but these leavened yeast rolls are figure-8 shaped. And here are even some Gluten-free versions of traditional St. Lucia items – something for everyone.
Filed under Holidays, World Eats
IKEA is primarily known for their cheap minimalist furniture and home goods. Apparently this stark and organized aesthetic also translates to their foray into cookbooks, “Hembakat är Bäst” (Homemade is Best). Not satisfied with mere lists of ingredients, the cookbook presents the ingredients as works of art in themselves, photographed by Carl Kleiner. Below is an image of the ingredients for Drommar, a type of Swedish cookie. NotCot has an extended post on these awesome images. And for those who can’t read Swedish, here is a recipe for Drommar.
Filed under Books, Design and Photography, Links
It’s that time of year again – St. Lucia’s Day. Up here in Madison the weather has been particularly chilly and snowy – no wonder Scandinavian immigrants were able to thrive here! Reading Sweden’s official website – it was quite entertaining to hear Sweden described as “a culture of food storage.” I guess that makes sense, given the generally inclement weather. If you’re house-bound like us, baking some sweet treats for a traditional St. Lucia’s day feast is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit. The Thrifty Fun site has some recipes for Braided St. Lucia’s Day Bread, Pepparkakor and Julglogg. Perhaps the most iconic treat for St. Lucia’s day is Lussekatter, saffron-scented rolls.
Pepparkakor by ProBonoBaker
Filed under Holidays, Recipes, World Eats
Julmust is a Scandinavian soda that is sold only around the holiday time. So – like many other Christmas items, now that the holidays are over – Julmust goes on sale. We visited World Market on New Years Eve, where we found that Guttsta Kalla Julmust was on sale for the bargain-basement price of $0.49! Having never tried Julmust, we decided it was a must-buy. Two of the main ingredients in Julmust are barley and hops, similar to beer. However, Julmust is not fermented, so it is non-alcoholic. Upon tasting, we ascertained that Julmust is pretty much beer with juice. On top of the hoppy flavor, Julmust did have some holiday spiciness, but it was not necessarily our cup of tea. Though we concede that Julmust is a fine holiday tradition, it’s definitely an aquired taste.
Filed under Finer Things Club, Holidays
Happy St. Lucia’s Day! St. Lucia’s day is the day dedicated to the Sicilian martyr St. Lucy, and is traditionally celebrated in Sweden on December 13th, and represents the start of the holiday season. Like most other winter holidays, St. Lucia’s Day boasts some unique treats, especially in Sweden: saffron buns (lussekatt) and gingersnap cookies (pepparkakor). On St. Lucia Day in Sweden, a long-running tradition is that girls dress in white with crowns of candles (electric nowadays for kids) and serve their parents lussekatt, as seen in the painting below.Here are recipes to make your own pepparkakor and lussekatt, if you’d like to try.
St. Lucia by Carl Larsson [1908]
Filed under Holidays, World Eats
It’s St. Lucia day, the kickoff to the holiday season in Sweden, If you’re feeling festive in Chicago, you can get some fresh-baked Pepparkakor at one of the best Swedish bakeries in Chicago, the aptly-named Swedish Bakery (5348 N Clark St # 1, Chicago, IL 60640).
Pepparkakor by ProBonoBaker
Eating The World 