Best Scandinavian Christmas recipes (2024)

FAQs

Which 5 foods are typically served at Christmas in Scandinavia? ›

Christmas presents are under the lighted tree, candles shine brightly and the smorgasbord (or smörgåsbord, as it's written in Swedish) has been prepared with all the classic dishes: Christmas ham, pork sausage, an egg and anchovy mixture (gubbröra), herring salad, pickled herring, home-made liver pâté, wort-flavoured ...

In Norway, two traditional dishes are contenders for the most popular Christmas dinners – “ribbe” (pork rib) and “pinnekjøtt” (lamb or mutton rib). Whilst the former has been the overall prime choice for years, the popularity of pinnekjøtt grows for each passing year.

At 5 p.m., the churches ring their Christmas bells. Most people have a dinner of ribbe (pork ribs) or lutefisk (a cod dish) at home, so restaurants are usually closed. Christmas Eve dessert usually includes gingerbread or risengrynsgrot, a hot rice pudding, and mulled wine, glogg, for the grownups.

Christmas dinner is a serious affair. Traditionally, you will be sat at a table for a good few hours, eating a meal of roast pork and duck plus boiled potatoes, red cabbage and gravy. Risalamande is the big Christmas dessert, a rice pudding topped with cherry sauce where a whole almond will be hiding.

What types of food do Swedes eat on Christmas Eve? Swedes eat traditional dishes like pickled herring, gravlax, meatballs, Christmas ham, and ris ala malta on Christmas Eve.

Gravlax and herring is also often served, and sometimes lutefisk (lipeäkala) along with boiled potatoes, peas and ryebread. Christmas dessert consists of prune jam tarts, gingerbread and rice porridge with plum kisel. The traditional dessert beverage is alcoholic or non-alcoholic mulled wine (glögi in Finnish).

They called it “Yule” which is pronounced the same as the word for Christmas in Norway today “Jul”. The Vikings believed Odin, the great God, and father of other gods, would ride across the night sky and visit them in their homes.

Swedish Santa: Now let's talk about Santa, the original Santa in Sweden is called Tomten and is not like the big Santa that you know. This guy is more like a small gnome, and he would go to your house and leave presents all over it.

Julmust (Swedish: jul "Christmas" and must English: 'must' "not-yet-fermented fruit juice") is a soft drink that is mainly consumed in Sweden around Christmas. During Easter, the name is påskmust (from påsk, "Easter").

Julbord, Smorgasbord

It's basically a smorgasbord with a few dishes that is only available during christmas. The julbord is available in many restaurants in Sweden from the end of november until christmas eve. The food served at restaurants is more or less the same as what people eat in their homes on christmas eve.

What do Norwegians wear on Christmas? ›

Although we Norwegians normally dress rather casually, the Julebord (and Christmas in general) is a time where we like to dress smartly. If you are invited to a Julebord, bowties, suits, and ball gowns are the normal attire, ditch the jeans for this.

Scandinavia is typically defined more restrictively, however, and refers primarily to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Most inhabitants of the Nordic region speak North Germanic languages (also called Nordic or Scandinavian languages): Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, as well as Faroese and Icelandic.

Generally, though, this is a hearty cuisine based on fresh, local ingredients. While Scandinavian cuisine comes with plenty of traditional dishes that immediately spring to mind—gravlax, cinnamon buns, waffles, reindeer, and aquavit—there's a sophisticated food movement now in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Just like other Danish Christmas traditions, the Danish Christmas food has not changed much over the years. Among the Danish favourites are æbleskiver, risalamande with cherry sauce, crispy Christmas duck, and caramelised potatoes. Below you will find carefully curated Christmas favourites from the Danish kitchen.