A Taste of Sweden

Once in a very rare while, we get invitations to taste the cuisine of other countries and this is a great opportunity to be acquainted with the culture and the food of other people of the world.

If you target to taste the cuisine of all the countries every week, that will be a food trip for the next four years since there are now 203 entries in the United Nations system, 192 member states, two UN observer states (Vatican and Kosovo) and nine other states.It has been nearly six years since I had joined a dinner buffet in the style of the Vikings, a common cultural heritage of Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden). It was "A Touch of Blue" organized by the Ordre Mondial Des Gourmet Degustateurs, a society dedicated to the art and passion of oenology and crafted spirits with vodka eulogized during this event.

The Vikings ate fish (salmon, herring), oysters, mussels, crustaceans, mutton, chicken, geese, cheese, berries, wild duck, deer, bear and whale. And on that grand evening of Scandinavian delights, we ate everything except two -- bear (no hunting permits) and whale (expensive to ship by air).

To an average Filipino, the only Swedish culinary term he would probably know is the word "Smorgasbord," and the Swedish drink most familiar would be Absolut Vodka because of its availability. To be intimately acquainted with authentic Swedish cuisine, it would be best for your favorite food columnist to have traveled to Sweden to taste street food (like thunbrodsrulle, a snack of thin bread called tunnbrod with sausage, mashed potatoes & shrimp salad) and food in three-star restaurants. An alternative would be to view food videos of Sweden featured in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation, Andrew Zimmernn's Bizarre Foods (latest show featured the surstromming or fermented Baltic herring) and travel videos of Rick Steve in Europe.

I went for the next best option for a Taste of Sweden: I accepted the invitation of Bee Luciano, the new General Manager of The Gustavian Restaurants (Ayala, Stall F103 Level 1, The Terraces Ayala Center, phone 5141979 and Banilad, #1 Paseo Saturnino Ma. Luisa Road, phone 3447653).

For appetizers we had the Gravad Lax with Caviar (Atlantic salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill) and Potato Sausage (Warm, hand-made sausages of mixed pork, beef and shredded potatoes, brushed with licorice syrup). The Soup was delicious: Nötkött Löksoppa or Beef Brisket Soup: stewed beef with red wine, bacon, onion and Gruyere cheese. Salad served was the Mushroom and Herring Salad (potatoes, red beets and fresh pears mixed with mushrooms and herring then tossed in sour cream).

Dishes for the main courses: Swedish Meatballs, considered as Sweden's National Dish (roasted ground beef and pork, blended with herbs and spices), Swedish Roast Chicken (oven-roasted chicken, rubbed with assorted spices and stuffed with Granny Smith apples, onions and sweet potatoes), and my favorite, the Ham ala Kajsa Warg with Cranberry Sauce (roast boneless ham, brushed with cloves, marjoram and allspice).

Side dishes were the Spiced Apple Rice (steamed rice with cinnamon and cardamom then mixed with Granny Smith apples & sweet potatoes) and Swedish Potato and Anchovy Casserole, (baked potatoes layered with anchovy fillets, onion and cream then coated with Emmental Cheese).

While finishing the desserts (Jordgubbskräm, Choklad Bolla & Swedish Apple Pie), I met the Honorary Consulate of Sweden in Cebu, Consul José Blanco Sala, who said that these dishes tasted similar to what he had in Sweden. And all these authentic Swedish dishes are now served at the Gustavian Restaurants!