What does a Classic Swedish Christmas Dinner look like?

Happy holidays everyone! Since Christmas is tomorrow (we celebrate it on the 24:th in Sweden) I thought that I could share some of the dishes that is considered to be classic Christmas food! Some families have their own special dishes but these five can be seen at nearly every home during this festive day.

Christmas ham (Julskinka)

This is perhaps what most associate with Christmas here. It is insanely popular even though it can take some time to prepare. You can either boil the ham at home or buy one that is ready for the oven. It is up to you however but boiling it at home has some perks! One is that you get the chance to season it to your liking instead of it being rather bland and the stock that is left can be used to create another dish where you basically let bread boil in it so it gets a rather meaty taste. Once it is time to place it in the oven you have to prep it first. First, you need to cut off possible excess fat but not all of it as it will make the ham taste dry. Most people then cover it with a mixture of mustard, breadcrumbs and eggs. The ham usually only needs around 15-30 minutes in the oven as the goal is not to cook it again but to let the seasoning stick to the surface.

Gravlax (Gravad lax)

We love salmon here in Sweden! For Christmas, we prefer this version of it. How it gets its special taste is from covering it with a mix of sugar, salt and black pepper and then wrap it in plastic wrap. It is not done yet however as you have to rub in the mixture and turn the salmon around two times a day for two days. After that, it is done! No need for an oven, we eat this raw together with a mustardy sauce.

Meatballs (Köttbullar)

What would a Swedish Christmas dinner be without meatballs? There are a tonne of ways to make them but first, you need minced meat and then mix it with a premade mixture of milk and breadcrumbs. After mixing it all together you can begin to add any seasoning of your likings such as salt, black pepper and even nutmeg if you are into that. Some like to add onion to the mix but not everyone is a fan of that. Once you are done you can begin to work the mix into round balls, as big or small if you want. Try to make the sizes even as it will be hard to determine when they are done otherwise. You can cook them in the oven or in a pan, up to you but I prefer to use the pan.

Ribs (Revbensspjäll)

Yes, even ribs is a classic here in the north. When you boil it, remember to add a lot of salt as the ribs won't taste anything without it. You can also add spices, carrots, onions well, it is up to you really. Boil it until the meat almost feels ready to say farewell to the bones. The glaze can be done in a million different ways, if you have a family recipe, use that or look up different glazes on cooking websites. You can customize it to your own liking! Or well, not fully but you get what I mean.

Potatoes (Potatis)

This may not sound like a dish in itself but this is basically what the Swedish Christmas is built around! We eat potatoes to almost every dish during this dinner and without it, I am not sure you could even call it a Swedish Christmas. We all know how to boil potatoes I believe, but somehow they never get done at a set time. Try to use evenly sized potatoes for this reason, once one is ready, so is the rest is. I usually just stick a fork into one to feel if it is done instead of trusting a timer.

I hope you liked this small, little list. I will, however, add that Christmas here still revolves around eating meat. For each year more vegetarian and vegan recipes pop up to make it possible to perhaps replace the meat-based dishes with something that may be more healthy, better for our climate and more humane for the animals. My hope is that I will be able to make a list just like this in a few years but be able to have at least 50% of the options being vegetarian or even vegan.

That was all for me, Happy Holidays fellow Steemians!

Image sources:
koket.se
arla.se
fotolia