Sweden - At the Table: Food and Family around the World - Ken Albala

At the Table: Food and Family around the World - Ken Albala (2016)

Sweden

Gabriela Villagrán Backman

The Blomberg family lives in a trendy suburb on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden. Renata, Peter, and their two children, Joakim and Alexandra, along with a couple of cats live in a small three-bedroom apartment a few minutes on foot from the subway station. They enjoy living in the area since it has a small supermarket, coffee shops, a bakery, a drugstore, and a school just a few blocks from their home.

Renata and Peter met abroad when he was doing research for his thesis. They fell in love, married, and moved to Sweden, where Renata became a work-at-home mother since the birth of their two children. Since business is going well, she has recently hired a small office space on the same block where the family lives.

Albala

The Blomberg family enjoying their vegetarian Friday dinner while planning the rest of the weekend. (Courtesy of Gabriela Villagrán Backman)

Food as Entertainment

Food on TV in the 21st century has become less a means of teaching cooking than a form of passive entertainment. That is, the more people watch cooking shows on TV, mostly competitive, the less they actually cook. It may be that expert chefs pulling off impossible feats simply discourage people from cooking themselves. likewise, ridiculous combinations of unlikely foods with unusual techniques have become the stock-in-trade of many cooking shows. Or it may simply be that foodies find cooking so entertaining that they have no intention of replicating what they see on TV and perhaps never had any intention of cooking. In any case, cooking has become a kind of specta- tor sport much like any other.

Like many families in Stockholm, the Blombergs do not own a car. They feel that it is imperative to live in an environmentally sustainable manner, and many of the choices they make are based on climate change issues. Many middle-class people in Sweden who live in one of the three large cities—Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmo—try to live according to climate-friendly recommendations. However, sometimes public transportation is not good enough, and the Blombergs borrow Peter’s parents’ car if needed. About once a month, Peter and Renata take the chance to visit one of the larger supermarkets in the suburbs in order to buy in bulk and fill their pantry and refrigerator. Sometimes Renata stays at home and lets Peter do the shopping, as is the case on this Friday evening.

Peter drives to a large discount supermarket a short distance away. He knows exactly what to purchase because he has a long detailed list of what his family needs to fill the kitchen. His wife and he spent most of the previous evening checking their pantry in order to write a comprehensive list of what they need. First, he must make a brief stop at Systembolaget, the liquor shop owned by the Swedish government. Since it is Friday, the Blomberg couple has decided to have a couple of beers with dinner this evening. Peter parks near the entrance to the supermarket. It is a very popular place because it offers low prices and a wide variety of produce, fresh fish and seafood, and all kinds of canned food. It is full with customers, many parents with children, some young couples, and quite a few lone men, also with shopping lists in their hands. Peter has planned a route in order to finish quickly. He grabs some fresh produce from the vegetable and fruit section, moves on to dairy and eggs, and passes by cans, rice, coffee, detergent, and magazines. After standing in line for a few minutes, he pays, packs his purchases, and drives home.

Renata is waiting for her husband to come home before starting to prepare dinner, because he is bringing home several ingredients she is going to use tonight. As soon as he arrives, the couple puts away the groceries and catches up on how the day has been. Peter pours some beer in a couple of glasses and offers one to his wife. Teenager Joakim is in his bedroom listening to music, and seven-year-old Alexandra is on the couch drawing.

The kitchen is small but organized and clean. It has a floor-to-ceiling pantry; an electric stove with four burners, the most common kind in Sweden; and a combined refrigerator and freezer. The appliances are included in the rent for the apartment. There are two medium-sized hardwood counters and a large sink made of stainless steel with a window above it that presents a view of a small forested area behind the building.

Friday dinner is one of the most important events for families in Sweden. It has become a concept, and the idea is to enjoy a cozy evening with the family as opposed to the stress of weekday life. This evening, Renata has decided to make a vegetarian chickpea stew inspired by a dish she tasted at an Indian restaurant nearby. She and her husband have cut down on their intake of meat, mostly beef and pork, because public opinion has been intense on how meat production affects climate change. They believe that vegetarian options, even though not completely made with organic ingredients, are a better choice for the environment than supporting the meat industry.

The Blombergs are very environmentally conscious and carefully choose everything they purchase. They have recently begun to acquire pots and pans made of sustainable materials and worry a lot about chemicals in their older appliances. They keep up with new findings about the dangers of certain kinds of plastics and materials. They also try to purchase organic food as often as they can, although it is quite expensive, and there is a limited range of produce in Sweden.

Renata and Peter like to cook together, though she leads the preparations and decides what Peter will help with. They each take a few ingredients to work with on different counters. Soft music is playing in the background as Peter takes one of several good sharp knives and a plastic cutting board and starts to chop tomatoes. At the same time, Renata grabs a wooden cutting board and places it on another counter. She peels an onion, two cloves of garlic, and a large piece of fresh ginger; chops them; and moves on to cutting a daikon radish into long, thin strips. She slices a yellow bell pepper and half a red bell pepper and cuts butternut squash into cubes. She pours a couple of tablespoons of organic coconut oil into a large red porcelain enamel pan and turns the heat on. When the coconut oil is hot, Renata adds the onion, garlic, and ginger and sautés them for about five minutes. She stirs using a wooden spoon. Renata asks Peter to add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and stirs well.

In a stainless steel pot from IKEA, Renata boils water for the brown rice. She places the brown rice kernels in a sieve and rinses them under cool running water. She then pours them into the boiling water, adds salt and turmeric, and covers with a lid. She lowers the heat to medium and relaxes. Peter asks if there is anything more that he can do, and Renata tells him that she will call him if she needs help. Peter leaves the kitchen and gets his laptop. He sits beside his daughter on the couch and checks his e-mail while making small talk with Alexandra. After a while, the girl goes into her bedroom and returns with a book. She asks her father to read to her.

Renata lets the chickpea stew simmer until the brown rice is cooked. In the meantime, she sets the table. Since the apartment is so small, the table only seats four people. It is placed by a narrow wall between the hallway and the door to the kitchen. The same room also serves as a living room, but only a couch and small table fit. There is no television set in the room, and several drawings that Renata has done hang on the walls. Renata spreads a turquoise tablecloth on the table and places four individual cloth place mats on it. She then folds paper napkins in half and puts them on the right side of the place mats. Stainless cutlery and blue IKEA glasses are placed on the table.

When the brown rice is cooked, Renata makes a quick salad. She rinses and shreds romaine lettuce leaves and puts them in a glass bowl. She cuts one half red bell pepper into thin strips and slices some cucumber and adds these to the lettuce. Renata then presses half a lemon and pours some olive oil on the lettuce and finishes by sprinkling a little bit of salt and tossing well. She puts the bowl on a wooden stand and sets them on the table.

Peter turns the laptop off and goes into the kitchen to get a pot coaster. He puts it on the table and waits for Renata to bring the chickpea stew. In the meantime, Alexandra washes her hands and dries them carefully. In the kitchen, Renata pours the cooked brown rice into a red porcelain serving dish and places it on the table. She also brings the pot with the stew and sits down. Peter calls his teenage son, but it takes a while before he comes out of his room. His parents and sister wait patiently until he is ready to sit down and eat.

Renata begins by serving Joakim a large portion of food. She then serves Alexandra, then serves her husband, and finally herself. The chickpea stew, brown rice, and salad are served at the same time and on the same plate. Suddenly Peter notices that they have forgotten to bring out the drinks, so he goes into the kitchen to get the beer for the grown-ups and water for the children. They make small talk during dinner, soft music still playing in the background, and discuss what movie they want to watch later on that evening. Teenager Joakim shrugs his shoulders often and says he does not care about watching movies with the family. The couple is very lenient with their children and makes no comments if Alexandra chews loudly or if Joakim talks with his mouth full. They believe that these are minor things that are not very important.

As soon as the family is done eating, Joakim disappears into his bedroom and shuts the door. Peter and Renata clear the table together and carefully store the leftovers. Peter will probably take some for lunch on Monday next week. It is a good way to save some money, and most of his colleagues usually eat leftovers at work instead of going out for lunch. Peter washes the dishes, while Renata begins to prepare a Friday night dessert that the family will eat while watching a movie on TV.

Renata wants to try a new recipe for raspberry pie. Quark is the main ingredient, and it has become very trendy to replace other dairy products such as cream and sour cream with it. Renata puts four cups of quark and half a pound of raspberries into a blender. She adds two tablespoons of Fairtrade organic cane sugar and blends the ingredients well. She then crushes 15 digestive cookies, blends them with three tablespoons soft butter, and spreads the mixture in a pie mold. Renata pours the quark and raspberry mousse on top of the pie bottom and puts the dessert in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so that it will set a bit. Sometimes the family likes to add fresh berries on top of the pie, but berry season is over, and the only fresh berries available are imported from outside Europe.

While the raspberry pie is setting, Peter makes coffee. He boils some water and pours it into regular coffee mugs. He places a jar of instant coffee and a couple of teaspoons on the table. He usually likes to drink his coffee black, but his wife likes a bit of milk in hers. Thus, Peter puts a carton of organic low-fat milk on the table. Alexandra has gone back to the couch to read her book. Renata and Peter sit in silence for a while, sipping their coffee. Life is stressful in the big city, and a few quiet moments are worth everything. One of the cats hops on to the table, and the couple takes it as a sign that it is time to eat dessert and finally watch a movie.

Vegetarian Chickpea Stew Inspired by India

1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped

4 pounds tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 daikon radish, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 bag (about 7 ounces) fresh baby spinach

1 red chili pepper, sliced into thin slices

fresh ginger, about 2 inches, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons organic coconut oil

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch squares

Sea salt

1 romaine lettuce, shredded

½ red bell pepper, cut into strips

¼ cucumber, sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt

4 portions brown rice

1.Heat the coconut oil in a large pan. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir often.

2.Add the tomatoes, daikon radish, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, red chili pepper, and butternut squash and stir well. Season with 2 teaspoons sea salt. Cover with lid, lower heat to medium, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3.In a separate pan, boil rice according to instructions on package, but add turmeric to give the rice an Indian touch.

4.Rinse, dry, and tear romaine lettuce leaves. Put in a bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

5.Stir the chickpea stew and season with salt if needed. Serve with brown rice and salad.

FURTHER READING

Albala, K. Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia, Vol 4. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011.

Notaker, H. Food Culture in Scandinavia. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2009.

Porterfield, J. Sweden: A Primary Source Cultural Guide. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2004.