Livsmedel i Sverige: Stockholm

Swedish culture, as we know it, is defined by one thing: IKEA (and maybe H&M). From stereotypical Swedish meatballs and lingonberries to crazy-designed leather chairs, IKEA has it all. And surprisingly, the store does a pretty good job portraying what Stockholm, Sweden is actually like. There are numerous furniture stores (how they all stay in business is beyond me), everything on the IKEA menu is considered Swedish food, especially the cinnamon buns, and people are tall, beautiful, and slender as shown in H&M advertisements. Unfortunately, when I say IKEA embodies Stockholm, it also means there isn’t much else to know about Swedish culture that can’t be found in IKEA or H&M.

However, what I love most is the fact that food is always the one component of culture that is unique to an area. And after being in Stockholm, the Swedes definitely have their own take on food, especially on American food.

After a whole day of traveling, my friends and I were completely famished, so we stopped by a local Greek place called Gyrella and ordered some “mega pitas.” A “mega pita” is basically ingredients and fries stuffed in a huge grilled pita - that’s a Swedish take on Greek food I suppose. I ordered the Pork Mega Pita, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack after all the grease I ate, but hunger-satisfying nonetheless. Then headed out to a bar where I had some awesome pear cider.

Next morning, ventured out to Saturnus Cafe for the city’s largest cinnamon buns. And boy was I starry-eyed.Coffee in Sweden is another must-try for a traveler. It was the first time I enjoyed black coffee - no sugar, no cream. And it was delicious, especially when I dipped my cinnamon bun in it.

Husmanskost (“husman”:house owner and “kost”: food), traditional Swedish dishes made with everyday ingredients, was actually served pretty limitedly. When we finally decided on a restaurant known for its husmanskost, we were disappointed to find that it didn’t even have Swedish meatballs on its menu. Yet, I was still very glad we went to Salt because it’s a very well-known restaurant in the Kungsholmen area.(Moose are a big deal there.) Since I am trying different types of beers, I ordered a Falcon Pilsner, a Carlsberg Sverige beer. At first, it reminded me a lot of Budweiser, which made me wince, but as I drank more of it, the malt flavor became a lot more apparent, and I enjoyed it much more. The bread for the table was particularly good! I couldn’t really put my finger on it, but it was some type of honey oat bread. And it was served with an amazing chives spread.For my main course, I ordered the Biff Rydberg, beef with onions, potatoes, egg yolk, and a homemade mustard creme sauce.

Before heading back to London, we stopped at Cafe Fix across the street from our hostel where we got some brunch.Ordered the Fix Special, melted cheese with avocado, red onion, and turkey over a brioche slice. And of course some coffee.

But the most epic moment of my trip revolved around a hot dog:THE BEST EFFING HOT DOG IN THE WORLD. So in Sweden, they eat hot dogs with mashed potatoes. It was the best freaking combination in the world. And it only made it better that my bratwurst had a slight kick of spiciness to it. Oh, heaven. And the hot dog man was the cutest person in the world: he saw me snapping numerous photos and busted out his own PR stint.

Stockholm had its beautiful moments, Gamla Stan (Old Town Stockholm) and picturesque subway stations, and I think I just might have to go back one day to finally have real Swedish meatballs, and definitely some more of that hot dog heaven.

My roommate made a Winter Fruit Poach with dried prunes, dried apricots, blueberries, bartley pears, honey, cinnamon sticks, lemon juice and zest. She knows how to win my my stomach = my heart. Thanks Miss Maruyama!

The Pork Medallion Series: Braised Pork Medallion in an Apple Sauce

Melted some butter with some garlic and shallots, cut up some apples, which boiled in cider until reduced (my roommate had some leftover Blackthorn). Dry rubbed the pork, then braised.

A New Appreciation: Griffin Brewery

Coming to Europe has truly given me a new appreciation for beer because in America, this popular alcoholic drink is also known as watered-down shit in red Solo cups. Since being here, every beer I’ve had so far has been smooth. Every beer I’ve had so far has had its own depth of flavor. Every beer I’ve had so far has had its own personality. Every beer I’ve had so far has won its way to my heart:

   I love beer. 

   Yes, I said it.

Before Europe, I have never finished a bottle of beer (drunk moments don’t count). Here is the truth: if handed a bottle of beer, I would drink half, stash it in a corner because I didn’t like the taste of it, then wait for it to be discovered the next day during clean-up time or force a friend to finish it for me. (Please do not hate me if you have ever given me a beer!) Now, however, I gladly finish a pint, a bottle, a glass - I am proud to say I have not wasted a drop of beer since I’ve been here!

So to be more acquainted with my newfound love, I went to a beer tasting at Griffin Brewery. Part of the tasting was a tour around the brewery where I learned the history of the brewery, the brewing process, the ingredients, and the different terminology used by brewers.

THE BREWERY

Griffin Brewery is most famously known for Fuller’s London Pride. It has been a family business since its opening, and has stayed that way since. Brewers are trained like understudies and each beer has its own unique recipe. Although from the outside, the brewery still looks old and traditional, at one point in time, they took the roof apart to replace all the machinery with newer, modernized technology. The beautiful synergy of old and new.

THE INGREDIENTS

There are four basic ingredients in beer: water, malted barley, hops, and yeast.

• Breweries in the past had to be near water sources, usually underground, because the water had to contain specific sulfates and minerals. Nowadays, breweries mix the water with minerals instead of obtaining it directly from the source.
• There are many different kinds of malted barley. Each one gives a beer its unique flavor. The grain has to be steeped, dried, then allowed to germinate.
• Hop cones, the flower that provides the bitter taste to a beer, used to be harvested on HUGE stilts from the hop vines, then ground finely.But now, hop cones are turned into pellets to make it much easier. 
• The brewery has a laboratory that takes care of the yeast. The yeast has been perfected after much bioengineering to yield the best fermentation. In case there is an infection at the brewery, there is also a yeast storage bank so the brewing won’t be interrupted.

THE PROCESS

I was given the grand tour of the brewing process, but I think “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

THE TASTING the best part

The beauty of beers from the tap is the difference between live and pasteurized beers. Griffin Brewery is very proud of its live casks because there are still active yeast cultures and everything is only filtered once it comes out of a pub tap. Pasteurized beers are anything in cans or bottles that do not have a short expiration period, which explains the carbonation.

I was actually impressed with every beer, each had its own interesting taste, but my top favorites were the Chiswick Bitter, the Honeydew, and the London Porter. The Chiswick Bitter is a simple 3.5% beer that’s extremely drinkable and a good pick for a “conversation beer.”  The Honeydew is a light and golden beer, and when swirled in the glass, one can smell the aromatic honey. The London Porter, 5.4% ABV, is the darkest of the Griffin Brewery brands. It uses Chocolate malts (named “Chocolate” for its dark brown color) and has an interesting coffee aftertaste. Our guide said that the Porter is usually an end of the night kind of drink because of its high alcohol content, but I was in love with it (probably my top favorite), and I would drink it any time of day!

The tour and tasting were extremely enjoyable and educational, I would highly recommend it if you ever get a chance to wander out to the Chiswick area of London. Here were some more photos from the trip:

There is a wonderful selection of wines in the shop as well. For more information on the tours and shop, definitely check out their website.

atsween:

cheese to the rescue

Adorable, love this!