Budget meals from around the world: Scandinavia
Scandinavians experience long winters and short growing seasons. Today international trade and modern conveniences offset the harsh realities of the past. Nevertheless, the traditional recipes of this region still sustain households at a fairly low cost.
The Facts
- Traditional cooking styles are similar across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway
- Recipes revolve around salted, cured, smoked, pickled, and fermented ingredients
- Pea-soup Thursday is still a tradition today in many Scandinavian households
In the past, Nordic cooks had to be very resourceful with fairly meagre staples. Grains like rye, oats, and barley provided up to 80% of calories in winter. Preserved fish was a low-cost source of protein, and root vegetables and legumes rounded out the meals.
While southern European cooks enjoyed long, warm growing seasons, households in Denmark had to preserve and stretch whatever was available. Fish was salted, smoked, or fermented; vegetables were pickled; meat was cured. Those were the building blocks of the traditional Scandinavian meals.
Rye was the grain of choice in Scandinavia. It can withstand freezing temperatures, grow through snow cover, and survive frosts that easily kill wheat. Unlike wheat it also thrives in poor soil conditions. Because rye bread has a dense structure and high fibre content, loaves stay moist and store safely. A slice or two with a scrape of butter and a piece of pickled herring is a complete, nutritious meal.
Ærtesuppe is a Thursday tradition across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Dried yellow peas simmered with pork and root vegetables produce a thick, warming soup that costs little to make. The custom dates back to the Middle Ages when a rich, filling soup prepared families for the mandatory Friday Christian fast.
The New Nordic cuisine became fashionable in the 2000s and draws heavily on the older traditions. It's about foraging, preservation, fermentation, and the creative use of humble ingredients. It's principles are budget oriented: use what is on hand, waste nothing, make simple things taste good.
Scandinavian dishes worth trying:
- Ærtesuppe: Yellow pea soup with pork and root vegetables
- Smørrebrød: Danish open-faced rye bread sandwiches with any available toppings, such as pickled herring, egg, or leftover meat
- Havrеgrøt: Oat porridge, eaten for breakfast and as a cheap, filling meal at any time of day
- Pea and Barley Soup: Thick soup of dried peas and pearl barley with root vegetables
- Janssons Frestelse: Swedish gratin of potatoes, onions, and pickled sprats baked in cream
- Rødkaal: Danish braised red cabbage with apples and vinegar
- Fiskegræteng: Norwegian fish gratin made with cheap white fish, potatoes, and a simple béchamel
Sources for inspiration:
- Ærtesuppe by All Restaurants
- Smørrebrød by True North Kitchen
- Grøt, Nordic Hygge in a Bowl by Living a Nordic Life
- Pea and Barley Soup by True North Kitchen
- Janssons Frestelse by Scandinavian Cookbook
- Rødkaal by Nordic Food & Living
- Fiskegræteng by Living a Nordic Life