Kladdkakans dag – Mud Cake Day

Kladdkaka is a delicious chocolate mud cake, celebrated on the 7th of November. Celebrate “Kladdkakans dag” with this delicious mud cake recipe!

Recipe for Swedish kladdkaka

Kladdkaka is a forgiving cake, as it is meant to be ’undone’ – sticky, gooey and simply delicious. Mud cake is just as good straight from the oven as it is after being stored in the fridge overnight. The only way to find out which version you like best is simply to enjoy it at least two days in a row!

Ingredients:
– 100 g butter
– 2 eggs
– 1.5 dl wheat flour
– 3 dl white sugar
– 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
– 4 tablespoons cocoa powder

How to make kladdkaka:

Turn on the oven at 150°C.
Butter up an oven dish, preferably a round one, with a diameter of about 20-30 cm.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
When the butter has melted, add the rest of the ingredients and blend into a smooth chocolate batter.
Pour the batter into the oven dish. The cake should be quite thin, so don’t worry about not filling the whole dish.
Place the cake in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven, and allow it to cool slightly before serving.Don’t expect to get perfect slices of mud cake when you serve it fresh out of the oven! The result is supposed to be rather muddy and sticky, which at first glance may not look like success. But don’t worry: the flavour will be surprisingly tasty. Serve your cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream – or, why not, with both!

All Saints’ Day

Alla helgonas dag is a time of peacefulness and love. We celebrate and remember the people we have lost, as cemeteries and memorial groves are filled with bright lights and candles.

How Alla helgons dag is celebrated

Today All Saints’ Day falls on the Saturday between October 31 and November 6 and is quite the opposite of the popular American celebration of Halloween, spooky and trick-or-treat-filled.

All Saints’ Day is a serene celebration of all those loved ones we have lost, a time to gather with family to remember and reminisce. There are no special traditions or “rules” for celebrating All Saints’ Day. Many people visit the graves of their loved ones to leave flowers, teddy bears and other tokens of their everlasting love and to light memorial candles. Graveside candle flames are long-burning and are protected by special lids to prevent them from going out.

If you do not have the opportunity to light a candle at the graves of your departed loved ones, you can easily light one at home and devote it to someone you cherish. Gather family or friends – the ones you want to celebrate or remember someone special with – and enjoy a quiet dinner together, or maybe just a fika. Whatever way you want to remember someone is the right way – especially today, in a global world where friends and family may be scattered all over the globe.

Lighting candles to mark Alla helgons dag is a simple and lovely way to come together, no matter where you are. It reminds us to love each other and spread light in the dark months of winter.

Sportlov

Sportlov is a special week off for many school children. This week in February is meant to be spent outdoors, to enjoy the fresh air and make a fun week out of a gloomy month.

What is sportlov?

Sportlov is a school holiday where children get a week off school in February to enjoy the outdoors, and spend time with friends and family. Today, many families go away on skiing holidays, or spend time outside sledding, having picnics or taking hikes in nature reserves. It’s the key holiday for winter activities and winter sports, and a welcoming break in an otherwise gloomy month.

The origin of sportlov

The week of sportlov has been around since the 1940’s, but in the beginning it had nothing to do with letting kids enjoy the snow – quite the opposite. During the beginning of the second World War, fuels and heating supplies became very expensive, forcing schools to close for a week in order to save both money and fuel. Sweden experienced some of the harshest and coldest winters during WW2, and closing schools was a way to handle the shortage and expenses of heating fuels.

What to do during sportlov

There are several activities you can do during sports holiday. Many of them don’t even require going away: you can have a lovely and fun sports holiday at home with the family, enjoying the outdoors without any major preparations.

Spend a day in the ”pulkabacke”. A ”pulkabacke” is a small hill dedicated for sledding. Since many small hills are covered in snow in February, going sledding is fun for the whole family
Go for a winter picnic. Load up the thermos with hot chocolate and pack a bag for a day out in the woods or nature reserve. Cinnamon buns, hotdogs, blankets and gloves are needed to enjoy the fresh air
Build a snowman! And let your imagination go wild. If there’s snow outside, make a whole village – or maybe a castle? A real size horse, or why not a big igloo? Make sure to seize those snowy days.
If you have the opportunity, go skiing. Going on a skiing holiday is one of the most classic activities for sports holiday. Nothing beats the feeling after a snowy day in the slopes!

Fettisdagen – day of the cream bun

Fettisdagen is translated as ”fat Tuesday” ans has its roots way back in Swedish history. Today, it’s a loved and celebrated tradition where the beloved cream bun ”semla” can be found at every café.

What is a semla?

The cream bun called ”semla” is a fluffy bun made of wheat, spiced up with cardamom. The bun is split and the inside is filled with a soft marzipan paste, and topped off with fluffy, whipped cream. The top of the split bun is placed on top of the cream and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

It’s the bakery goods of bakery goods, and many Swedes have personal preferences on how the bun should be assembled. Some like more or less of the marzipan paste – some want whole pieces of almonds – and some like to eat the bun in a bowl of warm milk: a so-called ”hetvägg”.

The history of Fettisdagen

The reason for the bun’s existence is that people needed to ”fat up”, and eat before the traditional fasting. The fasting occurred before the Easter holidays, and after Christmas, and today it’s celebrated in February.

The first written notice of semla in Sweden was made around the year 1670. Back then it was a dry wheat bun that might have been filled with raisins and nuts, ans it needed to be boiled in hot milk for several hours in order to make it edible. But it wasn’t until the late 1800’s that the bun became more common in every home, since wheat flour had been a luxury good for centuries.

The Christmas tree

The pine tree is one of the most traditional decoration pieces during Christmas.

History of the Christmas tree

The tradition of having a pine tree indoors comes from Germany and Switzerland somewhere between the 1500-1600’s. It was first and foremost a decoration for the high society – such as rich and noble people – and often decorated with candy. From the late 1600’s it was spread to France, Belgium and Holland, but didn’t reach Swedish homes until the 1800’s.

In the 1800’s the Swedish decorations were quite similar to the traditional decorations we have today. The Christmas tree would have live candles, apples and (if you’re lucky) candy hanging from the branches. In the end of the 1800’s it was common to buy Christmas tree decorations in small stores, such as garlands, paper crackers and decorative red hearts.

Woman decorates a Christmas tree with Swedish flags

Girl sitting by christmastree with present

The vikings and the Christmas tree

In Swedish, the word for Christmas is ”jul”, and has its origin in the times of Viking. The Vikings celebrated the holiday ”Yule” as the midwinter occurred. It was a way to acknowledge that the darkest time of the year was over. The Christmas tree – or the plain pine tree – was a big symbol for these dark and cold times since it was the only green tree in the forest. It symbolized continuous life and life force, as it was the only tree being green during winter.

Legends say that trees were highly respected and honored in Viking culture, and it was common to decorate pine trees outside and wear wreaths made of pine tree branches.

Man puts a star in top of the Christmas tree

How to decorate a Christmas tree

Traditions sure change, and today there are no rules on how to decorate a Christmas tree. During the early 1900’s the Christmas tree was decorated in the color red – today, every family has its own tradition.

Here are some decoration tips if you want a Christmas tree of your own:

Christmas balls are a given. The traditional colors are red, silver or gold.
Glitter garlands.
Electric lights really spruce up the tree and make it shine beautifully when darkness sets.
Try making your own decorations out of paper! Anything goes.
Don’t forget that a Christmas tree is just like a flower: it needs plenty of water to not go brown and die.

Decorate the tree the way you feel like, and after your own preference. The big thing is to find the Christmas spirit and have a lovely time together with family, while finishing your Christmas tree.

Homemade hot chocolate

Making your own hot chocolate for hiking or a picnic tastes lovely and is easy to make.

How to make your own hot chocolate

Homemade hot chocolate is easier than you think, and it tastes extra nice on a cold winter’s day. Make sure to store it in a good thermos so it keeps warm, and drink it together with a cinnamon bun and some friends. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients for one cup of chocolate:

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1,5 tablespoons of white granulated sugar
0,5 deciliter of heavy cream
2-3 deciliters of warm milk (depending on how strong you want your chocolate)

Making hot chocolate:

Mix the cocoa powder, sugar and cream into a thick cocoa batter. Make sure to mix it thoroughly until smooth. Heat up the milk, but don’t let it boil. Add the milk to the cocoa batter and blend until the batter has totally dissolved. And if you want to make more for a whole thermos, simply double the recipe for more people to enjoy.

It’s best served with a click of whipped cream on top, but is just as lovely as it is!

Christmas in Sweden

Every country has its own way to celebrate Christmas, and Sweden is no exception. Here are some examples of Swedish Christmas traditions.

Swedish Christmas food

The Christmas food buffet can almost be described as a museum of Swedish culinary history. The traditional buffet is filled with foods and dishes only eaten on Christmas.

The oldest food on the buffet today is ”lutfisk”. Lutfisk is a dried fish, bleached in birch ashes until white, hard and thin. In order to eat it, the fish must be soaked in clear water for a week. It’s eaten with green peas, butter and white hollandaise sauce. The old recipes though, dated back as far as to the 1400’s, also include almonds and raisins.

Today’s Christmas classics

One of the most popular dishes today is the Christmas ham. It was introduced in the end of the 1800’s, and is traditionally covered with a crispy mustard crust. It’s eaten chilled and sliced with a strong Swedish mustard on the side. Another mandatory part of the buffet is pickled herring and salmon. The pickled herring can vary in many different flavors, and the salmon is served either warm smoked, cold smoked or rimmed.

Kalle Anka – Donald Duck on Christmas

Every Christmas Eve at 15:00, the public channel airs a Christmas show called ”Kalle och hans vänner”. It’s a cartoon show – same every year – showing small stories of Donald Duck and his friends, old Disney classics and some new glimpses of modern films. The show has been aired since the 60’s in Sweden and brings everyone together – no matter how old you are!

Tomten brings gifts on Christmas

Every child awaits the evening. That’s when Santa Claus – or ”tomten” in Swedish – arrives in the dark to deliver presents. The classic tomte has red clothing, a big white beard, a top hat and big black boots.

Tomten is often played by someone in the family – maybe a dad or a grandad, but a mother dressed up with pillows for roundness is just as perfect! The traditional get-away-phrase is ”I need to go and get the newspaper”, which would be a legit reason for accidentally disappearing when Tomten arrives.

When Tomten enters the room he asks ”Finns det några snälla barn här?” which means ”Are there any kind children here?”. The phrase refers to the fact that you only get presents if you’ve been kind throughout the year. Maybe the same should go for adults?

Making your own Christmas traditions

One beautiful thing about Christmas is about making your own traditions. Some eat before Kalle Anka, some eat after. Some open a few presents in the morning, and others wait until late in the evening. Some have a very special herring recipe or eggnog drink, while others can’t have Christmas without a crackling fire. That’s one of the most important things about Swedish Christmas today: sticking to the things you love, and making up your own traditions as celebration goes on – year after year.

Mamma och barn öppnar julklappar i sängen

Vitsippor – the white flowers of spring

A clear sign of warm spring is when forests are filled with vitsippor – white anemones.

Vitsippor – the flowers of spring

The warm period of spring usually happens in April or May. A clear sign of the warm weather coming back is when vitsippor are blooming. They usually blossom from the end of April and all through the month of May, making the ground beautifully white. Vitsippor are free to pick, and there are plenty during spring!

Vårkänslor, Feeling of spring, Swedish sayings.

Picking vitsippor

Picking vitsippor has been a tradition for many years. Since they’ve become such an associated sign of spring, a small bouquet of anemones can be found on almost every dinner table, and many kids pick the flowers to bring home to their parents.

Back in the days, kids could pick small bouquets of vitsippor and sell them by the road. When people traveled with their horse and carriage, they could stop and buy a bouquet for a penny or two. It was an easy way for children to make some money and help out at home.

Creating a flower wreath

Not only the maypole is decorated with flower wreaths – it’s also a traditional head piece that you can make yourself.

Flower wreath – the crown of summer

Hundreds of years ago, the flower wreath was an easy way to dress up – even for a wedding. A flower wreath was also a great way to preserve the magic of summer: it was said to bring good luck if you put the dried Midsummer flowers in your yearly Christmas bath.

Today, the flower wreath is a loved tradition amongst both children, older people, men and women. They were traditionally worn by women, but anyone can wear one today.

Woman with flower wreath, sitting on a swing

Making a flower wreath

There are no rules when making a flower wreath. Let your imagination set the standards, and choose whatever you think looks great. Here’s a list of things you will need for you own wreath:

strong/thick wire for the round base
thin wire to attach flowers
flowers and greens of different sorts – make sure the shafts of the flowers aren’t too short
a fabric or satin band (optional)

Woman making a wreath of midsummer flowers

Making a wreath step by step

Create a circle of the thick wire, and adjust it to the size of your head. This will be the base of the whole wreath.
Attach the thin wire to the base, and start adding flowers.
Attach one flower at a time by twining the thin wire around the shaft. Alternate flowers and greens and keep twining the wire to attach everything
When the whole base is covered with flowers, end the twining and hide the thin wire.
You can preferably decorate the wreath with the satin band and end it with a bow.

One last tip: don’t be afraid to experiment or let the wreath become big, proud or exciting. Nothing is wrong when it comes to midsummer flowers and wreaths. Let your imagination flow, and enjoy the flower crown you’ve created.

Midsummer’s eve

Midsummer is a Swedish summer tradition, celebrated for hundreds of years. Midsummer is the time of year when the sun never really sets, and the magic of never-ending summer nights are welcomed with a flower decorated maypole, dancing, singing, typical summer food, friends and family.

The Midsummer maypole

The Midsummer maypole is richly decorated with leaves and topped off with two large flower wreaths, formed as a big cross-like statue of wooden poles. Songs and dances are held around it, and it doesn’t matter how many – or few – people there are to celebrate: the dancing will take place, no matter what! So what do we sing about? Well – jumping frogs, laundry day, and the famous fox sneaking around an iced lake… of course with matching dances.

I goda vänners lag, Among good friends, Swedish sayings

The magic of the Midsummer night

The night of Midsummer’s eve is magical. Today, the magic lies in the fact that the sun never sets, enjoy the company of family and friends, maybe take a midnight swim and feel the silence of nature in the evening.

However, hundreds of years ago this magical night was something else: it was a way for farmers to wish for rich crops and a good harvest. Young girls would pick flowers in silence, in the hopes of dreaming of their future husbands – and if you were to roll around in the dewy meadow, you could significantly strengthen your health.

Woman and girls picking flowers in a meadow

Midsummer is the holiday of friends

If Christmas is a family holiday, Midsummer is more of a holiday for friends. We gather to eat sill (herring in different pickled variations) summer potatoes, sour cream with green onions and of course to drink nubbe. Nubbe – or ”snaps” – is a Swedish hard liquor, originally made from potatoes or grain, and is always served ice cold. And since singing is a big part of the Midsummer celebration, you can’t drink a nubbe without a small song. After the song, you raise the small glass (snapsglas) and cheer ”SKÅL”. After that, the night never seems to end!

Midsummer celebration, eating and drinking

« Previous 1 2 3 Next »

Category: Stories from the north