Traditional Swedish Christmas Food

I already promised to write about the traditional Swedish Christmas food, as they like to eat the same every year. It is a sort of buffet. A must have is the "Julskinka", a cooked and grilled bacon, which you can slice. Of course you have some handmade cold mustard honey sauce.
You will find also the "Jansons Frestelse" (potatogratin with anchovy), "rödbetarsalad"(red beetroots salad), different sorts of inlaid hering, "Prinskorv" (a grilled curly sausage), meatballs and ricepudding.

Beside of all you need to have some Glögg (hot red wine with herbs), Christmas beers (Julbruggd), a lot of sweeties (named "Godis" like chocolates and sugargummies). You need to have a Christmas hat and sing a lot of Swedish Christmas songs, which will go better and better after some drinks (even you don't speak the Swedish language.

They think this tradition came already form the Vikings, they celebrated the longest night in wintertime, from that moment the days will be more longer and lighter. Later, after Christianity, people used to fasten in the Advent time (4 weeks before Christmas) till Christmas. Nowadays it is very popular to eat Julbord (a sort of Christmas buffet with all the same recipes) already in the weeks before Christmas with your work, your friends and family. A big contrast with former days and also maybe a little boring every year the same? 😜 When I ask the Swedish it seems they still like it!

In Sweden the most important Christmas celebration day (mostly with family and maybe some friends) is on the 24th of December. On the 25th and 26th they start enjoying holiday and doing things they like and never have time for. Like in the UK, the shops also start the Christmas sale on Boxing Day.

All the recipes all easy to google when you want to make it yourself, they are at least worth trying 😋

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Christmas decoration  with the front door

Only some days to go and then it is Christmas again. But we already have been in Christmas atmosphere for weeks in Sweden. Not only because they start playing Christmas songs on the radio every day since november. Or you can visite Christmas markets around every corner in November These are also the darkest days of the year, maybe this year it is even worse then other years. Even when we are living in the woods in the south. Because it's very dark and rainy att daytime, you have the feeling it doesn't get light at all. Like somebody forgotten to put the lights on...It is really lowering your energy level, it actually drops down. What helps? Just go with the flow... Take some cocooning time inside with glowing woods in the fireplace and some candles beside of you. . Start reading the book what was waiting for you, start thinking about the year you leave behind or make plans for the new year. 

We started making Christmas decorations outside the house, when it was light and dry for a lite moment. It has been raining for the last weeks since November, whole days lang. Then we made decorations inside. Like they did in former days, because of the long and dark wintertime.

Wintergarden view from the kitchen

Candle lights 

Just a moment of sun

Glowing wood in the fireplace inside

The Christmas tree 

We are also preparing for visitors in the Christmas holiday. The guestrooms are ready, the house is nearly cleaned. The Christmas decorations both inside and outside are finished. Now we are also trying out new recipes for Christmas, like we do every year. Though we are living in Sweden, we still are Dutch. In Sweden they will always have traditional Christmas food every year. I will write about it later. But in The Netherlands we mostly try something new and different or from a special theme, or something you just like to eat. What about you?

What is "Sinterklaas"? A sort of Santa Claus?

The 5th of December it's Sinterklaasavond (or Pakjesavond) in The Netherlands. It is a sort of Santa Claus evening (or Presents evening). They celebrate the birthday of Saint Nicolaas. It is a traditional day about a very old man arriving each year from Spain with white beard and hair, a red cape always riding a white horse. He arrives mostly by boat. He has a lot of helping men, called Pieten. They have very colored dresses and faces. They arrive in most of the cities and villages in The Netherlands, often by boat. They deliver presents to the small children, when they did well last year. Otherwise you have the chance they will take them with them to Spain. The story tells also the presents come in the house because they are thrown in the chimney.

When children are getting older, then the are told that it's just a fairy tail story. But then they still celebrate and buy gifts to each other, within the familie, with friends or on school. Then you have a chance to make a surprise (a nice special packed present) or poem for some one you bought a gift for. While celebrating you eat a lot of special sweets, such as gingerbread, almond bar, chocolate letters and speculaas (spiced biscuits). There are special TV program (already weeks before), telling the events of this year around Sinterklaas and the Pieten. All the shops and houses are decorated with Sinterklaas stuff, they will change it on the 6th of December. It is not done to prepare for Christmas with Christmas Decorations (as you can see in a lot of surrounding countries) before Sinterklaas has left the country, on the 5th of December. So I will prepare for Christmas tomorrow.



When you are in The Netherlands the 5th of December (or the weeks before), have a look around, maybe you can meet them....