Swedish cuisine has a solid and traditional foundation: Husmanskost, essentially home-cooked food or everyday fare. It’s the stuff that generations of Swedes have been weaned on, and, as a cursory glance at any modern Swedish menu will tell you, still is.

The internationally most renowned Swedish meal is the meatball, or köttbullar.  One of the most traditional Swedish soups is the pea soup, or ärtsoppa. It dates back to the old tradition of peas being associated with Thor. This is simple meal, basically consisting of yellow peas, a little onion and often pieces of pork. Potatoes are the main complement to most dishes. Only in the last 50 years have other side dishes such as rice and spaghetti become standard on the dinner table.

Smorgasbord literally means “bread and butter table.” A Swedish smorgasbord offers the diner a variety of dishes generally meant to be eaten in a particular order. Also, for each trip to the smorgasbord, a clean plate is often used. Smorgasbords can contain numerous different types of foods, but they usually always include Swedish meatballs, Janssons frestelse (Jason’s Temptation), and various herring dishes.

Many Scandinavians and Scandinavian-Americans have at least tasted lutfisk, or “lye fish.” Lutfisk is cod soaked in lye. It is made placing dried cod into a wooden tub and soaked in water for about a week. The water is changed every day, and when the week is up, the fish is removed. The tub is then cleaned and a quarter of a pound of slaked lime is placed inside. The fish is returned to the tub and then covered with water and lye (the lye is prepared from birch ashes or washing soda). It is important that the lutfisk is continually covered with water, as the fish tend to swell and will require additional water.

Once the fish is tender, which is usually after a week or so, it is taken out of the tub and cleaned again. The tub is also cleaned and the fish is then put back in the tub to soak in clean water. The water in the tub should be cleaned every day for a week. After that week, they should be left alone to soak for an additional week.  When the lutfisk is done soaking, the fish is removed, placed in a pan, and cooked with butter. Lutfisk is often served with a special white sauce made with mustard, although it can also be served with melted butter and pepper.

August is crayfish season in the Swedish food calendar.  Sweden is one of the heaviest coffee drinking countries in the world, second only to Finland. Saying no to a cup of coffee is almost considered rude in Sweden. Milk consumption in Sweden is the highest of any country in the world. Milk is bought in milk cartons, and it is no coincidence that Tetra Pak, the world’s largest maker of milk cartons, is Swedish.