Glad Midsommar! Ok, it’s not midsummer quite yet, but the 21st and 22nd of June is when you can say this to people in Sweden this year. Happy Midsummer, for the English-speakers amongst us. I suddenly realised that the midsummer festival was almost upon us. Time has flown by this year and so I’ve pushed back the post I did have for today and decided to put together a little “call to action”. In case anyone feels like throwing together a little impromptu midsummer party then let me be your guide! You can find a round up at the bottom of this post of some typical things you might find at a Swedish Midsummer feast. I do hope you give it a go – make some food, kick back, invite some friends around: eat, drink, and be merry, and enjoy the sun!
In modern Sweden, Midsummer’s Eve and Midsummer’s Day (Midsommarafton and Midsommardagen) were formerly celebrated on 23 June and 24 June, but since 1953 the celebration has been moved to the Friday and Saturday between 19 June and 26 June with the main celebrations taking place on Friday. It is one of the most important holidays of the year in Sweden, and probably the most uniquely Swedish in the way it is celebrated.
Thanks Wikipedia! So there you go – Midsummer in Sweden is a big deal! Poles are put up, decorated, and consequently danced around, curious songs about “small frogs” are sung (yeah, I don’t really know either, but you can see a video here). Food is eaten, songs are sung, bonfires might be lit and lots of fun is had for it’s the longest night of the year. In some parts of Sweden it won’t really get dark at all, even at 2am so it’s a time for celebration – especially since in those same parts the winters are long and cold, and most of the day is spent in darkness, so it’s important to rejoice in the light and warmth while you can.
By Markus Bernet (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
So folks, I hope you decide to have a little midsummer celebration on the evening of Friday the 21st June. We’ll be having a lunch on Saturday, with many of the foods shown below. I’d say you’re all invited, but then there’d be less food for me…! 🙂
Have a fantastic midsummer everyone, whether you celebrate it or not. Enjoy the recipe links below – click the title or photo to view the whole recipe – and I’ll be back soon with the originally planned post!
Gravlax
Gravlax is fantastically easy to make – grab a slab of good, fresh salmon, rub it down with a mixture of equal quantities of salt and sugar, fold it over, sandwich it together with an ample quantity of fresh dill, wrap it up and leave it in the refrigerator for three days. That’s really all there is to it. When it’s done you’ll have beautifully cured salmon. Sliced thinly and arranged on bread with some boiled egg it’s a light, summery treat.
Tunnbröd
So you’ve got gravlax, but what about bread to put it on? How about some Swedish flat bread? Ideally you’ll need a “kruskavel” – a specially spiked rolling pin to create the distinctive pattern, but if you don’t have this you can just roll it flat and poke it with a fork. Don’t worry about making the edges neat… the more rustic the better. Delicately spiced with aniseed and fennel this makes a perfect accompaniment to that fish!
Gluten Free Knäckebröd
Let’s not forget about our gluten-intolerant friends at this festival. These gluten-free hard “breads” are a snap to make and incredibly tasty. It’s almost impossible to stop eating them once you start, and the ingredients are just oats, seeds, water and egg. The end result is a beautifully crisp cracker, perfect as a replacement for the flat bread, mentioned previously.
Matjessill Salad
The Swedish sure love their fish, and they also love potatoes. This salad has both! Consisting of soused herring, sliced potatoes, chopped egg yolks and whites, all arranged into separated “stripes”, topped off with chopped parsley and onion and drizzled with hot, melted butter, it makes a beautiful accompaniment for the other dishes.
Potato Salad
Now, potato salad isn’t necessarily a traditional Swedish Midsummer food, but I love it. I also make the best one I know (what me…? Bragging? Never!) and so I recommend this since it goes with just about everything.
Sockerkaka
When all the fish is gone, there are but mere crumbs of the bread left, and only a lonely caper rolling around in the potato salad bowl then it’s probably time to move on to dessert. No midsummer is complete without strawberries, so why not combine a traditional Swedish sponge cake – sockerkaka – with fresh, whipped cream, and an ample pile of strawberries.
Kanelbullar
So you’ve gorged yourself on food, but aren’t you forgetting something? Of course you are! The Swedes have the second-highest consumption of coffee per capita in the world (first is Finland apparently) and so once you’ve washed up and finally sat down you’re probably thinking how darn nice a cup of coffee would be right about now. Set the pot a-brewing and maybe dig in to one (or five) of these Swedish Cinnamon Buns.
Chica Andaluza says
What a fantastic post and some great reicpe ideas Charles. I used to have a client (many years back) where most of the founder directors were of Nordic/Scandinavian origin and for a week in June they headed home to celebrate with their families. It always sounded such fun and it’s good to learn a little more about it. Here in Spain they celebrate the night of San Juan (on 21st I think) and it’s traditional to go down to the beaches for the night and light bonfires (and jump over them if you’re brave enough!) eating tortilla and drinking wine 🙂
Charles says
Hi Chica, I think it’s sad we don’t really have a midsummer celebration in England… or even in France for that matter. It’s a nice time of year I think, not sure if I’d be brave enough to jump over a fire though! 😀
Hotly Spiced says
Ah no! We won’t be celebrating the mid-summer in June here in Oz. We will be celebrating that it will be our shortest day, however! The days can only get longer after that. What lovely looking Swedish recipes. I would love to try the flat breads xx
Charles says
Ah yes, you know even though I’m 30 years old, I still find it terribly hard to understand that it’s summer for us but winter for you. It just seems to strange!
Sissi says
I have heard a lot about Swedish Midsummer celebration. Your post somehow reminds me of Children from Bullerbyn (I’m not sure if it’s the English title) I read as a child and which left very strong memories.
If I were to choose one dish here (and it would be very very hard because all are my kind of food…) it would be the herring salad because I love herring and because I often make a herring salad with potatoes, onion, egg and mayonnaise and… beetroot (mine is layered like a birthday cake). Actually I bought yesterday some delicious looking matjes herrings which are intended for a salad of course. Happy and delicious midsummer party!
Charles says
Hi Sissi, I think it’s in the Bullerbyn movies that they celebrate midsummer, right? The film where one of the boys adopts a dog called Svip? In fact, in English, the title best translates to “The children from the noisy village) (buller is noise, byn is village) – I like those movies a lot – have you seen all of them? I think there are at least two… possibly three. I can recommend Emil på Lönneberga and Madicken as well, although I’m not sure if it’s so easy to find those with English subtitles.
By the way, your herring salad sounds like the Russian dish “herring under a fur coat” – did you try it before?
Sissi says
Charles, I have never heard about the film. I read the book (actually I think there were two books about the same children…). In Polish they didn’t translate the name of the town/village, so it was “Bullerbyn”. I had no idea it meant something… it sounded very Swedish 🙂
I have seen the Russian salad somewhere and yes, the Polish salad I make is a bit similar, but everyone who makes it, adds different vegetables (some make it also with carrots for example or with canned corn…). I suppose it must be very popular in most herring-loving countries, either deconstructed (as the Swedish one) or mixed into a potato salad or layered which is definitely not a very traditional way to serve a herring and potato salad but a fancy recent invention.
Charles says
Hi Sissi, I had no idea the books had been published in other languages. Well – if you can find the ones I mentioned I really recommend them!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I’d love to go to Sweden one day. I should remember to go at Midsummer 🙂
I’m off to check out those cinnamon rolls!
Charles says
Hi Maureen – I hope you get the chance, it’s a beautiful time of year!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
A midsummer feast sounds lovely, and what a tasty collection of recipes! I remember your sockerkaka, such a beauty!
Charles says
Thanks Laura – I hope you have a nice midsummer 🙂
GourmetGetaways says
There are so many foods here that I haven’t experienced before… but when it is all said and done I would love a coffee and a cinnamon bun 🙂
Charles says
Hi GG, it’s certainly the best way to finish off a nice meal, that’s for sure 🙂
Eva Taylor says
Happy Midsummer to you and your family my friend. What a lovely celebration even with the quirky songs about little frogs!
I’m loving the round up, particularly the cured salmon and the tunnbröd, I want to make that just so I could buy that wonderful rolling pin! I completely forgot about the cured salmon, it truly is a delight isn’t it? I’ve made it in a Hawaiian style before and the colour was incredible! Thanks for the reminder, I’m definitely doing it again soon.
It’s our progressive dinner on Friday night (theme BBQ and we’re doing dessert) and our annual street party on Saturday night, so we’ll definitely raise a glass and cheer “Glad Midsommar” to you.
Charles says
Thank you Eva! I hope you will have a good time at your street party! How fun is that? I don’t think people really have those anymore here. Oh, no – I tell a lie. They have a thing here called the “neighbours party” where all the people from the buildings get together and eat and drink together. We didn’t go because even though we get on well with our neighbours we still feel quite “outside” the culture sometimes.
fati's recipes says
That Sockerkaka… A beautiful tease welcoming me back into the blogosphere!
Charles says
Welcome back Fati – you should make it… go on, you know you want to!
Coffee and Crumpets says
Happy Midsummer Day! All these treats look fantastic Charles! That’s some party come Saturday!
Nazneen
Charles says
Thanks Nazneen – indeed! Can’t wait to eat all that lovely food!
Minnie@thelady8home says
Your title reminded me of Shakespeare, the fare that you have in this post could very well please his entire audience. What a post!! I have never seen these dishes, they are very interesting. I love fish, the cured salmon sounds appealing. I would love a serving of that delectable looking Sockerkaka.
Charles says
Hi Minnie – if you like salmon you should give it a try… it’s SO easy to make and really fun and impressive!
mjskit says
Happy MidSummer Celebration!!! We also celebrate this time of year as well but it’s more of a personal thing. Bobby’s birthday is on the 19th of June, so there’s a weeks worth of celebration right there. :)Great line up of Swedish recipes! Especially love the Gravlax! Hope you’re having fun!
Charles says
Hi MJ – oh, how nice… happy birthday to Bobby! I hope he has a fun time, and a week of celebrations?! Sounds great 🙂
betsyb says
Glad Midsommar to you Charles! And what a celebratory lineup you have here. It all looks wonderful! So I may be asking something that is “known” to all but me, but I am curious…are you of Swedish descent? I think the Swedes have the right idea, and we plan to celebrate the solstice this weekend, too. Such a happy time of year to be outdoors with the long hours of daylight. 🙂
Charles says
Hi Betsy, I’m not of Swedish descent… my wife is Swedish though, hence the large quantity of Swedishness on my blog 🙂
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Hi Charles! I didn’t know about Swedish Midsummer. I love holiday and celebrate with delicious food. You have lots of Swedish meals. William will be eating many kinds of cuisines…that’s awesome! 🙂
Charles says
Hi Nami, indeed – think of all the wonderful things he can try this Saturday?! Mmm… his first “midsommar” 🙂
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
Charles, that Matjessill salad looks gorgeous, but I’ve never been one for fish in a salad (no Swedish genes here!). Potato salad, capers, now you’re talking my language! Tunnbrod – I’d give it a try – I’ve never met a bread, flat or otherwise, I didn’t like!
Charles says
Hi Jean – that’s too bad you’re not a fish fan. Well, I’ll be serving some meatballs, maybe you’d enjoy those?! The potato salad… that will be my favourite. I just hope everyone else doesn’t scoff it all!
Marta @ What Should I eat for breakfast today says
Happy Midsummer Day Charles and thank you for letting me know that a day like this exists 🙂
Charles says
Thank you Marta – I hope you had a good midsummer day today! 🙂
Kristy says
What a fun idea! Happy midsummer to you as well Charles! It sounds like you have a fabulous feast all planned for this evening. I heard on the radio today that we get over 15 hours of daylight today which is 6 hours more than the winter solstice for us. I love it. I’ve just been relishing in the sun lately. Enjoy your dinner. 🙂
Charles says
Hi Kristy, I’ve been busy baking today for our little party tomorrow – can’t wait. The salmon is in the fridge right now being cured… yum!
Kelly @ Inspired Edibles says
Curious songs about small frogs – lol – love it! Charles, we live four seasons distinctly here in Canada but there is none I feel as connected to as summer. I love the idea of celebrating this beautiful time of year with Midsummer Madness and I’d be dancing around the poles too and maybe even swinging a frog or two ;-). So many culinary delights… I adore fresh salmon and the looks of your Swedish flatbread. Delish.
Charles says
Hi Kelly – I think I rather like autumn and winter myself, though no doubt I will change my mind one day when I live in the cold wasteland that is the north of Sweden where the ground is frozen solid and I live in pitch black for 6 months of the year 😀
Anneli (Delicieux) says
My mouth is watering at that list of Swedish recipes! I love them all! What a feast that would be if you had a little of them all! Glad Midsommer to you and your wife also Charles 🙂
Charles says
Thank you Anneli! Everyone enjoyed themselves at our little party 🙂 Good times, good times!