by Lola Akinmade ?kerstr?m 譯/Sherry Zhang

在恬靜的北歐小國瑞典，人們盡情享受自然饋贈的美食。瑞典沿海的地理?xiàng)l件孕育了鮮美的魚和蝦，漫長而寒冷的冬季讓豐富的食材得以保存。無論是美味難擋的脆面包片，還是自助餐主料腌鯡魚，抑或是人人青睞的甜食，都顯示了瑞典人獨(dú)特的美食口味。

Its safe to say Swedens food culture is much more than iconic meatballs and chewy fish-shaped candy. Here are eight things you should know about food traditions essential to Swedes everyday dining.

Lingonberry1） sauce—Swedens favorite sauce

Just like ketchup and mustard， lingonberry sauce is widely used to accompany a variety of dishes， from meatballs and pancakes to porridge and blood pudding. But despite its sweetness， it is rarely used on bread. Thanks to the Right of Public Access （Allemansr?tten）， which gives everyone the freedom to roam and enjoy nature， many Swedes grow up picking lingonberries in the forest and using these tiny tart red fruits to make the jam-like preserve2）.

Pickled3） herring4）—center of the smorgasbord5）

You might swap out6） meatballs （k?ttbullar） for mini sausages （prinskorv） or pick cured salmon （gravad lax） rather than smoked， but your smorgasbord wouldnt be complete without pickled herring （sill）. For this fishy favorite remains the basis of every typical Swedish buffet. With an abundance of herring in both the North and Baltic Seas， Swedes have been pickling since the middle ages， mainly as a way of preserving the fish for storage and transportation. Pickled herring comes in a variety of flavors—mustard， onion， garlic and dill7）， to name a few—and is often eaten with boiled potatoes， sour cream， chopped chives， hard sharp cheese， sometimes boiled eggs， and of course， crisp bread.

Crisp bread—hard to beat

In addition to bread and butter， youll often find a type of crisp bread called kn?ckebr?d served alongside your main meal. This is what the Swedes tend to reach for. Once considered poor mans food， crisp bread has been baked in Sweden for over 500 years， can last for at least a year if stored properly and remains among the most versatile edible products. The National Board of Health and Welfare ran a campaign in the 1970s suggesting Swedes should eat six to eight slices of bread a day， including crisp bread. This comes in various shapes， thicknesses and flavors， with entire store shelves devoted to it. Crisp bread can be topped with anything from sliced boiled eggs and caviar8） squeezed from a tube for breakfast； to ham， cheese and cucumber slices for lunch； to just plain butter along with your dinner.

Open sandwiches—very special

When you order a sandwich， dont be surprised if it involves just a single slice of bread. The concept of open sandwiches dates back to the 15th century when thick slabs of bread were used as plates. In Sweden， the shrimp9） sandwich （r?ksm?rg?s） remains the option fit for a king. Piled high with a mix of boiled egg slices， lettuce10）， tomato and cucumber， this seafood snack is often topped with creamy roms?s—crème fra?che blended with dill sprigs and roe. Shrimp sandwiches are such an integral part of Swedish culture， they have inspired a popular saying： “glida in p? en r?kmacka” （literally “glide in on a shrimp sandwich，” but corresponding to the expression “a piece of cake”）， meaning a task or activity was easy to accomplish or effortless.

Pea soup and pancakes—Thursdays traditional food

Many Swedes grow up eating pea soup and pancakes （?rtsoppa och pannkakor） on Thursdays. While its true origins are widely debated—from Catholics not eating meat on Fridays， thus filling up on pea soup on Thursdays， to pea soup being very easy to prepare by maidservants who would work half-days on Thursdays—the tradition has well stuck. Most traditional lunch restaurants serve pea soup and pancakes with lingonberry sauce or any kind of jam on Thursdays.

Prinsesst?rta—a royal indulgence11）

Coloring the window displays of bakeries throughout Sweden is the all-time favorite neon-green princess cake （prinsesst?rta）， topped with a bright pink sugar rose. Comprising layers of yellow sponge12） lined with jam and vanilla custard， and then finished off with a heavy topping of whipped cream， the cake is carefully sealed within a thin layer of sugary sweet green marzipan13）. A relatively recent addition to Swedens culinary history， prinsesst?rta debuted in the 1920s courtesy of14） Jenny ?kerstr?m， teacher to King Gustav V15）s brother Prince Carl Bernadottes daughters—Princesses Margaretha， M?rtha and Astrid—who loved it so much； they inspired its name. While the third week of September is officially prinsesst?rta week， this popular cake is now eaten during special festivals and is used to mark many milestones in peoples lives. Today， it comes in a variety of colors—from the classic neon green to yellow for Easter， red at Christmas， orange for Halloween， pink and blue for baptism parties and white for weddings.

Special days for sugary delights

In Sweden， people can always find a good excuse to tuck into something sweet—so much so that specific calendar days are designated to the celebration of particular sugary specialties. Cinnamon16） Roll Day （Kanelbullens dag） is celebrated on October 4. Buns filled with cream and almond paste known as semlor are eaten on Shrove Tuesday—the day before Ash Wednesday17）. Waffles （v?fflor） are consumed on March 25， and creamy sponge cakes decorated with chocolate or marzipan silhouettes18） of King Gustav Adolf19） （Gustav Adolfs-bakelse） on November 6 in memory of the Swedish monarch who was killed on this day in 1632 at the Battle of Lützen20）.

Crazy for crawfish

Crawfish parties （kr?ftskivor） are popular in August， when warm summer evenings are spent feasting on21） these red bite-sized fresh-water crustaceans22） in gardens and on balconies all over Sweden. Eaten only by Swedens upper-class citizens and aristocracy in the 16th century， crawfish have become a national delicacy enjoyed by all， with mass importation having significantly brought down the price over the centuries.

可以不過分地說，瑞典的飲食文化遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不止被奉為經(jīng)典的肉丸和有嚼勁的魚形糖果。要了解與瑞典人的日常飲食密不可分的飲食傳統(tǒng)，你得知道以下八樣?xùn)|西。

越橘醬——瑞典人鐘愛的調(diào)味醬

與番茄醬、芥末醬一樣，越橘醬作為佐餐配料被廣泛地用于各種菜肴，包括小肉丸、煎餅、肉湯和血布丁。雖然越橘醬甜津津的，但它卻很少用作面包醬。由于《自由行走權(quán)》法案賦予每個人自由漫步、享受自然的權(quán)利，許多瑞典人從小就在林中摘越橘，把這些帶酸味的小紅果子做成果醬一樣的蜜餞。

腌鯡魚——瑞典自助餐的主料

吃自助餐時，你也許會把小肉丸換成小香腸，或者是選擇腌制三文魚而非煙熏三文魚。但若是缺了腌鯡魚，你的自助餐就顯得不完整了。因?yàn)橹灰堑湫偷娜鸬渥灾?，這道深受人們喜愛的魚類菜肴就必不可少。北海和波羅的海盛產(chǎn)鯡魚，自中世紀(jì)以來瑞典人就在腌制鯡魚，主要是為了將鯡魚保存更久用以儲存和運(yùn)輸。腌鯡魚的口味眾多，有芥末味的、洋蔥味的、大蒜味的、茴香味的——這里只是列了其中的幾種。腌鯡魚通常搭配煮土豆、酸奶油、韭菜末、酸的干奶酪食用，有時還搭配煮雞蛋吃，當(dāng)然還可以和脆面包片一起吃。

脆面包片——美味難擋

主餐中除了面包和黃油，你還會經(jīng)?？吹揭环N脆面包片，叫做kn?ckebr?d，瑞典人常愛拿來吃。脆面包片在過去被看做是窮人的食物，在瑞典已有五百多年的歷史。要是保存得當(dāng)，脆面包片至少能存放一年之久，而且至今仍是吃法最為多樣的食品之一。國家健康和福利委員會在20世紀(jì)70年代開展了一項(xiàng)運(yùn)動，呼吁瑞典人應(yīng)該每天吃上6～8片面包，包括脆面包片。脆面包片形狀不一，有薄有厚，口味多樣，種類多到可以放滿商店里整排的貨架。脆面包片上什么都能放：可以放上煮雞蛋片和細(xì)管擠出的魚子醬，用作早餐；也可以配上火腿、奶酪和黃瓜條，用作午餐；還可以涂上黃油，連同晚餐一起吃。

單片三明治——與眾不同

當(dāng)你點(diǎn)了一份三明治，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)只有一片面包時，可不要為此驚訝。單片三明治的想法可以追溯到15世紀(jì)，那時候人們把厚面包片用作餐盤。在瑞典，蝦肉三明治一直是適合國王享用的美味。這道海鮮小吃里有煮雞蛋片、生菜、西紅柿和黃瓜，堆得高高的，頂上還有奶油醬——由奶油混以小茴香和魚子制成。蝦肉三明治是瑞典文化不可或缺的一部分，它們甚至催生了一句流行的諺語：“glida in p? en r?kmacka”（字面意思是“在蝦肉三明治上滑行”，但實(shí)際意思相當(dāng)于“小菜一碟”），指不費(fèi)吹灰之力就能完成的任務(wù)或活動。

豌豆湯和薄煎餅——周四的傳統(tǒng)美食

許多瑞典人從小就在周四喝豌豆湯，吃薄煎餅。關(guān)于這一傳統(tǒng)的起源眾說紛紜：有人說是因?yàn)樘熘鹘掏街芪宀怀匀?，所以周四就狠命喝豌豆湯；也有人說是女仆周四只干半天活，而豌豆湯做起來非常容易。不管起源如何，這項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)一直很好地延續(xù)了下來。大多數(shù)傳統(tǒng)的午餐廳在周四都會供應(yīng)豌豆湯和薄煎餅，佐以越橘醬或其他醬料。

公主蛋糕——皇家之寵

為瑞典面包房的櫥窗帶來繽紛色彩的是一直備受人們喜愛的霓虹綠公主蛋糕，蛋糕上還點(diǎn)綴著一朵亮粉色的糖玫瑰。一層層的黃色海綿蛋糕中間夾上果醬和香草蛋奶，然后最上面涂一層厚厚的鮮奶油，最后整個蛋糕被仔細(xì)地裹上一層薄薄的綠色杏仁蛋白糖霜。在瑞典的飲食歷史中，公主蛋糕算是近代的新寵。承蒙詹妮·阿克斯通的好意提供，這款蛋糕于20世紀(jì)20年代首次亮相。詹妮·阿克斯通是國王古斯塔夫五世的弟弟卡爾·伯納多的女兒們的老師?？枴げ{多的女兒們——馬格莎公主、瑪莎公主和艾斯特德公主——都非常喜愛這款蛋糕，“公主蛋糕”這一名稱就是受此啟發(fā)而誕生。九月的第三個星期是官方規(guī)定的公主蛋糕周，但現(xiàn)在人們享用這款受歡迎的蛋糕是在特殊的節(jié)日里，以及紀(jì)念生活中許多重要的時刻時。如今的公主蛋糕有各種各樣的顏色，除了經(jīng)典的霓虹綠外，還有復(fù)活節(jié)的黃色、圣誕節(jié)的紅色、萬圣節(jié)的橙色、洗禮上的粉色和藍(lán)色以及婚禮上的白色。

甜品盛宴的專門節(jié)日

在瑞典，人們總是能找到好借口來享用甜食，愛甜食愛到日歷上有些日子是專門用來吃某種特別的甜品的。10月4日是肉桂卷日；懺悔星期二（也就是圣灰節(jié)的前一天）吃奶油杏仁餡的小面包；3月25日吃華夫餅；11月6日吃奶油海綿蛋糕，蛋糕上還裝飾著巧克力或奶油杏仁糖霜做成的古斯塔夫·阿道夫國王的頭像，用以紀(jì)念這位于1632年11月6日在呂岑會戰(zhàn)中陣亡的瑞典君主。

瘋狂愛上小龍蝦

小龍蝦派對在8月里很盛行。溫?zé)岬南娜找雇?，在瑞典各地的花園里、陽臺上，人們盡情享受著這些一口便能吃下一個的紅色淡水甲殼生物。16世紀(jì)時，小龍蝦是瑞典上層人士和貴族的專享美食。而如今，它已成為全國上下人人都能享用的美味。幾百年來，人們大規(guī)模進(jìn)口小龍蝦，這大大降低了它的價格。

1. lingonberry [?li?ɡ?n?b?ri] n. [植]越橘

2. preserve [pr??z??（r）v] n. 蜜餞，果醬

3. pickled [?p?k（?）ld] adj. 腌漬的；腌制的

4. herring [?her??] n. [魚]鯡魚

5. smorgasbord [sm??（r）ɡ?s?b??（r）d] n. 瑞典式自助餐

6. swap out：換出，交換

7. dill [dil] n. [植]小茴香

8. caviar [?k?vi?ɑ?（r）] n. 魚子醬

9. shrimp [?rimp] n. 蝦，小蝦

10. lettuce [?let?s] n. 生菜

11. indulgence [?n?d?ld?（?）ns] n. 嗜好，溺愛

12. sponge [sp?nd?] n. 海綿蛋糕，松軟布丁

13. marzipan [?mɑ?（r）z??p?n] n. 杏仁蛋白糖霜

14. courtesy of：蒙……的好意（或準(zhǔn)許）；蒙……提供（或贈送）

15. Gustav V：古斯塔夫五世（1858～1950），原名奧斯卡·古斯塔夫·阿道夫（Oscar Gustaf Adolf），自1907年擔(dān)任瑞典國王，也是貝爾納多特王朝第五任國王。

16. cinnamon [?sin?m?n] n. [植]肉桂

17. Ash Wednesday：圣灰節(jié)，復(fù)活節(jié)前的第七個星期三

18. silhouette [?s?lu?et] n. 黑色半面畫像；側(cè)面影像

19. Gustav Adolf：即古斯塔夫二世·阿道夫（Gustav II Adolf， 1594～1634），瑞典國王、統(tǒng)帥，軍事改革家，被視為瑞典歷史上最杰出的國王。

20. Battle of Lützen：呂岑會戰(zhàn)，三十年戰(zhàn)爭中的一場戰(zhàn)役，發(fā)生于1632年。三十年戰(zhàn)爭是由羅馬帝國內(nèi)戰(zhàn)演變而成的全歐洲參與的一次大規(guī)模國際戰(zhàn)爭，是歐洲各國爭奪利益、樹立霸權(quán)以及宗教糾紛加劇化的結(jié)果。

21. feast on：盡情享受，大吃大喝

22. crustacean [kr??ste???n] n. [動]甲殼類動物

23. aristocracy [??r??st?kr?si] n. 貴族

Pea Soup Recipe （豌豆湯做法）

Ingredients （原料）

① 1 tablespoon butter； ② 1 medium onion， chopped； ③ 1 stalk celery， chopped； ④ 2 cloves garlic， chopped； ⑤ 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley； ⑥ 6 cups peas， fresh or frozen； ⑦ 1/2 cup water； ⑧ 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth， “no-chicken” broth or vegetable broth； ⑨ 1/2 cup half-and-half （一半牛奶和一半淡奶油） （optional）； ⑩ 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions （步驟）

① Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery； cook， stirring occasionally， until softened， 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme （百里香） （or parsley）； cook， stirring， until fragrant， about 10 seconds.

② Stir in peas. Add water and broth； bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender， about 1 minute.

③ Puree （煮成濃湯） the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Stir in half-and-half （if using）， salt and pepper.