I first ended up passing a farmer's market on the way home, so of course I had to stop and look around. I ended up buying a bag of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies and a small jar of black currant jam. They were also selling homemade versions of that concentrated drink stuff and lots of other baked goods, on top of the normal fruits, veggies and eggs being sold there.
Having acquired this jam, it occurred to me that I didn't have any bread at home, so I should stop by the store on my way back. Namely, the grocery store a half mile from my apartment that has a bakery. I had never before had the occasion (or motivation) to be there when it opened, so this was a rare opportunity for me.
Having acquired this jam, it occurred to me that I didn't have any bread at home, so I should stop by the store on my way back. Namely, the grocery store a half mile from my apartment that has a bakery. I had never before had the occasion (or motivation) to be there when it opened, so this was a rare opportunity for me.
Success! The store was just opening and fresh baked goods were being put out in the display cases. I spoke briefly to the girl working in the bakery and she suggested this bread to go with my new jam:
The loaf was still warm when I bought it! This was much better than what I had been buying in the grocery store near my apartment. I was sad that I couldn't finish the entire loaf before it got too stale.
I also took a look at their other baked goods:
I ended up buying these: Two traditional kanelbullars (ate one before I took the picture) and another kind with some weird yellow frosting (it was kind of bland when I finally got around to eating it). These were fresh, as well. The whole store smelled so good!
I also took the time to wander through the rest of the store. I'd never been there so early so I had never had the chance to look at the fresh meat, fish etc. being sold.
There was all kinds of cheese being sold; I couldn't imagine needing to buy cheese in such large quantities!
The biggest surprise for me was seeing all of these fresh cuts of meat just sitting out in the open like this. Apparently this is a pretty common way to display meat here? I couldn't tell if it was even being kept cold or not.
About a week later, I took it upon myself to try and make a Swedish pancake. These are a little different than the ones back home: they are very flat due to lack of any kind of leavening agent and are usually served with jam and whipped cream or Nutella. I found a recipe online using flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and salt. The result did not seem to be working out very well, since the batter was so thin, but luckily my floormate came to my rescue! She took a look, made a few suggestions to modify the recipe, and showed me how to properly cook a Swedish pancake. Apparently they usually take up the whole pan? This was the result:
This is my proper Swedish pancake with my first 2 failed attempts kind of piled on the side. I initially tried it with syrup, but it just didn't go nearly as well as the Nutella or black currant jam.
I also visited my Swedish "buddy" last night. She has a cute little kitchen inside her room and doesn't have to share it with anybody. It seems like living alone is very common here, as opposed to having actual roommates. Anyway, we prepared a traditional Swedish dinner! They serve this at IKEA, as well. We had potatoes and meatballs with a brown sauce and lingonberry jam. It sounds strange but it was actually very good! I didn't take a picture but I found one online that was kind of like what we had:
Surprise! Someone finally got me to eat un-fried potatoes!
Most posts to come after my trip to Stockholm this weekend.
I also took a look at their other baked goods:
There was all kinds of cheese being sold; I couldn't imagine needing to buy cheese in such large quantities!
They also had a wide assortment of sausages and cured meats for sale.
The biggest surprise for me was seeing all of these fresh cuts of meat just sitting out in the open like this. Apparently this is a pretty common way to display meat here? I couldn't tell if it was even being kept cold or not.
About a week later, I took it upon myself to try and make a Swedish pancake. These are a little different than the ones back home: they are very flat due to lack of any kind of leavening agent and are usually served with jam and whipped cream or Nutella. I found a recipe online using flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and salt. The result did not seem to be working out very well, since the batter was so thin, but luckily my floormate came to my rescue! She took a look, made a few suggestions to modify the recipe, and showed me how to properly cook a Swedish pancake. Apparently they usually take up the whole pan? This was the result:
I also visited my Swedish "buddy" last night. She has a cute little kitchen inside her room and doesn't have to share it with anybody. It seems like living alone is very common here, as opposed to having actual roommates. Anyway, we prepared a traditional Swedish dinner! They serve this at IKEA, as well. We had potatoes and meatballs with a brown sauce and lingonberry jam. It sounds strange but it was actually very good! I didn't take a picture but I found one online that was kind of like what we had:
Most posts to come after my trip to Stockholm this weekend.
Oh my goodness. YOU ATE POTATOES?!
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