Swedish food products, etc.

Back home from his recent interesting but tiring week long business trip to Sweden, my husband brought home all these yummy goodies. Lingonberry and cloudberry preserves, two kinds of crispbreads, Marabou chocolates with hazelnuts, etc. The first thing I did was to sample the chocolates of course. In Germany, they’re quite proud of their Milka chocolates, and I’m pretty sure Marabou is Milka’s counterpart in Sweden. Hazelnut crunchy bits definitely go so well with the smooth and creamy textured chocolate. This is definitely one of the best quality brands I’ve tried. Lingonberry jam is traditionally served with Swedish meatballs, sometimes a small amount may even be mixed in with the creamy sauce. Very similar to cranberries, lingonberries are quite tart so they always have to be cooked, sweetened as jams, preserves and syrups. Cloudberry jam, on the other hand, is popularly served in Sweden as a dessert topping for vanilla ice cream. Cloudberries are also known to be very tart and often made into jams and preserves. I learned that crispbread is a Swedish favorite and served in every restaurant out there. It’s flat and dry, similar to a cracker, usually made with rye and/or other whole grain flours. There are several flavors, some are even available in most groceries here. Along with these food items, my husband also got me a traditional Swedish cookbook ( Simply Swedish by Margareta Schildt Langren ) and some collectible pins. I was so excited for him and so glad that he had this amazing opportunity to travel to Stockholm. Aside from getting a chance to see some local attractions and museums, most of which are just walking distance from his hotel, he also tried some of the best restaurants in the area and sampled traditional Swedish cuisine, from the gravad lax ( marinated salmon ) starters to reindeer meat ( the entree served at their company formal banquet event held at the Grand Hotel, a Stockholm landmark ) to the local favorite which will be my next topic, Swedish meatballs.