In Sweden, meatballs are called köttbullar (literally “meat buns”) and are considered a national dish. They became popular in the mid-1800s with the advent of meat grinders. Swedish meatballs are usually made with a mix of ground beef and ground pork, or just with ground beef, which is mixed into a mixture of beaten eggs, breadcrumbs soaked in milk, and grated raw onions or finely chopped and fried onions. Cream is often added for more luxurious versions. The meatball mixture is seasoned with salt and white pepper or a mixture of white pepper and allspice. Swedish meatballs are traditionally served with gravy, boiled or mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and sometimes pickled cucumber. read more…
ABBA The Museum is a Swedish interactive exhibition about the pop band ABBA that opened in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2013. ABBA’s collected works are showcased in a contemporary, interactive setting at Djurgården, Stockholm. read more…
Kungsleden (King’s Trail) is a hiking trail in northern Sweden, approximately 467 kilometres (290 mi) long, between Abisko in the north and Hemavan in the south. The full distance breaks down into 419.3 km of trekking, 18.2 km of lake crossings and a 29.5 km stretch of road, almost all of which hikers cover by bus. It passes through, near the southern end, the Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve, one of the largest protected areas in Europe. In the winter Kungsleden is a ski trail with approximately the same route. read more…
Kiruna Church (Swedish: Kiruna kyrka) is a church building in Kiruna, Sweden, and is one of Sweden’s largest wooden buildings. The church was built between 1909 and 1912, designed by the architect Gustaf Wickman. The church exterior is built in a Gothic Revival style, while the altar is in Art Nouveau. The Church was moved during two days in August 2025 a distance of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the east due to the expansion of the Kiruna mine. read more…
Gotland (Gutland in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland, is Sweden’s largest island. It is also a province/county (Swedish län), municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the north, as well as the Karlsö Islands (Lilla and Stora) to the west. The population is 61,023 (2024) of which about 23,600 live in Visby, the main town. Outside Visby, there are minor settlements and a mainly rural population. The island of Gotland and the other areas of the province of Gotland make up less than one percent of Sweden’s total land area. The county formed by the archipelago is the second smallest by area and is the least populated in Sweden. In spite of the small size due to its narrow width, the driving distance between the furthermost points of the populated islands is about 170 kilometres (110 mi). read more…
Skagenröra is a mixture of shrimp, mayonnaise and dill, as well as other ingredients that vary according to taste and recipe. Common ingredients, in addition to those mentioned above, are crème fraiche, sour cream and red onion. Common additions are lemon and fennel or sikrom. A common ingredient on the west coast (Sweden) is white fish or surimi in small pieces. It is not uncommon to add this to make the mixture more balanced. read more…
Cinnamon Roll Day or Cinnamon Bun Day (Swedish: kanelbullens dag, Finnish: korvapuustipäivä) falls on 4 October each year. It is an annual theme day created for marketing purposes in Sweden and Finland that was instituted in 1999 by Kaeth Gardestedt. At the time, she was a project manager for Home Baking Council (Hembakningsrådet) which was historically a trade group supported by yeast, flour, sugar, and margarine manufacturers and is now supported by the Dansukker brand of sugar. read more…
Fika is a social institution in Sweden. It means taking a break from an activity to have coffee or, more rarely, another drink with family, friends or colleagues. read more…
