Food of Sweden

Swedish food is simple, fresh and seasonal, with fish, potatoes, rye and wheat breads, dairy and berries as its backbone. Meals range from meatballs with lingonberry jam to crisp knackebrod with cheese, and the coffee break called fika is a cherished daily ritual. Smorgasbord-style spreads of cured fish, cold cuts, salads and warm dishes are served at big gatherings.

National dish

Kottbullar (Swedish meatballs)

Staples

  • potatoes
  • herring
  • salmon
  • rye bread
  • lingonberries
  • dairy
  • pork

Signature flavors

  • dill
  • allspice
  • cardamom
  • mustard
  • white pepper
  • cinnamon
  • saffron

Main dishes

Swedish meatballs
Swedish meatballs

Tender beef and pork meatballs in cream gravy with lingonberry jam.

Key ingredients: ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, cream, allspiceFull guide →
Pytt i panna
Pytt i panna

Diced potatoes, meat and onion fried crisp and topped with a fried egg.

Key ingredients: potatoes, sausage or ham, onion, egg
Raggmunk
Raggmunk

Crispy grated potato pancakes with pork and lingonberries.

Key ingredients: potatoes, flour, milk, egg
Janssons frestelse
Janssons frestelse

A creamy baked casserole of potatoes, onions and anchovy-like sprats.

Key ingredients: potatoes, onion, sprats, cream, breadcrumbs
Kroppkakor
Kroppkakor

Potato dumplings filled with diced pork and onion.

Key ingredients: potatoes, flour, pork, onion, allspice
Gravlax
Gravlax

Salmon cured with dill, salt and sugar.

Key ingredients: salmon, dill, salt, sugarFull guide →
Inlagd sill
Inlagd sill

Herring in sweet-sour brine with onion and spices.

Key ingredients: herring, vinegar, sugar, onion, allspice
Isterband
Isterband

A smoked sausage from Smaland.

Key ingredients: pork, barley, spices
Palt
Palt

Dumplings made from grated potato and flour, from the north.

Key ingredients: potatoes, barley flour, pork
Fiskesoppa

Creamy fish soup with saffron and root vegetables.

Key ingredients: white fish, saffron, cream, carrots

Breakfast

Filmjolk
Filmjolk

Soured milk eaten with muesli, cereals or fruit.

Key ingredients: filmjolk, muesli, berries
Smorgas
Smorgas

Bread with butter, cheese, egg and caviar spread.

Key ingredients: bread, cheese, egg, spread
Havregrynsgrot
Havregrynsgrot

Oat porridge with milk and jam.

Key ingredients: oats, milk, lingonberry jam

Street food

Korv med brod

A grilled hot dog in thin flatbread with mashed potato.

Key ingredients: sausage, tunnbrod, mash, mustard
Falafel in tunnbrod
Falafel in tunnbrod

A popular wrap in flatbread with sauce.

Key ingredients: falafel, salad, sauce
Kebabrulle

Flatbread wrap filled with meat and sauce.

Key ingredients: kebab meat, vegetables, sauce

Soups

Artsoppa

A thick yellow pea soup with pork, often eaten on Thursdays.

Key ingredients: yellow peas, pork, onion, thyme
Nässelsoppa
Nässelsoppa

Spring soup of fresh nettles with a boiled egg.

Key ingredients: nettles, potato, stock, egg
Blabarssoppa
Blabarssoppa

A sweet blueberry soup served warm or cold.

Key ingredients: blueberries, sugar, potato starch

Salads

Gurksallad
Gurksallad

Thinly sliced cucumber in vinegar and dill.

Key ingredients: cucumber, vinegar, sugar, dill
Potatissallad
Potatissallad

Waxy potatoes with dill, herring or sour cream.

Key ingredients: potatoes, dill, sour cream
Rodbetssallad

Beets with onion, mayo and mustard.

Key ingredients: beets, onion, mayonnaise

Breads

Knackebrod
Knackebrod

Thin, crunchy rye crispbread.

Key ingredients: rye flour, water, salt
Tunnbrod
Tunnbrod

Thin Swedish flatbread.

Key ingredients: barley flour, wheat flour
Limpa
Limpa

Fragrant rye loaf with orange and spices.

Key ingredients: rye flour, orange peel, fennel, molasses

Desserts and sweets

Kanelbulle
Kanelbulle

A cardamom-scented cinnamon bun for fika.

Key ingredients: dough, cinnamon, butter, pearl sugarFull guide →
Princesstarta
Princesstarta

Green marzipan-covered layered sponge cake with cream.

Key ingredients: sponge, raspberry jam, cream, marzipan
Kladdkaka
Kladdkaka

A gooey chocolate cake.

Key ingredients: butter, sugar, cocoa, eggs
Ostkaka
Ostkaka

A baked cheese dessert served with jam.

Key ingredients: cottage cheese, almonds, eggs

Drinks

Kaffe
Kaffe

Strong filter coffee for fika.

Key ingredients: coffee
Saft

Fruit cordial diluted with water.

Key ingredients: berries, sugar
Lingondricka
Lingondricka

Tart lingonberry drink.

Key ingredients: lingonberries, sugar

Fruits and produce

Lingonberries
Lingonberries

Tart red berries for jam.

Key ingredients: jam, sauce
Blueberries
Blueberries

Wild berries.

Key ingredients: pie, soup
Cloudberries
Cloudberries

Golden Arctic berries.

Key ingredients: jam, cream
Strawberries
Strawberries

Midsummer's favorite.

Key ingredients: cream, cake
Apples
Apples

Skane orchards.

Key ingredients: pastry, juice

Dish guides from Sweden

Gravlax
GravlaxSnacks and dips
Cinnamon roll (kanelbulle)
Cinnamon roll (kanelbulle)Desserts and sweets
Swedish meatballs
Swedish meatballsMain dishes
Explore Sweden on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.

More cuisines of Northern Europe

About this page

Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.

Photo credits
  • Soup with meatballs-01: ralphhogaboom, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Pyttipanna: Skivsamlare, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Raggmunk : Traveler100, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Janssons frestelse: No machine-readable author provided. Andejons assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Kroppkaka: Sendelbach (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Laxrätter: Esquilo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Aringa-marinato: Kagor, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Isterband: Carl Svensson, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Palt exterior: Mrs. Gemstone on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Filmjolk: Kristofer2, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Norwegian.open.sandwich-01: by tuey, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Oatmeal (1): Renee Comet (Photographer), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Falafels 2: Popo le Chien, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • St John Restaurant, Smithfield, London (3445306202): Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Blåbärssoppa: Dnor, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cucumber Salad (30974695127): Jose Nicdao from San Jose, United States, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Potato salad (1): SajjadF, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Knaeckebroed: Cymydog Naakka, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Tunnbröd-2007-07-14: Mikael Lindmark, CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Vörtbröd crop: Vörtbröd.jpg: Paul.Carroll derivative work: Tetraedycal (talk), CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cinnamon roll in Stockholm: Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Princess Cake 2025-Oct-02 (cropped): MarcellusW, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Kladdkaka-med-vispgradde: Andreas Ivarsson, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Smålands bästa ostkaka: Frugan, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Latte and dark coffee: Bex Walton, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • IKEA food (8553993912): oaktree_brian_1976 from Canada, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Vaccinium vitis-idaea 20060824 003: Jonas Bergsten, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Vaccinium myrtillus Mustikka IMG 1100 C- cropped: Anneli Salo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Rubus chamaemorus, from Tromsø, August 2020: Moravice, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) single2: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 95apple: Agricultural Research Service (Research agent of United States Department of Agriculture), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)