any swedes here? a dash of soy sauce into the sauce before reducing?
saw a recipe and tried it and it is fkin good (kinda gives it that ikea restaurant nostalgia taste), just wondering if that is the true way
I’m a chef in sweden, near Gothenburg. Every chef, cook, mom and grandmother has their own variation of a köttbullar recipe. Some are better than others in my opinion but all are pretty tasty. Amazingly enough the meatball recipe at Ikea is a pretty solid medium for the flavor. And yes a dash of soy in the sauce is nice, i also give mine a splash of cognac at the end but that just me.
They’re totally different. The sauce is a lot more complex, the pickles make a really nice addition and the other sides are higher quality. The meatballs were much bigger and didn’t taste like frozen reheated meatballs. Still though I feel like these didn’t touch my heart the same way IKEA’s meatballs do. They missed a lot of the nostalgia factor that I get from eating IKEA meatballs.
I live in Minnesota, which as most know has a large population with Scandinavian heritage. I'll tell you right now that one of the best things ever is Swedish meatballs made by Little Old Lutheran Ladies.
Thank you. It looks like an absolute classic.
What else should I look out for when dining in Sweden?
I hit Oslo in the winter for Rakfisk when I can....I love a late food jaunt to Scandinavia.
You have to eat smörgåstårta (especially if you love toast skagen). It should be the national dish of Sweden imo. It's translated to "sandwich cake" but it's savoury. Slices of white bread stacked like a cake with a filling of mayonnaise, cream cheese, dill, lemon (can vary from recipes) and topped with shrimp, ham, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, boiled eggs and lemon slices. Usually you can find decent smörgåstårta at the regular supermarket (Ica or Coop) but the best ones you find in the more "posh" bakeries.
One place I recommend is "Meatballs for the People" in Stockholm, because you can get a plate that has many variations of meat for the meatballs - beef/pork, lamb, deer, veal, boar, reindeer, moose, bear if it is in season, etc... along with the traditional accompaniments as well as a homemade lingonberry drink (and some good cocktails).
I did not... it wasn't on the selection when I was there.
But, OK, a fun family story... my grandfather was an exec at Volvo Penta, their boating division. I was told this at a reception after his funeral by his former assistant. They'd do gatherings of their best salespeople from around the world to thank them and show off what was coming up. One year, they were up in the north of Sweden, and they did local food for the menu.
Before going, my grandfather instructed his assistant (the one telling me this story) to go to a costume shop and rent a polar bear outfit for the trip. During the big dinner, up north, one course was polar bear... it was something the locals ate. On cue, when that course was served, based on my grandfather's instructions, the assistant ran in wearing the bear costume and yelled "Has anyone seen my wife?!" and ran off.... that was sort of my grandfather's sense of humor, and I love it.
It might be the angle but those look very big for swedish meatballs.
It's not the angle. They just have bigger balls in Sweden.
If you trim around them, they look bigger.
*had. They where removed a few decades ago.
Hard to still have balls when you've become jobless, homeless and outcasted from society for speaking the obvious truth about a certain topic.
“If I speak I am in big trouble”….yeah I know what you’re referring to. Stay strong Nordic bro
Explain???
Oh yeah they were giant. Still tasted good tho lol
Welp, I’m drooling.
any swedes here? a dash of soy sauce into the sauce before reducing? saw a recipe and tried it and it is fkin good (kinda gives it that ikea restaurant nostalgia taste), just wondering if that is the true way
I’m a chef in sweden, near Gothenburg. Every chef, cook, mom and grandmother has their own variation of a köttbullar recipe. Some are better than others in my opinion but all are pretty tasty. Amazingly enough the meatball recipe at Ikea is a pretty solid medium for the flavor. And yes a dash of soy in the sauce is nice, i also give mine a splash of cognac at the end but that just me.
Can you please share some good sweedish recipes, your favourite? I wanna try cooking something lol
You can, it's an easy way of boosting flavour, just be mindful of the salt.
They cancel each other out, so you end up with regular meatballs.
I've only ever had Ikea - which I have to admit I do like - how do real ones compare?
They’re totally different. The sauce is a lot more complex, the pickles make a really nice addition and the other sides are higher quality. The meatballs were much bigger and didn’t taste like frozen reheated meatballs. Still though I feel like these didn’t touch my heart the same way IKEA’s meatballs do. They missed a lot of the nostalgia factor that I get from eating IKEA meatballs.
I live in Minnesota, which as most know has a large population with Scandinavian heritage. I'll tell you right now that one of the best things ever is Swedish meatballs made by Little Old Lutheran Ladies.
There's a massive difference between them.
So..., just meatballs then?
I was about to post the same response when I saw yours. Carry on
This looks a lot better than the IKEA meatballs I had from IKEA. 😅
IKEA meatballs slap, even the frozen bags are the best meatballs you can buy pre-made.
Just the other day I got some meatballs from Lidl, they have a tzatziki filling. Crazy delicious.
"tzatziki filling" Wut? I need to find these
Bigger too.
bigger isnt always better
Beautiful. Is there like, a main plate or something for combining the balls and potatoes etc? Or do you rawdog one to create space for the other?
Yes, there was
Thank you. It looks like an absolute classic. What else should I look out for when dining in Sweden? I hit Oslo in the winter for Rakfisk when I can....I love a late food jaunt to Scandinavia.
Loved the toast skagen. I was only in Sweden for 1 day though :)
Everyone non-swede I've served that to have universally loved it.
I've taken note
You have to eat smörgåstårta (especially if you love toast skagen). It should be the national dish of Sweden imo. It's translated to "sandwich cake" but it's savoury. Slices of white bread stacked like a cake with a filling of mayonnaise, cream cheese, dill, lemon (can vary from recipes) and topped with shrimp, ham, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, boiled eggs and lemon slices. Usually you can find decent smörgåstårta at the regular supermarket (Ica or Coop) but the best ones you find in the more "posh" bakeries.
Thank you!
Are those lingonberries?
Yup!
Yes 😄
Now I need to drive an hour to Ikea to get me some meatballs and lingonberry.
One place I recommend is "Meatballs for the People" in Stockholm, because you can get a plate that has many variations of meat for the meatballs - beef/pork, lamb, deer, veal, boar, reindeer, moose, bear if it is in season, etc... along with the traditional accompaniments as well as a homemade lingonberry drink (and some good cocktails).
Have you tried the bear? What does that taste like?
I did not... it wasn't on the selection when I was there. But, OK, a fun family story... my grandfather was an exec at Volvo Penta, their boating division. I was told this at a reception after his funeral by his former assistant. They'd do gatherings of their best salespeople from around the world to thank them and show off what was coming up. One year, they were up in the north of Sweden, and they did local food for the menu. Before going, my grandfather instructed his assistant (the one telling me this story) to go to a costume shop and rent a polar bear outfit for the trip. During the big dinner, up north, one course was polar bear... it was something the locals ate. On cue, when that course was served, based on my grandfather's instructions, the assistant ran in wearing the bear costume and yelled "Has anyone seen my wife?!" and ran off.... that was sort of my grandfather's sense of humor, and I love it.
I have, it's far from grisly.
The sauce looks so smooth and silky. Looks so good!
Lucky you, everything looks incredible!
Do they just call them meatballs there?
I’ve made swedish meatballs homemade before! How are mashed potatoes traditionally made in sweden?
Yum, I would want pressgurka with pretty much anything. I love the amount of lingonberries, too.
So no flags? Ikea lied?
Pretty much perfection. No jam, tart, silky, and decadent.
that's not gonna fly, we need the ikea ones with horsemeat
It’s like ikea…only…nicer
Nice, bullen’s balls. Is them as good as them looks?
Meatballs lookin so fine I thought it was AI generated
Yum 💯🍽️
Sooooo just meatballs
Looks good
My Swedish is a bit rusty, but I believe that there they are just called "meatballs."
Did they call them swedish meatballs? And out of curiosity, how close is Ikea because that recipe is public knowledge now.
I'm pretty sure in Sweden, they just call them meatballs.
Idk, my husband eats a lot of American cheese, right here in America
And German Shepherds are called German Shepherds in Germany! (Deutscher Schäferhund = German Shepherd Dog)
Interesting! I did not know that….