Swedish food in March

Svensk mat i mars

March 2024 collage

Thank you for visiting SwedishFood.com. Food in Sweden during March is very varied because it is both spring and winter, depending on where you are in country. The seasons in Sweden are defined by temperature, not by dates so in the south it is now officially spring, because there have been seven days with a daily mean temperature above freezing. In the north it is still winter and is likely to remain so until May.

Jokkmokk dogsledding

I really like Norrbotten, Sweden’s northern most county, in March. It is known as vårvinter (spring-winter), because the light is amazing as there is still a lot of snow around, so even though the sun is low in the sky, the sun’s rays bounce around which makes you feel warmer, even though it is still below freezing! It is a wonderful time to be outdoors, even if you are not a winter sports enthusiast.

Freshly caught charr cooking on an open fire

If you are going to be out in the snow for the whole day, then part of the fun is preparing a vinterpicknick to take with you even if it is as simple as mackor (sandwiches) or a flask of warm soup. For an even better treat light a fire and barbecue some korv (sausages) or, if you are strike lucky when ice-fishing, barbecue some fish. (But you need a backup plan in case you don’t catch anything!) The best arctic charr I have ever tasted was barbecued minutes after being caught!

Swedish 'renskav'

Even if you are not in Norrbotten if you get the opportunity, do try some renskav (fried reindeer with wild mushrooms). Frozen renskav is available from some specialist shops or online, so see if you can find a supplier I do recommend trying it soon!. If you can’t get any reindeer try a gryta med svamp (stew with mushrooms) which can be made with any kind of venison.

Porterstek served with blackcurrant jelly

Other dishes winter dishes that I like to cook in March include skrei med pepparrot (cod with horseradish), hjortfilé med björnbärsås (venison with blackberry sauce) or a porterstek (porter pot roast), as shown above.

Swedish style ham hock

Traditionally March is also the time for using up vegetables that have been stored for the winter, so why not try one of the great husmanskost (traditional home cooking) recipes and fläskkött med rotmos (boiled ham hock with root vegetable mash). It is not easy to find ham hocks in butchers these days, because making sausages is more profitable, but if you can find a ham hock do try our recipe. It is not the best looker, but the taste never disappoints!

Roast reindeer

Readers might be interested to know that in March I am cooking a dinner to raise money for a dementia charity. The main course will be ren med kantarellersås (roast reindeer with chanterelle sauce), vinägerfläsk (sweet and sour smoked pork), lingonpuckar (lingonberry pucks), Västerbottenskroketter (cheesy potato croquettes) and grönsaker (vegetables) followed by hjortronparfait (cloudberry parfait). It should be a fun occasion as well as raising money for a very good cause. If you are tempted to organise something similar where you live and you would like any advice, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Young nettles growing in a forest

Down in the south of Sweden nässlor (nettles/stingers) are likely to make their first appearance in mid March. The young leaves make a delicious soup, which is normally accompanied by hard-boiled eggs and crème fraîche. Early nettles are tender and perfect for cooking, but they can also be dried and used when making pasta or bread.

Swedish style waffles with fresh fruit and whipped cream

On Monday 25th March it is Våffeldagen (Waffle Day), so don’t forget to get your waffle iron out and make some delicious heart-shaped våfflor (waffles).

Three types of Swedish style pickled herring on ice

This year Easter Sunday is on the last day of March, so if you are planning a Swedish style lunch don’t forget to order your herring. Traditionally, a choice three types are offered, but if you are only offering one, I recommend färgglad sill (colourful herring) as it looks good and has a pleasant 'kick' to it. It is easy to make, but it should be served on the same day as it is made, because otherwise it can be too strong.

Lamb roast

For a main course, the traditional options are chicken, lamb (vitlöksspäckad lammstek is shown above), or salmon. I particularly like kall inkokt kyckling med citron och rosmarin (cold poached chicken with lemon and rosemary) or a grön påsksallad med mjukkokta ägg (green Easter salad with softly boiled eggs) and some nice crusty bread. Of course, whatever you serve it must be accompanied by decorated hard boiled eggs!

A Swedish style cardboard Easter egg

Children in Sweden are normally are given cardboard Easter eggs filled with pick n mix (candy), but I must admit I do enjoy a slice of påskens chokladtårta (chocolate Easter cake), usually decorated with marzipan eggs - see the photo at the top of the page.

Whatever you end up cooking in March I hope you have fun and an enjoyable Easter.
Best wishes,

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John Duxbury, Found of SwedishFood.com
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John DuxburyThank you for visiting our site, set up to help English speakers around the world who would like to learn more about Swedish food.

All our recipes have been tried and tasted, include a clear summary, list ingredients in British and American units and include a photograph of the finished dish.

Happy cooking! John Duxbury

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Recipe sources

 A collection of Swedish recipe boooks

Most of the recipes on this site have been adapted from my collection of Swedish cookery books. Where a single source has been used that is acknowledged in the introduction, but in most cases I have fused together several recipes.

For all husmanskost recipes (traditional Swedish cuisine) I always start by consulting the Co-op's Vår Kokbok (Sweden's most popular cookery book) and Per Morberg's excellent Morberg lagar husmanskost.

I have a long list of traditional recipes that I want to add to the site once I have finished testing them. If there are any recipes that you would like me to prioritise please let me know!

Many of the modern Swedish recipes, especially the salads, have been adapted from Mat Magasinet (The Food Magazine) edited by Maud Onnermark. It is an excellent magazine that I look forward to reading each month. (Swedish readers can view an online version by clicking here.)

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Crispbread

Knäckebröd

Knäckebröd with fruit and cheese

Homemade knäckebröd (crispbread) is a real treats, perfect for breaking and sharing with friends.

Knäckebröd tied up with ribbon

Homemade knäckebröd also make a nice present either wrapped in paper, ideally greaseproof and a second decorative layer, tied with ribbon or wrapped in cellophane. More…

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Calendar 2024

Kalender 2024

Collage of popular dishes by month

For a 2024 Calendar which includes week numbers, röda dagar (public holidays), and Swedish namnsdagar (name-days) click here. Transfer important dates to your phone, diary or another calendar. (Alternatively, the calendar can be printed out on A4 paper and stapled together.)

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Our most popular recipes

Våra mest populära recept

The ten most popular recipes on SwedishFood.com during 2021

Great to see the stats on the use of SwedishFood.com during 2022. The readership came from all around the world with 40% from the USA, 18% from the UK and 13% from Sweden (mainly English speakers that have moved to Sweden). For the full list of our twenty most popular recipes click here.

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Swedish food has seven key distinctive features

Swedish food has a growing reputation across the world. For instance, Jamie Oliver described Swedish food as "Big, bold, brave and definitely up there with the best in the world". But what makes Swedish food distinctive? Check-out our guide…

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I am are gradually producing a Swedishfoodpedia. Essentially this is a series of articles about food related events in Sweden and Swedish ingredients, especially those that might not be familiar to most readers. The five most popular pages within our Swedishfoodpedia during 2020 were:
1. Fika (a sociable coffee break),
2. Julbord (Christmas buffet),
3. Quark - a type of curd cheese widely used in Swedish cooking,
4. Surströmming (fermented Baltic herring),
5. Hjortron (cloudberries).

Many other articles are in the pipeline, but if there is anything you would like to know more about please let me know. To read existing articles click here.

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