Are you familiar with Nordic cuisine? It's influenced by a rigorous climate, short seasons and a generous but demanding nature. Salting, smoking, marinating and fermenting play essential roles in preserving food after a short summer.
Similarly, wild, unprocessed ingredients take pride of place in our preparations: cold-water fish, game, berries, roots and rustic cereals. Simplicity dominates, often sublimated by subtle alliances between acidity, sweetness, herbs and varied textures.
The countries of Northern Europe are located in the northern part of the continent: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland andIceland. To these can be added the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Northern European cuisine is characterized by its apparent simplicity, rustic sobriety and deep connection to nature. Seafood reigns supreme: marinated herring, smoked or gravlaxed salmon, dried cod(stockfisk or lutefisk), eels, Nordic shrimp... Fish is everywhere. But meats are not to be outdone, especially game meats, often braised, smoked or served in dumplings like the famous Swedish köttbullar, topped with a cream sauce and accompanied by lingonberries.
Rustic cereals (rye, oats, barley) are used in breads and porridges. Knäckebröd (Swedish crispbread) and Finnish rye pancakes are typical examples. There's also a wide variety of root vegetables such as potatoes, rutabaga, red cabbage and beet.
On the sweet side, wild berries take pride of place: lingonberries, blueberries and redcurrants adorn savoury dishes, desserts, jams and syrups. Rømmegrøt (a Norwegian sour cream-based porridge) and spiced sweet breads such as kanelbullar ( cinnamon buns) illustrate the taste for Nordic comfort.
Fermented or lacto-fermented products are also widely consumed, such as Swedish surströmming (the famous fermented herring) or Icelandic skyr yoghurt, which has a texture similar to cottage cheese. Drinks follow the same rustic logic - aquavit, local beers and ciders often complement meals.
In Lithuania, the national dish, cepelinai (or zeppelin), is a huge potato dumpling stuffed with meat, topped with sour cream and bacon. You can also enjoy kugelis, a kind of potato gratin with eggs and bacon. In summer, the cold beet soup šaltibarščiai is a must, with its bright pink hue, hard-boiled eggs and fermented milk.
In Latvia, peas in lard are emblematic, as are sklandrausis, a peasant rye pastry tartlet topped with mashed potatoes and carrots flavored with cumin. Finally, in Estonia, mulgikapsad is a traditional stew of fermented cabbage and pearl barley, often accompanied by pork, while pelmeenid, cousins of Russian ravioli, are eaten in broth or cream, stuffed with meat or mushrooms.
Want to discover Nordic cuisine in Paris? Here are the best addresses!
Café Maa: Finnish gastronomy in the heart of Paris
Have you heard of Café Maa? Nestled on the ground floor of the Finnish Institute, in the heart of Paris's 5th arrondissement, this ultra-gourmet and friendly spot showcases Finnish cuisine with traditional Nordic recipes. [Read more]
The FIKA Café at the Swedish Institute
Fika is the name of the café that has opened its doors at the Institut Suédois. In the cobbled courtyard of this free cultural site, which puts Sweden in the spotlight, we discover a welcoming, bright coffee shop with a terrace, serving up some lovely Swedish specialities. Pre-opening this summer, the café is now back in business, officially opening and unveiling its delicacies. [Read more]
Flora Danica: a Danish interlude on the Champs-Elysées
Enjoy a 100% Nordic experience at Flora Danica, the brasserie at the House of Denmark. The restaurant is reopening its terrace on the most beautiful avenue in the world on June 2, 2020. [Read more]
Find the location of all these addresses by clicking on the map at the bottom of the article.
Central, Eastern European and Balkan restaurants, our best addresses
Austria, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia... Head for the Central European, Eastern European and Balkan restaurants of Paris to discover specialities rarely tasted elsewhere. [Read more]
Central, Eastern European and Balkan restaurants, our best addresses
