Fredrika Ornbrant, Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai hosted a Swedish food showcase, aimed at creating awareness about the rich and diverse culinary heritage of Sweden. Held at her residence in Mumbai, the menu featured salmon with flatbread as an appetizer followed by Janssons Temptation as main course and Apple Crumble with Vanilla Custard for dessert.
Attended by a select number of food writers and bloggers, guests got the opportunity to sample authentic Swedish cuisine as well as view a live demonstration of the food prepared by Ornbrant. Inspiration for the menu was taken from fresh seasonal ingredients that are readily available in Sweden and cooked from Ornbrant’s treasured family recipes.
Commenting on the diverse range of Swedish culinary offerings, Ornbrant said: “Today Swedish food has become immensely popular internationally. In essence, the cuisine is centered around cultured dairy products, crisp and soft breads, berries and stone fruits, beef, pork and seafood. Potatoes are often served as a side dish, often boiled. Swedish cuisine has a huge variety of breads of different shapes and sizes. Swedes have traditionally been very open to foreign influences, ranging from French cuisine during the 17th and 18th century, to the sushi and cafe latte of today. And as the Swedish food scene grows, I am pleased to be able to bring a taste of Sweden to Mumbai and showcase some of our greatest Swedish culinary offerings.”
Popular dishes include salmon with flatbread, Janssons Temptation, and apple crumble with vanilla custard.
Swedish chefs are rediscovering classic Swedish dishes and local seasonal ingredients, and giving them a modern twist. Through top-class cooking and innovative use of raw materials, they have won global recognition, taking home gold medals at the culinary Olympic Games, as well as several medals at the unofficial world championship called Bocuse d’Or. And with gourmet restaurants opening their doors all over the country, Sweden has turned into one of the haute-cuisine hot spots in Europe. In recent years there has been a boom in top-class restaurants in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, but also in smaller towns and the countryside.
In Sweden, attention is always paid to animal health and welfare, far beyond European standards. The country is proficient in organic cultivation, and environmental thinking covers food production in cultivated and wild areas as well as the ocean.
