Today is a very important day in Sweden and it's all thanks to mispronunciation

[Celerity]

https://www.thelocal.se/20140325/waffling-on-a-tradition-of-mispronunciation

Swedes tuck into waffles on March 25th in celebration of national Waffle Day (Våffeldagen), but did you know that the whole tradition is the result of a mispronunciation?



March 25th marks Våffeldagen in Sweden, where people celebrate by enjoying a waffle in all its crispy glory. In Sweden, the waffles are often enjoyed with cream and jam of the blueberry or raspberry variety. Sometimes Swedes prefer to eat the berries on top without any jam at all.

But we're waffling on.

The interesting thing is that the March 25th wasn't always known as Waffle Day in Sweden – in fact it had a much holier subtext before. Instead of Våffeldagen, the day was known as "Vårfrudagen" (Our Lady Day), a celebration of the Virgin Mary's conception. The Swedish name Vårfrudagen sounds so similar to Våffeldagen (especially if you have a mouthful of waffle) that Swedes went with it.

The Swedes are a nation of sweet-tooths when it comes to national days for baked goods. In February, it's semla day where the entire country goes bananas for massive creamy buns. October hosts another manic bun day in honour of the cinnamon bun.

snip

Recipe: How to make traditional Swedish waffles on Waffle Day

https://www.thelocal.se/20180323/how-to-make-traditional-swedish-waffles



ps

semlor are crazy jummi!!!!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. That recipe lacks cardamom. You've got to have cardamom!

[Celerity]

2. great catch, and I was all stuck on semlor (I am a fiend, lol) , which DEFFO have cardamom

just add 1 teaspoon of cardamom to that recipe

[Frustratedlady]

3. Thank you for the recipe and the site.

My father was Swedish and I'm in the process of tracking the family history. I have a Swedish cookbook that my mother used so much, it is in pieces, and enjoy some I remember from my childhood.

I want to try the waffles, but will have to use my Belgium waffle iron.

My aunt never served sweets, but she always had bread or crackers to eat with canned salmon/vinegar with her incredible coffee. That was the only time I ever got to drink coffee, so it was a treat. My father would pour some of his coffee onto a saucer and then pour it back in the cup. Must have been to cool it off?

[Celerity]

4. do not forget the teaspoon of cardamom! lol

Long ago, most people in Sweden actually drank kaffe from a saucer, at least until the rest cooled off.

Also, in the far north, Norrbotten mostly, the workers and older people put meat (beef, älg (Swedish moose), pork, renstek ie. reindeer), etc, and its juices into their morning kaffe for their frukost (breakfast.)

that is a pass for me, lolol

[Frustratedlady]

5. Oh, my. Good thing I'm half Swedish, as I couldn't handle that one.

How to ruin a good cuppa.

Well, my father is off the hook, then. I thought it was his own invention.

[Celerity]

6. meat in kaffe is FAR from the worst thing in terms of some food here, lol

So much is jummmmi, but some of it is just hideous

surströmming (sour herring)

tinned, fermented Baltic herring

probably the worst smelling food on the planet

it is FOUL

they eat it wrong here, but you get the point

NEVER, EVER, EVER, btw, open it indoors

oh no no no

here is how it should look when you eat it





Surströmming: What you need to know before trying fermented herring

https://www.thelocal.se/20170816/surstrmming-what-you-need-to-know-before-trying-swedens-fermented-herring

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. The very worst Scandinavian food I've ever heard of is from Iceland:

Kæstur hákarl - fermented shark, which is said to taste like a combination of urine and rancid cheese. Even Anthony Bourdain, who would eat anything, said it was the most disgusting food he'd ever tried.

[Celerity]

9. I can top that, and it isn't even close, lolol. Kiviaq from Greenland. 100's of dead birds stuffed

into seals and buried for months to ferment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiviak


Kiviak or kiviaq is a traditional wintertime Inuit food from Greenland that is made of little auks (Alle alle) fermented in a seal skin.

Up to 500 whole auks are packed into the seal skin, beaks and feathers included. As much air as possible is removed from the seal skin before it is sewn up and sealed with seal fat, which repels flies. It is then hidden in a heap of stones, with a large rock placed on top to keep the air out. Over the course of three months, the birds ferment, and are then eaten during the arctic winter, particularly on birthdays and weddings.

This Inuit Delicacy Is the Turducken from Hell

https://gizmodo.com/this-inuit-delicacy-is-the-turducken-from-hell-5885202

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. Yum.

and and some more!

[Frustratedlady]

15. You've got to be kidding. Feathers, and all?

I was surprised that my DNA included Iceland. I scoffed at that, but some of these foods sound like they could have come from there. I don't know why...probably because of the fish base, auks and lack of vegetables or fruits. My relatives probably starved to death if they lived on a diet like this. Delicacy?

[Celerity]

17. well it is a food of the Inuit of Greenland, so not Icelandic DNA at all, which is all Nordic/Gaelic

vs

[Frustratedlady]

18. My mistake. Sorry.

[Celerity]

20. no mistake at all!

[Frustratedlady]

8. I've never heard of that one and probably can live out my life avoiding it.

Worse than Lutefisk?

I grew up next to a small Swedish town that had their Smorgasbord over several weeks. Unfortunately, I never attended. My bad.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. Lutefisk is just garden-variety bad.

I am told that if it's prepared correctly it's pretty good but I won't touch it and neither would anybody else on the Norwegian side of my family. It's a big deal for Christmas church suppers, but ick. Kæstur hákarl is a whole 'nother level of awful, though.

[Frustratedlady]

12. The lye stopped me...

[Celerity]

21. lye is the new Trump cure for the 'VID

[MrsMatt]

23. Lutfisk

or Lutefisk (Norwegian spelling) is certainly an acquired taste.

I love it with white sauce. Baked, never boiled.

[Celerity]

11. lutefisk (mostly Norwegian but it is eaten here) is weak sauce compared to

surströmming. But those pale in comparison to kiviaq from Greenland, close to, if not the worst food on the planet.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181336343#post9

[central scrutinizer]

14. My recipe

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Sift all the dry ingredients together
Beat 4 egg yolks together with two cups of yogurt
Combine dry and wet ingredients with a few swift strokes
Beat 4 egg whites until stiff, then fold into the batter
Cook in waffle iron.

I have an ancient round cast iron waffle iron that sits above a burner on my gas stove. I’ll have to add some cardamom next time I make them.

[Frustratedlady]

16. I love buckwheat pancakes!

Thanks for the recipe. Sounds healthy.

[central scrutinizer]

19. It was adapted from Joy of Cooking

“Sour cream waffle” recipe.

[Celerity]

22. +1

sounds great!!

[lindysalsagal]

24. Those are scones. But, ok. You're still making me cry. STOPPIT!!!