folk • smak: the people’s taste Welcome to folksmak where we write about all things Scandinavian and Scandi-American! You can also expect a sprinkling of German and other Northern-European influences. We’re really interested in Scandinavian and Northern-European food, traditions, and cultural influences that manifest in the United States and hope we can share them!
Äppelkaka (Apple Cake) is a classic Swedish bake that’s popular throughout the year—although we especially love it in the fall! This cake is a lot like an American coffee cake but without so much sugar and much more apple flavoring. It’s so delicious and the perfect cake to share with friends or family over a [...]
In our last post, we highlighted how pervasive fermented foods are in Nordic culture and spotlighted Holly Davis' book Ferment as well as her instagram account @hollydaviswholefood. We'd love to share one more recipe from her book that is absolutely essential to any lover of Nordic food: pickled beets! If you've ever had the pleasure [...]
Fermentation is a key facet of Nordic food. From pickled herring to filmjölk to pickled beets, fermented foods feature frequently in the daily cuisine of Scandinavian countries. We first got turned on to fermentation and its many virtues from Holly Davis' book Ferment which is published by Chronicle Books. In this book, Holly offers an [...]
We bought some wonderfully tasty peaches at the Lawrence Farmers' Market last weekend—it is stone-fruit season after all—and had to think of a good use for all of them. They would be delicious just eaten plain or with vanilla ice cream, but that would be too easy. So, here’s my recipe for a peach-amaretto frangipane [...]
On Chad's first trip to Sweden, the first meal that Emma's family made for him was Swedish pancakes (pannkakor) and pea soup (ärtsoppa), but the second meal I had was pyttipanna. Pyttipanna translates loosely as "shit in a pan" or simply "hash." Writ large, this dish is simply a combination of whatever leftovers you might [...]
This chokladkaka (chocolate cake) is absolutely to die for! It's incredible with just the right amount of vaniljsocker (vanilla sugar) to make it interesting. Chokladkaka is a Swedish classic and is a common treat for fika. I baked this one in particular for my godmother's birthday. Since she loves chocolate, this was definitely the right [...]
Just what are bierocks anyway? Let's find out.
