Grocery shopping
So, obviously, one finds different items in the grocery store here in Sweden than in the U.S. A full list of items that are, and are not, available in the two countries is too long for this light blog, but here are a number of items that my friends and I have noticed. We have limited our list to items that are impossible, or almost impossible, to find outside of specialty shops catering to immigrants.
Items not seen in Sweden:
Canned pumpkin and pumpkin flavored baked goods
Ground sage
Chocolate chips
Decaf coffee - worth drinking
Decaf black tea
Root beer
Blocks of cream cheese - although whipped / soft cream cheese is easily available
and found in many flavors
Raw/ uncooked crustaceans
Molasses
Pork/breakfast sausage
Cinnamon flavored gum
Peanut butter cups
Hersey's kisses
Corn meal
Grape jelly
Pierogi
Liquid vanilla flavoring
Non-organic peanut butter
Tapioca
Ranch dressing
100% corn tortilla shells
1/2 n 1/2
Pints, quarts, liters or whatever of real broth.
Pickles that are not sweet
Malt vinegar
(So now you know some of the items in American's luggage who are flying back to Sweden.)
The flip side:
I feel like I should apologize now to Swede's living abroad as these pictures may make you homesick. Sorry!
Items not in, or hard to find, in US, but typical in Sweden:
Salt licorice
Boxed (rather than canned) tomato products, beans etc. (which are great)
DILL ! Lots and lots of dill!
Dill potato chips. - terrific (and I don't really care about potato chips)
Caviar ($3-4 a small jar)
Cardamom, and cardamom flavored things (rolls, chocolate etcetera)
Warm-smoked salmon (served cold). -----Amazing!
Smorgas torta (think very nice, mellow tasting, heavy on the mayonnaise, party sandwich, in the shape of a torte.)
Flavored cheese in a squeeze tube. Flavors can be various seafoods, meats etc.
Various types of what American's call Wasa bread,
but Swede's call knäckebröd or "crispbread". Here it takes up an entire in the grocery store aisle and comes in many sizes, shapes and flavors. When I ask a Swede what they miss most when living abroad, the answer is typically knäckebröd or salt-licorice.
Salmon. Its just better here. (Although I have never lived in an area in the States where it is relatively local. So Salmon in the north-west is likely to be just as good, but I have only lived on the Great Lakes and the Gulf Coast, and salmon don't show up there.)
Kifer- plain or you pick your flavor
Many flavors of Hellman's mayonnaise
Many Knorr products
I am not totally sure I should include this item as I think it is German. And frankly, I don't love it, but it is a snack food that is similar to cheese puffs but are peanut flavored.
My favorite type of Swedish bread. It is solid and has a lot of varied seeds. I love it. The only bread I like better is a similar bread in Germany that is...just better somehow.
And, of course, a French baguette - in France - is pretty hard to beat - though I would take the rougher bread for daily consumption.
Elderflower beverages
Pear flavored : ice cream, candy, chocolate, beverages etcetera
This might be the most Swedish candy. They are OK. Not amazing, but one does tend to drop a few in one's mouth when there is an open bag around.
The candy, which are kinda like flavored tough marshmallows, are in the shape of cars.
The name, "Bilar", means cars. Under the name, it says,
"Sweden's most purchased car."
Matvete- think wheat berries (I never liked hot cereal because I could never get past the mucky texture, but matvete isn't mucky.)
Creme fraiche
And now that it is getting to be Christmas (Jul) time:
Julmust. A very popular seasonal cola drink. To me, it tastes like inexpensive, off-brand, kinda flat cola. But I am not Swedish. I was told that Coke sales go down in Sweden during Christmas time because of this beverage.
What can I say....
And finally:
Pepperkokor. A very gingery, very crisp gingersnap.
They are very nice alone - BUT -
Our first Christmas time here, we were at a friends and shared some glögg (mulled wine, warmed with whole blanched almonds and raisins)
and pepperkakor on which we spread blue cheese and fig jam.
Oh! My! Gosh!
