Geographically, Sweden’s long expanse across various ecological terrains affords it peculiar diversity. Sweden’s landscape spans five latitudes, making their cuisine refreshing and unique. Natural explorers (think Norse mythology and Vikings), residents have traveled extensively to bring spices and ideas from abroad, especially dabbling in the Far East. The result is a natural union of Sweden’s fresh berries, seafood and pickled foods alongside global tastes of Africa, Asia. The famous smörgåsbord (literally, “bread and butter table”), is actually a buffet’ style table with many Swedish delicacies.
 

Therein lays a necessity of Swedish cooking: Berries. The same reason pickling is necessary–namely the cold climate forcing residents to preserve food–results in a plethora of berry choices. Swedish desserts are based on wild berries, cloudberries, lingo berries, blueberries and raspberries. Swedish food tends to be influenced by the seasons. The way it is spiced and cooked often reflects the storage needs of the peasant communities of old, as in the case of pickled herring, freshly salted or smoked meat, or dairy products that have been curdled, boiled or left to mature.
Several of Sweden’s traditional festivities are linked to the farming year – to spring tillage, to the hunting and fishing season or to harvest time. As noted above, however, their original significance may have been lost in the mists of time and replaced by some other import.