Exploring Scandinavia

Gooseberries are indigenous to northern Europe and northern Asia and thrive in the cool climate and rainfall of the north. In fact, hot summers and milder climates are no good for gooseberries. Learn more about Scandinavian gooseberries here.

It is very difficult to buy fresh gooseberries in Scandinavia, so people generally have to grow their own if they wish to have a supply. The reward is one of the most delicious fruits you can grow this far north.

How it grows

Gooseberries are low-maintenance fruit; they grow happily in semi-shade, but they detest fertilizing. They might grow more, but there is an instant pay-off as the fast growth attracts gooseberry mildew, a true killer. You also have to beware of caterpillars that can strip your bush to the bone in an instant. Apart from these threats, gooseberry cultivation is easy. The picking, however, is less so.

The article continues below the image. You might also be interested in learning about Scandinavians and Strawberries. Just click the image below.

Appearance and taste

The bush is covered with nasty thorns, the berries themselves are softly hairy and, on top of this, perfectionist housewives have a dogma about the virtues of topping and tailing them before eating, all of which may help to explain why gooseberries have fallen so massively out of favor. What a shame is it that children no longer know the joy of crushing a sun-warm gooseberry against the teeth, the sweet jelly exploding in sensations of exotic fruit, awakening their tasty buds. There are many cultivars, all starting out green, but ripening to whitish, yellow, green or red according to variety; old cultivars tend to be sweeter and with more taste.

Health benefits

Gooseberries contain vitamin A, B and C.

The article continues below the image. You can learn more about Scandinavian berries by clicking the image.

Culinary uses

Gooseberries are often used to make compote and jam, while they are green and unripe and the pectin level is high, but the crisp, ripe berries filled like chocolates with a fragrant, musky jelly are the real treat. Young, green gooseberries are lovely simply softened in a pan to make compote with a minimum of water, then sweetened to take away the tartness and finished with a knob of butter. Ripe berries will need to add lemon juice at the end of the cooking time to make it set.

The amount of sugar used and the cooking time are the only difference between sauce, compote and jam. Whichever you are making, always add the sugar after the berries have burst, otherwise they will float like punctured tennis balls in the syrup and never tenderize. On the other hand, gooseberries should not be cooked to a mush – a certain amount of structure is good in any gooseberry preparation. Don’t bother to top and tail gooseberries, as you will go mad doing it; they will be nice and tender after cooking.

Gooseberry and Elderflowe jam

We will cover elderflower in an up-coming article later. However, the blooming of the elderflower coincides perfectly with the appearance of the first green gooseberries. They are a match made in heaven.

1 kg unripe gooseberries
800g sugar
10 elderflower heads
200ml elderflower, picked off the stalks.

Put the washed gooseberries into a shallow, non-corrosive pan, then cover the bottom of the pan with 2mm water. Put the lid on and bring to the boil. Let the berries bubble gently until they burst, then take care that the fruit don’t burn before they have released their juices.

Add the sugar and the elderflower heads, which you should tie together with string, with most of the green stalk removed. Let the fruit boil vigorously for 5 minutes until most of the liquid has gone and the mixture looks jammy. Taste, and add more sugar if necessary. Remove and discard the bunch of elderflowers.

Stir in the little white elderflowers (without stalks) after you have removed the jam from the heat. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

Scandinavian gooseberry, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): © Pixabay

In countries like Sweden, around 65% of people with electric grills prefer outdoor grills, with garden parties and outdoor lunches holding sway when the weather permits. Far from belong limited to the summer, barbecues are celebrated on warm days in Autumn, and indeed, many would say that this season in Scandinavia is one of the most flavorful of the year. Just now, Scandinavians are celebrating the flavors of autumn with a Scandinavian barbecue.

The air grows crisper, the temperature drops, and comfort foods abound. Of the many cooking styles that appear in the fall, barbecue, grilled, and smoked foods appeal, owing to the wonderful warm sensations they bring and the myriad of delicious sauces and sides that make for a perfect meal. Below are just a few ways in which you can give your barbecue meals a distinctly Scandinavian flavor this autumn.

Choosing Your Grill

Most Scandinavians have their own home-cooked barbecue set-up, but if you are in Scandinavia for a visit or you don’t want to invest in a home grill, you may be tempted to buy an engångsgrill (or one-time grill), which you can find at typical convenience and grocery stores. These are disposable aluminum pans that people use on beaches and in parks. They are cheap and easy to use, but the downside is their environmental footprint.

Titti Qvarnström, the head chef of Malmö’s renowned Bloom in the Park, recommends simply digging a hole in sand, topping the hole with a mesh grill, piling on some charcoal, burning it, and using an aluminium container as a pot to cook freshly caught fish. Keep your grilling experience safe by avoiding the use of accelerants, preheating your grill (so your meat does not bond to the metal), and making sure to marinade meat beforehand. Doing so creates a protective barrier on meat and helps stop heterocyclic amines (HCAs) from forming on meat.

By clicking the image below you can learn about a Swedish BBQ revolution.

 Top Choices for Grilled Meat

At a typical barbecue or grill party in Sweden in the Autumn, you can expect to find a host of different meat types—including korv (sausages), shellfish, salmon, veal liver, and lamb. Game is also big in the autumn in many Scandinavian countries. For instance, in Norway, traditional barbecued dishes can include reindeer (served with game sauce), whale steaks, and mutton chops. Marinades are not as sweet as traditional sweet barbecue sauces in the US. A simple but well-loved recipes involves marinading meat in a blend of vegetable oil, beer, soy sauce, garlic gloves, onion, and smashed whole black pepper. Feel free to add a little jalapeño chili if you like things spicy!

To learn more about how to serve Norwegian fish at your outdoor barbeque, just click the image below.

Fruit and Vegetable Sides

Scandinavians also enjoy celebrating seasonal fruits during their barbecue bashes. Skewer up your favorite autumn fruits—including apples, pears, and strawberries. Of course, vegetables make the perfect sides so instead of serving mash or fries, boost the antioxidant goodness of your meal with root vegetables like squash, carrots, and parsnips. These ingredients can also form part of a warm soup or sautéed dish to accompany your grilled meats. Swedish yellow pea soup will warm your guests up while they are waiting for meat to grill, while a lovely Vitkål sallader (featuring cabbage tossed in a warm vinaigrette) will be perfect once your meat dishes have been served. Don’t forget to bring corn-on-the-cob. It’s a staple at most Scandinavian barbecues, as are cherry tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms, and onions. If you love umami flavors, opt for chanterelle or porcini mushrooms. Pop them directly on the grill or in your favorite side soup.

Fruit-Based Sauces

A myriad of berries grows in Scandinavia in the autumn, and just a few you can use to make beautiful sauces to accompany your grilled meat and vegetable fests include lingonberries, bilberries, and elderberries. It is easy to make lingonberry sauce (a firm favorite) and you can do so in advance, reducing the amount of work you have on the day of your barbecue party. Simply place around 4 cups of clean berries in a pan with ½ cup of water and heat to boiling point. Add 1 cup of sugar and simmer for around 10 minutes, stirring the mixture. Finally, place the pan in cold water and stir the sauce for around 2 minutes. Refrigerate the sauce and serve it cold with your grilled fare.

Scandinavians love a good barbecue, and they don’t let the coolness of autumn stop them from enjoying an outdoor get-together. To prepare a barbecue in the winter, aim to combine your favorite meat dishes with seasonal fruits and vegetables. Make sure to follow traditional recipes for delicious starters and sides, ranging from warm soup to delightfully fruity sauces.

Celebrating the Flavors of Autumn With a Scandinavian Barbecue, written dedicatedly for Daily Scandinavian by Karoline Gore. Karoline is a freelance writer from Stoke on Trent in the UK who left the corporate grind when she started a family and has never looked back. She enjoys contributing to a range of online publications on the topics that are important to her.

Feature image (on top): © Joshua Kantarges/Unsplash