Section 4
The region of Scandinavia, or also referred to as Nordic which is the Scandinavian countries with the addition of Iceland , which consist of Sweden being the largest county, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. These four countries are in Northern Europe surrounding the Baltic and North Sea and suffer unbearably could winter conditions. The region is also incredibly diverse consisting of large quantities of coastal regions, flat plains and then a substantial amount of mountainous region. Therefore, the food throughout this area differs greatly depending on what type of area you are in. The people of this region pride themselves in several things; however, two of the most pronounced are their food and culture. This area was also home to the Vikings long ago.
The Costal area has been and will continue to be reliant on fish, oysters, muscles, squid or any other thing that they can harvest from the sea to meet their food needs. This is a significant portion of their daily diet in coastal regions and has been. However, with modernizations such as refrigeration seafood has become a moderate portion of the daily diet for those that live in the mountainous regions far from the coastal regions of the Baltic or North Sea.
Though they may have their subtle difference Christmas is a large festive holiday for all the countries of this area consisting of hearty meals and cultural festivities. The reasoning for such a large celebration in late December, which actually is not because it is Christmas but actually is based on regional celebration called Jul or Yule. ““Jul” or Yule, was celebrated long before Christianity came to Scandinavia. At that time it was an observation of the winter solstice, that from then on the days would become longer and darkness gradually recede. It was a celebration of light returning. The word “jul” or Yule means “the change” of “the feast of feasts”, with reference to midwinter reveries celebrated around new years” ("Scandinavian Christmas Traditions"). Jul is extremely important in Scandinavia because of how far north the area is located, being above the rest of Europe their nights are longer and darker, so this celebration is different than anything else you will find in Europe. Even though Christianity spread to Scandinavia and destroyed cultural events, like it did everywhere, they have managed to hold onto a little portion of the heritage (I know this is real because I celebrate it and this was instilled in me by my family) Christmas day is not what people of Scandinavian decent celebrate, if they still keep the faith, but it is Christmas Eve. In essence we still celebrate the night because this is more important to us than Christmas day and it can be seen in the gatherings. Children open Christmas gifts on this night, large dinners are held and everyone seems to come together.
Today Christmas dishes belong to the different countries; However, I see the main dishes that these countries have as Scandinavian because the boundaries for each of these areas have changed but they all go back to when it was Scandinavian territory. “In Norway: roast rib of pork with sauerkraut is served … boiled cod is served in the south, and lutefisk is served in the north. The specialty of the west is pinnekjøtt (stick meat), a dried, salted, and sometimes smoked rib of lamb … served with mashed turnips. Boiled potatoes accompany all the aforementioned dishes. In Sweden julskinka (Christmas ham) is obligatory, but it is only one of the dishes served at an expanded smörgåsbord. Swedes eat lutefisk and rice porridge during the Christmas period. … and a special hard Christmas bread that is a little softer than the crisp rye knäkkebröd”(Ember and Ember 566). Fish and meat are the main focus of these meals and it can be seen that there is some regional differences among this main item it is not that different. The accompanying items seem to be more diverse; however, this can be explained by taking into account the different climates of the regions, as well as the terrain that each country possesses to grow its crops.
Works Cited
Ember , Melvin , and Carol R. Ember. Countries and Their Cultures Volume 2. 3rd ed.
"Scandinavian Christmas Traditions." Scandinavian Christmas Traditions. 10 Mar 2009
Pictures Citation in order as they appear
http://www.wall-maps.com/Countries/scandanavia-over.htm
http://www.foodfromsweden.com/default.aspx?id=82&pageid=72
http://www.foodfromsweden.com/default.aspx?id=82&pageid=72
http://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/culture/lifestyle/food.html
http://www.scandinavianchristmastraditions.com/northernyule.html
Scandinavian Christmas Traditions
There was plenty of mead and plenty of food, indulging in a sort of magic of plenty. It was believed that it would ensure prosperity and plenty for the coming year. The “yule night” was loaded with supernatural powers when even the animals could speak. http://www.scandinavianchristmastraditions.com/
The
Take a look at the painting Julegilde (Christmas Feast) by Lars Jorde. The original painting hangs in
Something that got the name of one of the countries in this region out was a muppet. The chef in this cartoon show was Swedish and is famous for staying Swedish meatballs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY_Yf4zz-yo
A map of Scandinavian Region
Fish caught on the coastal regions are put into jars with spices and oils to flavor and preserve them.
A traditional ham that would be served during the yule celebration.
An example of a Swedish
Smorgasbord
Coming together of people to celebrate the yule celebration.
One of my best friends is Danish and she has made a crab toast for us and glogg (a Danish Christmas drink). I was also lucky enough to have a Swedish dietitian volunteer on my job, when she left we had a party and she made us pickled herring on wasa bread topped with sour cream. The texture was soft and squishy. Thank you for making me think about them!
ReplyDeleteI like your photos! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis past summer I spent an all to brief day and a half in Sweden this summer and absolutly loved it! especially the 22 hour days, so I can understand the importance of celebrating the winter solsitce when you are that close to the Arctic Circle. I didn't have the opportunity to try traditional Scandinavian food but I enjoyed reading about it.
ReplyDeleteMashed turips is something my family has made for a long time and I have never heard of any body else eating it. Our ancestors are not from this area but I thought it was neat that it was a food from there.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that like my project on Thailand, Scandinavia has many different regions where different foods are traditions to that area. I also thought it was cool how important Christmas was to their culture and how each region had specific Christmas customs.
ReplyDelete