As if counting calories wasn't enough for one's plate, considerate Swedish eaters are now encouraged to monitor the carbon dioxide emissions created by their food consumption.
Taking steps to suppress global warming, new food labels on restaurant menus and grocery products in Sweden indicate the carbon dioxide emissions involved in the food's creation, from fast-food burgers to fresh produce, the New York Times reports. Similar to the nutritional information listed on packaging, the carbon footprint of a product is listed as follows: "Climate declared: ___ kg CO2 per kg of product."
A 2005 national study in Sweden -- leaders in the quest to reduce one's carbon footprint -- determined that 25 percent of the country's carbon emissions was traced to food production and eating, according to the Times. Experts believe that strictly abiding by these new guidelines could reduce their culinary carbon footprint by as much as 25 to 50 percent.
We've already acknowledged our obsession with IKEA glassware. Now over at The Kitchn (the design arm of Apartment Therapy) they are waxing poetic about the design of Ikea's new spring kitchen accessories from the stylie triple-threat servingware above (TROLSK) to some "cake doilies" called -- no joke -- DRÖMMAR. Um, are we the only ones who think that maybe sometimes the Swedes just make this stuff up to trick us? Like, they just started putting Elven lingo in these catalogs years ago and are waiting to see if we'll catch on?
Anyways. Check out the 15 items The Kitchn has their collective, design-nerdy eye on. They're as curious as we are to see which ones stand up in the kitchen (report back if you've tried one!), and none of the featured items will cause you to shell out more than a ten-spot.
Well, it seemed like we may as well get the obvious punchline over with right at the beginning. Mocha, a UK company with a eccentric home gadget line--specializing in items like Swarovski crystal egg crackers and mugs with built-in cookie holders--now offers these tres barbarique drink coolers. The Nordic Rock stone ice cubes are genuine chunks of "pollution-free base rock" mined in Sweden--who else would invent this but some kind of Viking?
Just pop the Nordic Rocks (in their charming leather pouch) into your freezer (or igloo) for an hour, then drop two or three into your cocktail. On the practical end, they help conserve water and prevent your precious booze from being diluted. Impractically, you get to walk around drinking from a glass full of rocks--whether you use the opportunity to play practical jokes or share your best Hagar the Horrible/Kirk Douglas in The Vikings impersonation is up to you.
As part of a project about cats, a teacher in Alingsås, Sweden gave her students cat food to try. According a Swedish new site (in English), this was not the first time this teacher had fed cat food to her charges. This time, though, one of the parents complained and the teacher was reprimanded.
I absolutely cannot imagine this happening in the U.S. Of course, I can't really imagine it in Sweden either. I personally don't think it's wrong to try pet food (as long as it wasn't made in China). I can see, though, where other people might.
I wonder what other experiments this teacher has tried out on the kids?
Spaghetti is one of the trickier things to portion properly. It never looks like enough before it is cooked and is almost invariably more than you could, or should, eat at one sitting. A Swedish design company, Superdupia, has come up with a very creative way to get the proper portion sizes. Their Spaghetti Book is spiral-bound, made of plastic and full of holes. Each of the holes is measured to fit a specific amount of dry spaghetti (1 serving, 2 servings, etc), making it easy to get just the right amount every time you cook. It might also have some appeal for parents with small children, who can help "cook" by measuring out the pasta using the fun shapes.
In addition to the ceremony, there is a huge banquet - and we always look forward to hearing about what was served. This year, the three-course menu included a mosaic of salmon and scallops with Kalix bleak roe; herb-baked saddle of lamb, mashed potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes, olive oil-glazed vegetables and port wine sauce; and pineapple parfait with caramelized pineapple salad and mint. The wines served included Pommery Grand Cru Vintage 1996 Champagne, Veenwouden Classic 2002 Paarl and Château Haut-Bergeron 2003 Sauternes.
A few months ago, I posted about the debate that several vodka producing countries are having over what should and shouldn't be called vodka. An article in today's New York Times picks up the story. Basically, certain countries, including Finland, Sweden and Poland, contend that for something to be called vodka, it must be distilled from either potatoes or certain grains, not from things like grapes or maple syrup. These countries are seeking labeling restrictions for these "non-traditional" vodkas. BBC News reported that such restrictions could affect up to two thirds of all the vodka currently produced in non-Baltic EU countries. The NYT article also points out that vodka's history and original ingredients are up for debate, citing possible Russian, Polish, Italian and Arabian origins that may have included plums, apples or grapes.
Come on. Admit it. You don't need a single piece of furniture, and you certainly don't want to spend the time putting together a bookshelf when you've got to get dinner on the table. But sometimes, you just want to go scurry through the maze of perfect little made-up rooms at IKEA to get the prize at the end: Swedish meatballs.
Jan Kjellman, CEO of IKEA Food Services says that "prices will follow the IKEA spirit of cheap goods for everyone." A jar of herring will sell for just $1.
While one would expect that diamonds are a big draw for thieves, wines seem like a much less likely target. Luxist reports that one of the top restaurants in Sweden had its entire collection of French Bordeaux wines stolen - over 600 bottles of wine. The reason that this particular collection is so significant is that it holds the Guinness World Record for the most unique wine collection in the world. It included bottles from the six Grand Cru vineyards: Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut Brion, Chateau d'Yquem and Chateau Latour. All totaled, the value of the stolen bottles is around $500,000.
It seems likely that the bottles will be resold gradually over time and because a bottle of Mouton Rothschild is probably more difficult to track than diamonds are, the restaurant may not be able to recover its collection.
It is a cookbook from Sweden chock full of recipes for seals - the animal. According to the author, Susanne Jonsson, "Seal tastes wild and of course it is nutritious," but its meat is not readily available in shops.
In addition to Jonsson, Åke Granström, who is from the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management is the project leader for the book, and 12 different chefs have contributed recipes to the book. I wonder if Kaz Yamamoto was a contributor.
The book is published in Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian. Not sure if there will ever be an English version, though.
Much like the recent battle over what can and can't be called feta cheese, several European countries are trying to restrict what can be called vodka. Finland, Poland and Sweden feel that only spirits distilled from certain grains and potatoes have the right to be called vodka, the Associated Press reported. The countries are opposed to products like Cîroc, distilled from grapes, being called vodka because they fear it will dilute the definition of their traditional versions. Others say it's simply a marketing tactic, designed to limit the number of new entrants into the vodka market.
You might not get through airport security with a pair of tweezers (I didn't), and if you're
carrying fermented fish, you won't make your flight either.
According to an article over at BBC, Swedish fermented
herring known as surstromming has been banned from major
airlines like British Airways and Air France. Even though the fish, fermented in barrels for months reportedly smells
like rotting garbage, it's not the odor that offends. Airlines are saying that the cans in which the fish are stored
are pressurized, which classifies them as explosives.
Good thing it wasn't the stink, or how else would I carry my little jar of kimchee with me when I travel?!?
I'm one of those Martha Stewart types who dives into holiday dinner planning feet-first. When I first started making
Swedish Christmas dinner two years ago, I researched on the true holiday traditions so I could recreate the experience
as closely as possible.
The first thing I discovered was that Swedes eat a very simple and humble dinner on Christmas Eve, the night of
the true celebration - the presents are all opened on Christmas Eve, and that's when Father Christmas or the more
authentic Jule nissen, or Christmas gnome (think an elf complete with little green overalls, but a bit bigger), comes
with the gifts. On the menu: porridge, or rice pudding, and lutfisk. That's usually the extent of it - the big
smorgasbörd (literally) comes after church on Christmas Day.
Well, it seemed like we may as well get the obvious punchline over with right at the beginning. 
As part of a project about cats, a teacher in 
Spaghetti is one of the trickier things to portion properly. It never looks like enough before it is cooked and is almost invariably more than you could, or should, eat at one sitting. A Swedish design company, Superdupia, has come up with a very creative way to get the proper portion sizes. Their 
A few months ago, I 
Come on. Admit it. You don't need a single piece of furniture, and you certainly don't want to spend the time putting together a bookshelf when you've got to get dinner on the table. But sometimes, you just want to go scurry through the maze of perfect little made-up rooms at 
While one would expect that 
No, it's not a cookbook from 
Much like the recent 
You might not get through airport security with a pair of tweezers (I didn't), and if you're
carrying fermented fish, you won't make your flight either.
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