Unfortunately, this is NOT a post on Taste of Scandinavia (we’ll try it in the upcoming weeks!). Instead, it’s on the Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberries. Matt LOVES Swedish meatballs. He enjoys cooking them at home. Heck, I can get him into Ikea WITHOUT them having “Manland” as long as we stop into the café! Needless to say, he’s been looking forward to the Swedish Meatballs at the Scandinavia kiosk for quite some time.
Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberries, Scandinavia 2011, $3.50
When I first saw the dish, I was hoping for more than what appeared to be lingonberry jam. The name led me to anticipate a texture more like a homemade cranberry sauce. The gravy was a bit darker than anticipated as well. Looking at the meatballs was only going to prove so much. It was time to taste!
I cut one of the meatballs in half, and they were very tender. They looked fantastic. We both took a bite and immediately realized that these were NOT Swedish meatballs. They tasted quite good, but they didn’t have any of the allspice or nutmeg associated with them. The gravy didn’t have the creaminess it should. The lingonberries, while tart, tasted just like cranberry sauce. In fact, I immediately said to Matt, “This tastes like Thanksgiving.” It really did. Without the Swedish meatball seasonings and creamy gravy, it fell flat. While as a whole the dish tasted quite good, they simply weren’t Swedish meatballs. I would recommend them as they are very tasty, but I wouldn’t suggest trying them as a first time Swedish meatball experience.
Exactly right! They did taste like Thanksgiving. I’ve never tasted Swedish meatballs before, so I didn’t know what to expect. Sure, they were good, but I guess not authentic at all. Thanks for letting us less-educated know about this!
I’d better hit up Ikea then for a true taste
I guess the best description of a Swedish meatball, to me, would be a meatball with pumpkin pie spices. If you like that, you’ll love Swedish meatballs! Plus the gravy is a creamy sauce; not so much a brown gravy. Ikea’s are much more authentic than the Scandinavia kiosk!