A Little Bit Of Sweden.

Are We In Sweden?

Glögg, St. Lucia's buns, Peppakakor (Peppakaka).

You all must be thinking what the heck am I talking about?? Well, have a sit.

We were invited to a small gathering at a neighbour's house last night for some Swedish Christmas appetisers. So up we go to their house. Our other neighbours were there too. I brought along some meatballs and eggrolls (I know it's not even Swedish related!).

Kiddos enjoyed swedish meatballs, hotdogs and french fries while the adults indulged in some Swedish Christmas cuisine. Glögg is a mulled wine which is usually made with red wine, sugar, spices such as cinnamon, cardomom, ginger, cloves and bitter orange and optionally also stronger spirits. Glögg is generally served with raisins, blanched almonds and ginger biscuits (Peppakaka), and is a popular hot drink during the Christmas season.



Karin's homemade Peppakakor.

We also had some delicious homemade St Lucia's buns. A little info-->St. Lucia's Day, recognized throughout Scandinavia, is celebrated on December 13. According to legend, Lucia died a martyr's death and was later made a saint. Especially in Sweden, where it's a national celebration, towns celebrate with traditional ceremonies: St. Lucia symbolizes the promise of the sun's return to bring Sweden from its wintry darkness.

The key figure in any celebration, St. Lucia, dresses in a white gown and wears a crown of candles on her head — sometimes the candles are real, sometimes battery-operated (for safety's sake). For celebrations at home, a young girl in the family will dress as St. Lucia and present her parents with breakfast in bed. That breakfast tray usually includes a pot of tea, milk, and bright-gold St. Lucia Buns. These traditional buns are made with saffron are also known as Lussekatt.


At the end of the night, kids were happy with their new toys that I brought them and adults are happy with belly full of Swedish food and learning all about the Swedish customs and traditions.