Suggestions for a Swedish Christmas Eve Dinner

Something on the order of Carlsberg beer sounds to be ideal. To the best of my knowledge, the Swedish climate is not conducive to the production of wine. Why swim uphill?

Cheers,

Godzilla

Hi Carl, What! No Swedish meatballs? :-) I would second Godzilla's suggestion on the beer, but also, some aquavit with the lutefisk and maybe some sparkling wine or Champagne to top it off.

Skol, Dick R.

In fact, any combination of "traditional" Swedish food with wine is a chore and no mistake, due to the all too frequent combination of sweet and sour in the taste palette. While the traditional, as the honored members have suggested, would be lager beer (or possibly something a bit darker and sweeter) with perhaps a drop of aquavit, you might consider a white with a bit of taste, but little sweetness, with the lutfisk, or, even, a rosé from Tavel or Bandol. Swedish mustard is traditionally very sweet and acidic - not a good combination with wine! But the prinskorv could do with a bouncy Shiraz quaffer, nothing great, don´t use loads of money on it ... The sylta, if not too acidic, might even go with a low-endian white burg with little, or no, oak. (hint: think jambon persillé).

However, a good first step to the match would be to eschew the lutfisk ... (brrrrrr!)

HTH

Nils GUstaf

Hi Nils, Both of my parents were born in Sweden and I was exposed to lutfisk every Christmas during my formative years. I must admit I've never tasted it, but if I ever do, I'll have a BIG glass of aquavit ready to wash it down. :-)

Skol, Dick R. in the USA

A word of warning: It is not easy to get lutfisk right. Instead of firm white flesh of fish enhanced with the bechamel-like sauce, you may end up with a revolting shivering jellylike mess which no amount of aquavit can save (like my wife did the last time she ever tried... :-)

The sausage and the terrine would be accompanied with beer, strong dark sweet is traditional, and Norwegian aquavit (I've to admit that that is better than Swedish aquavit...!:-)

The rice and lingonberries can't be matched with any drink I feel. hth Anders

"Anders Tørneskog" skrev i meddelandet news:NEHxd.7580$ snipped-for-privacy@juliett.dax.net...

Hello; No you´re right Anders, particularly the lingonberries which are both sweet, acid, and _bitter_ will kill any vineous beverage known to man. But I have never heard of serving lingonberries with creamed rice. In my childhood, the rice was served with powdered cinnamom and milk on Xmas Eve, and mixed with whipped cream and canned manadarins, with a sauce of black currant syrup, on Xmas Day as "ris a la Malta". WOnder what they think about that in Valetta? As for lutfisk, we discussed that last year didn´t we? Personally, I use fresh cod, marinated in a mild solution of salt and a little sugar, then bake it in the oven at low temeprature to an inner temperature of about 50 (centigrade). You are of course also correct in that most Xmas beers in these parts are dark, and slightly sweet. As for Norwegian aquavit being superior to Swedish, weeeerll, self mostly drinks Danish ... no, I withdraw that - self very rarely drinks aquavit, but when I do, it tends to be Danish. But I have heard good things said about Linie Aqvavite (particulary well into the third glass).

Cheers!

Nils Gustaf