How To Celebrate Swedish Midsummer: Food & Drink

Today’s Post

It’s nearing the end of June, which can only mean one thing in Scandinavia – midsummer! It’s hard to sum up all the midsummer traditions and their origins, as they vary between the Nordic countries. But generally, the celebrations at this time of year stem from paganist traditions that celebrated the summer solstice. Both Denmark and Norway celebrate something called Sankthansaften, which you can read more about in this post. Midsommar is celebrated more widely in Sweden and celebrates the start of summer and the season of fertility. The most common tradition during Swedish midsummer is hosting a big meal with family and friends, full of classic Swedish food and drink. In today’s post, we’ll share with you what types of food and drink are typical as a part of this meal, and maybe it’ll inspire you to throw together a midsummer meal of your own!

Herring and Salmon

An absolutely integral part of any Scandinavian holiday meal is fish. In Sweden, pickled herring and gravadlax (cured salmon) are the most popular choices. These are served and eaten with rye bread and crispbread, and it’s traditional to start with herring on rye bread and a shot of aquavit to kick off the meal. You can make pickled herring and gravadlax at home, but you can sometimes find them in grocery stores or the food section of IKEA. If you like smoked salmon, that’s also an option instead of gravadlax.

Rye Bread

Below, you can find our recipe for homemade rye bread and try your hand at making it at home! Even if you don’t have the fish toppings handy, it’s a great bread for any type of sandwich. For a classic Swedish midsummer table, you should offer an assortment of bread so that your guests have a choice depending on their topping, so take a look at our other bread recipes here for more options.

Rugbrød (Danish Rye bread)

This recipe yields a delicious, seeded rye bread that works well for traditional Danish smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches). Our favorite combinations of toppings include pickled herring and onions, mackerel in tomato sauce with cucumber, and liver pate with pickled beets!

Check out this recipe

Swedish Meatballs

No Swedish celebration is complete without Swedish meatballs and midsummer is no exception. When served on their own, these delicious little meatballs are typically served with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and a creamy sauce. But at the midsummer table, you can serve them without sides, perhaps decorated with a few lingonberries, and let people enjoy them however they like. Our recipe is linked below – try it out!

Köttbullar (Swedish Meatballs)

These small meatballs are full of flavor, and are best served with a cream sauce, mashed potatoes, and lingonberry jam for a Swedish IKEA-style meal!

Check out this recipe

Sides

When it comes to the rest of the meal, there are a variety of options for what you can serve. Salads are common, including beetroot salad, for a refreshing balance to the rich meat and fish dishes. Then, people typically serve new potatoes or other potato dishes. Quiche is also an option, especially if there are any vegetarians because it’s hearty and filling and very summery! See our quiche and salad recipes below for ideas!

Sommer Madtærte (Tomato, Spinach, & Mozzarella Quiche)

This quiche recipe is perfect for a summer dinner, lunch, or even brunch! It’s yummy, hearty, and made with simple ingredients. The crust is buttery and flakey, while the filling is deliciously cheesy, with tomatoes and spinach for lightness!

Check out this recipe

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta and Walnuts

This salad of arugula, beets, feta, onion, walnuts, and a simple oil and vinegar dressing is so refreshing and just the perfect spring or summer dish!

Check out this recipe

Drink

It wouldn’t be a Scandinavian celebration without snaps or aquavit – a very distinct liquor that comes in a few different flavors, including caraway, fennel, dill or elderflower! As we mentioned earlier, it’s traditional to start with a shot of snaps along with your fish. But of course, you can continue drinking snaps throughout your meal! If you’re looking for a fun way to incorporate snaps into a cocktail, we have a lingonberry aquavit cocktail recipe linked below!

It also wouldn’t be a summer celebration without having a ton of cold beer to enjoy along with the meal (and the snaps). Generally, Scandinavians keep it on the lighter side with refreshing lagers, but you can pair the meal with your favorite beer!

Lingonberry Aquavit Soda

This beautiful drink is so refreshing, with sharp flavors of lingonberry and lemon cutting nicely through the aquavit. We love serving this cocktail before Christmas Eve dinner or any other big meal!

Check out this recipe

Dessert

There’s only one rule when it comes to midsummer dessert, and that’s the incorporation of strawberries. Why? Well, they’re very symbolic of summer and there’s nothing quite like fresh Swedish strawberries in the summertime. One option is a cake covered in strawberries, but this isn’t the only option. You could make a trifle, like our strawberry trifle, or perhaps even a strawberry-rhubarb crisp. To really impress, a fruit tart decorated with lots of strawberries would also be a good choice!

Frugttærte (Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream)

This fruit tart is refreshing and delicious, with a layer of silky smooth vanilla pastry cream and plenty of fresh fruit on top! Make this with whatever fruit you have on hand and it is sure to impress.

Check out this recipe

Thanks for reading!

If you’ve gotten this far, we hope you got some inspiration for your menu this midsummer! There are some absolute classics on this list that you should include, of course, but the most important thing is to celebrate the start of summer and be with your family and friends. Leave us a comment below with your favorite midsummer dish and we hope you enjoy your celebrations! Happy Midsummer!