My roommate and I started a book club almost four years ago, and since then, it has evolved into a co-ed gathering. That's right, a co-ed book club. The guys actually enjoy attending and are more active participants than some of the girls. My favorite part about book club is not the reading, per se, since I have the poorest record of book completions of the entire group. What draws me is the excuse to hang out with friends and prepare food for a delicious potluck dinner.
Each month, we try to tie the food theme to the book selection. And this month, as we discuss Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, we will dine on Swedish fare. Swedish fare? After googling Swedish food recipes the other night, I was amazed at how little came up. I hope there's more to Sweden than meatballs, lingonberries, pancakes, potatoes, and pickled herring. Sheesh. Thank God I didn't grow up in Sweden. I would've starved!
My friend Julie said she read somewhere that their diets were limited due to the lack of access to fresh food. Wikipedia noted that spices were sparse and that like other Scandanavian countries, Swedish cuisine was traditionally simple. My maternal grandma Hilda (after whom my name choice evolved) has ancestral ties to Sweden, but I don't recall ever having a dish from her that was Swedish. Maybe my mom and aunts know more about this and are hiding flavorful Swedish recipes from me.
My food contribution for the evening? I'm bringing a cucumber salad dressed with apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, sugar, and dill. Simple and hopefully not as bland as it sounds. Either way, here's to hoping the medley of contributions tonight will make me change my negative opinion of Sweden as an appetite killer.
No comments:
Post a Comment