the swede life in toronto

Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile, as it has been a hectic last 2 weeks. We are preparing to do a very long summer home exchange on Vancouver Island from June to September! We are excited to explore this area and see the beautiful nature Vancouver has to offer. We are privileged in that both […]

As the season for all kinds of Swedish celebrations is fast approaching (think midsummer, Herring and Shrimp parties!), I wanted to share some North American substitutions for Swedish products. It has been a lot of trial and error finding the right things to use here in Canada. Fortunately for our American neighbors, they can get […]

One thing I fell in love with in Sweden is the sweet smells of fruity black tea to go with my toast and jam or limpa and cheese sandwiches in the morning. Though most likely borrowed from the Brits, fruit-flavored tea is consumed with milk/cream and sugar. Black tea is not just limited to Earl […]

You probably won’t see most of these foods at a Swedish restaurant or in a cookbook, but it’s food like this that make many a Swede excited to travel home just to get a taste of it. Although not as bizarre as eating toasted crickets in China, live octopus in Korea or boiled eggs with […]

Before coming to Karelia Kitchen, we didn’t know what to expect. After reading stellar reviews of the place and the background of the owners, we were a little skeptical. Can a couple with no Scandinavian roots cook really good “Scandinavian” food? The answer is an astounding YES! After a lengthy discussion with Leif Kravis and […]

It seems that Swedes are masters of dairy, drinking and eating all sorts of yogurts, cheese and milk products. It’s no wonder that if you’re under 6 foot for a guy, you’re considered a shorty. Anyways, my husband grew up on this yogurty-like phenomenon called Filmjölk. There really isn’t an English equivalent, but it closely […]

Today, we had some time to make an all-time favorite of Jan’s, Swedish pancakes! He’s not a big fan of American pancakes, but then again, I don’t call Swedish pancakes, pancakes, I refer to them as crepes! 😛 We had delicious wild blueberry compote (sylt) and homemade whipped cream, YUMMO! I just love wild blueberries, […]

Looking for ingredients to make your scrumptious Swedish delicacies and treats? Here’s my list of where to find them! I will update this list constantly, as I find things. I love searching for the hard-to-find! Please e-mail me if you’d like to add to this list… LAST UPDATED December 11, 2022 For info on Swedish Christmas […]