The Swedish North Star, continuously published since 1872. Volume 146 No. 11, July 15, 2018. Price per copy $3.50.
Swedish summer parties
SUMMER BOUNTY (and summer nuisances ... if any?)
Summer parties in Sweden don’t end with Midsummer. And while many Swedes are on vacation for much of July, they’re already anticipating the next round of summer soirees that celebrate Sweden’s short but glorious season with its delicious natural resources of the sea: crayfish (kräftor), fermented herring (surströmming) and eel (ål). The season starts with the premier of the crayfish, AKA “kräftpremiär,” which always falls on August 8. It’s constantly debated whether Swedes partake of the crayfish more than they do the other delicacies, but all three are indeed important, and parties in their honor usually include various other food and drink to satisfy anyone’s palate. / P12
Time for grilling ...
Swedes love to talk about the weather, and this year summer came early; Swedes also love their strawberries, and this year they’ve had a bumper crop. No need to search beyond their own backyards for strawberries this season. Harvest time is early and long for some other staples in the Swedish diet, too: potatoes and dill (and fish, as always). What to do with all this abundance of irresistible fresh food? Gunilla Blixt offers some delicious variations of traditional Swedish recipes for a summer supper menu that also fulfills another summer goal of squeezing as much time as possible outside — at the grill. / P20
... and unexpected visitors
There’s no better way to enjoy the bountiful red gold of August than near the water ... / P12 Maybe it’s not surprising that Sweden returns to the top in 2018 / p4 There are a lot of delicious Swedish pancakes on the market / p14 An architect’s Skåne home bids the sea like a houseboat on land /p20 Page 11
Jenny Lind shared Midsummer with American audiences / p26
Perhaps they’re not unexpected as much as they’re uninvited. We know they are likely to make an appearance but that doesn’t mean they’re welcomed. Like other Europeans, Swedes don’t typically have screens on their windows like Americans do, but that’s not a sign Sweden’s summers are without insects and other nuisances. Swedish biologist Lars-Åke Janzon shares information about how different creatures are important to the eco-system but how we should also protect ourselves from them. / P23