The Sweet Swedish Bread
When you taste bread in Sweden you definitely pay attention to its sweet flavour. It seems unusual for foreigners. Of course you can find in Sweden the bread without sweet after-taste, but this especial kind of bread is one of the distinctive features of Swedish cuisine. People add more sugar to their food in Sweden than in other countries. This habit remained from that time, when sweeten food was a sign of social status. At present days Swedes can afford sugar for themselves, but till XIX century it was accessible only for aristocrats.
If we turn to the history, long time ago Sweden was divided into three parts depends of baking kind. In the North the inclement climate did not permitted to cultivate other grain crops, except barley-corn. But barley flour dough did not rise and Swedes were baking flat, unleavened, thin bread (tunnbrod). In the South people were able to mill grain only in spring and fall, when they had enough water for mills. And Southern part of Sweden is noted for its “crisp bread” (knackebrod). Flour could not wait for months and they were baking this kind of bread for long-term shelf life. Such bread just some time was spending in a stove and then had been left to get dry. Southern part that in the Middle Ages belonged to Denmark had windmills and it was possible to mill the grain during the whole year. Their bread was mild and soft.
Today you are able to find various kinds of bread in Sweden. There is a wide choice of crisp bread, bread with spices that tastes as the pastry and usual bread to which everyone is accustomed.
Author: Ellen