it’s always sunny in scandinavia, part three: swedish food porn

you know a shop is selling something really spectacular when the number of people waiting outside is greater than the number of people who can actually fit inside. welcome to st. jakobs stenugnsbageri, a tiny little storefront in lund filled with the most mouthwatering pastries and breads.

peter, my new swedish cousin-in-law, has just informed me that stenugnsbageri means ‘stone oven bakery’. mmm. walking to the wedding, cousin lexi and i stopped and did some drooling at the array of loaves in the window and i vowed to return the next day.  my belly is so glad i did.

i bought one of these wickedly pointy little rye loaves as well as the crusty and warm wheat loaf below.

i planned to meet up with my cousins soon after to share the bread with them, but we miscommunicated the time of meeting and i was left to eat the majority of both loaves by myself. i consoled myself by purchasing some famous swedish cheese that begins with V and is very strong and has one of these (ö). [that makes a hilarious little surprised face].

i (barely) refrained from tearing into these tantalizing little pastries (in front of one of the  largest cathedrals in sweden) until i met up with my cousins again and had some assistance.

sugar and vanilla on the left, rhubarb in the center, and mixed nuts in a sugary glaze on the right.  they also had versions of the oval pastries with raspberries and chocolate and a huge selection of large loaves of all shapes and sizes.  since i was heading back to copenhagen that night, i refrained from purchasing any breads larger than my forearm. however, i was very tempted by these flatbreads below that remind me of danish kroner.  money with holes in the center  is just more exciting than regular coins, perhaps because they remind me of  donuts and bagels.

they looked a bit too hard to be delicious, but peter informs me thats how they’re supposed to be. in fact, they’re known as ‘hard bread.’ due to their hardness they last a long time and he even has some packed in his luggage to be hauled all the way back to sierra leone. i somewhat doubted that peter’s bread would still be edible once he gets back home. but he assured me the bread lasts quite a long time, although it may have trouble with the sierra leone humidity. and of course he’s right.

thanks to google, i have just learned from the 1950 edition of the st. petersburg times that this bread uses a special kind of sour milk which helps it stay fresh for 80-90 days.  daaaamn. i am currently rather impressed by both swedish culinary ingenuity and the internet. well done both of you.