Stockholm
Guided tour · 4 hours
Stockholm: Food Tour
Discover the restaurants that have impacted Sweden’s culinary scene. Explore the history, roots, and reasons why Sweden is becoming a major food...
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History
The Thursday ärtsoppa tradition dates to medieval Sweden when Friday was a fasting day, so Thursday meant a hearty meal to carry workers through. King Erik XIV reportedly died of arsenic-laced pea soup in 1577. The pannkakor dessert pairing is uniquely Swedish. Den Gyldene Freden and Pelikan still serve it as Thursday lunch.
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Common allergens: Dairy, Gluten, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g dried yellow split peas, soaked overnight
- 500g lightly cured smoked pork shoulder or smoked ham hock
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 2 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 litres water or light pork stock
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Hot Swedish mustard, to serve
- 200g plain flour (for pancakes)
- 500ml whole milk (for pancakes)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp caster sugar (for pancakes)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt (for pancakes)
- 60g unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
- Whipped cream and lingonberry jam, to serve
Method
- Drain the soaked peas. Place in a heavy pot with the pork, diced onions, marjoram, ginger, bay leaves and water. Bring to a simmer; skim the surface.
- Reduce heat and simmer covered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until the peas have collapsed to a thick, savoury porridge.
- Lift out the pork, slice thick. Discard the bay leaves. Taste the soup; adjust salt and pepper. The texture should be thick but spoonable.
- While the soup simmers, make the pancakes. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Whisk in the eggs and milk to a smooth thin batter. Stir in the melted butter. Rest 30 minutes.
- Heat a 22cm pan over medium-high. Brush with butter. Pour 60ml batter into the pan, swirl thin, and cook 90 seconds a side until pale gold. Stack between greaseproof paper.
- Serve the ärtsoppa hot in deep bowls with a slice of warm pork on top. Pass the hot Swedish mustard at the table.
- Follow with pannkakor: fold each pancake into quarters, top with a heaped tablespoon of whipped cream and a spoon of lingonberry jam.
Tip from the editors. Soak split peas overnight; un-soaked peas take 4 hours and the texture is wrong. Thursday lunch in Sweden is sacred; serve another day, expect questions.
Where to eat ärtsoppa och pannkakor
Ärtsoppa och Pannkakor in Stockholm
Den Gyldene Freden ★ 4.3
Den Gyldene Freden on Österlånggatan in Stockholm's Gamla Stan opened in 1722 and remains the oldest restaurant in continuous operation under the same name.
OrderWallenbergare with pea purée, lingonberry and brown butter potatoes.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. The vaulted cellar is the heritage room; the upstairs table runs quieter.
Pelikan ★ 4.3
Pelikan on Blekingegatan in Stockholm's Södermalm has cooked husmanskost in the vaulted 1904 hall since the Pelikan name moved from Gamla Stan, meatballs.
OrderThe meatball plate with mash, brown sauce, lingonberry and pickled cucumber.
TipThe smaller dining room is calmer than the big hall. Skip the queue by booking the bar counter online.
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