Everything about Sm Rg Sbord totally explained
Smörgåsbord [smœrɡɔsboːd] refers to a type of meal served
buffet-style in
Swedish cuisine. It is typically a holiday feast at which the family and guests can help themselves to whatever takes their fancy from a range of dishes laid out for their choice. In a
restaurant, the term refers to a
buffet-style table laid out with many small dishes from which, for a fixed amount of money, one is allowed to choose as many as one wishes.
A traditional
Swedish smörgåsbord consists of both hot and cold dishes. It is customary to begin with the cold fish dishes which are generally various form of
herring,
salmon,
eel and so forth. After eating the dishes, people usually continue with other cold dishes, and round off with hot dishes such as Swedish
meatballs (
köttbullar), and other specialties like
Janssons frestelse. Dessert may or may not be included in a smörgåsbord.
Etymology
The Swedish word
"smörgåsbord" is a combination word consisting of the words
smörgås (translated "
sandwich") and
Bord (translated "table").
"Smörgås" (sandwich) in turn consists of the words
smör (literally "butter") and
gås (literally "goose", but in its old meaning, it's the churned butter floating on the skimmed milk).
According to a
Swedish linguist,
Catharina Grünbaum,
gås referred to pieces of butter that formed and floated to the surface of cream when it was churned; these pieces resembled fat geese swimming to the surface. Such pieces were just the right size to be placed and flattened out on bread.
Smörgås came to mean butter and bread together. In Sweden, the term
bredda smörgåsar (buttered sandwiches) has been used since at least the 16th century, and nowadays refers not only to buttered bread but also buttered bread with foodstuffs between sandwiches.
Julbord (Yule smörgåsbord)
Julbord is a compound word consisting of the elements
jul, meaning
Yule (today synonymous with
Christmas) and
bord, literally table. The classic Swedish
julbord is the traditional
smörgåsbord served from the beginning of December until just before
Christmas in homes and at restaurants. A traditional
julbord is typically eaten in three courses. The first course consists of the
cured salmon, pickled herring and eel served in a variety of sauces. It is customary to eat particular foods together to ensure the appropriate combination of taste and textures. For example, herring is typically eaten with boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs and is frequently accompanied by a
snaps of
vodka with or without spice.
The second course of a selection consists of cold sliced meats, such as
turkey,
roast beef, and
julskinka (
Christmas ham). Sliced
Cheese,
cucumbers and
liver pate are often eaten on top of hard bread.
The third course of hot dishes include
köttbullar (Swedish
meatballs),
prinskorv (small sausages),
kåldolmar (meat stuffed
cabbage rolls), jellied pigs' feet,
lutfisk (a reconstituted dried
cod served with thick
white sauce),
revbenspjäll (oven-roasted
pork ribs), and
Janssons frestelse (literally "Jansson's Temptation", a baked dish of matchstick potatoes layered with cream, onion and
sprats). Side dishes include
beetroot salad and warm stewed red cabbage.
Julbord desserts include
risgrynsgröt,
rice pudding sprinkled with
cinnamon powder.
photo
Traditionally, an
almond is hidden in the bowl of rice pudding and whoever finds it receives a small prize or is recognized for having good luck. There is also a traditional saying that the one who gets the almond will get married within a year.
Use of the term in English
In
English, the word
smörgåsbord (or often
smorgasbord) refers loosely to any
buffet with a variety of dishes — not necessarily with any connection to the Swedish traditions discussed in this article. In an extended sense, the word is used to refer to any situation which invites patrons to select whatever they wish among several pleasant things, such as the smorgasbord of university courses, books in a bookstore, etc. It may also be used to indicate any diverse group, synonymous with
hodge-podge.
In
Australia, the word
smorgasbord is often used for any form of buffet, including the noted
Australian Buffet. Smorgasbords are very popular at privately hosted parties.
In
Canada,
Chinese smorgasbord is a buffet style used for
Canadian Chinese cuisine. This tradition dates back to
Gastown,
British Columbia, which later became
Vancouver, when Scandinavian-immigrant mill workers and loggers encouraged their Chinese cooks to arrange Chinese food as it was done in their homelands.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sm Rg Sbord'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://sm__rg__sbord.totallyexplained.com">Smörgåsbord Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
