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Shop Swedish Food Souvenirs at the Supermarket in Stockholm

Shop Swedish Food Souvenirs at the Supermarket in Stockholm

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As one of Europe’s pricier destinations, Sweden can be a tough place to find souvenir bargains. While I always make a point to check out foreign supermarkets when I travel, in spendy places like Stockholm, the local supermarkets can be a great resource for the thrifty shopper.

Fortunately, well-stocked Swedish supermarkets aren’t hard to find in Stockholm. Check out Stockholm’s central train station– along with other great shops and quick bite dining options, there is a decent-sized supermarket downstairs (right behind the escalator). While I passed over some familiar Swedish goods available at my local Ikea back home (like Sweden’s famous pearl sugar) there were still plenty of new Swedish grocery store items to discover.

1. Swedish loose candy

Swedish candy food souvenirThe first things I noticed in the Swedish supermarket were the huge bins of Swedish candy, given prime real estate directly in front of the checkout registers. The loose candy bins brought back memories of childhood, when I would beg my mom to add handfuls of Brach’s Milk Maid Royals to our cart (sadly, most US supermarkets have done away with candy bins). But while in the US it is the children who swarm candy bins, in Sweden, adults of all ages jockey for space and load up on the sweets for themselves.

Most Swedish candy is licorice or jelly-based, but you’ll find other yummy goodies mixed in.

2. Swedish packaged candy and candy bars

If you haven’t gotten your fill of Swedish candy at the loose candy bins, you can always pick up some packaged Swedish candy bars. Even with the diverse foreign food selection at my grocery store back home, I’d never seen of any of these candy bars before.
DSC03164I also became addicted to this Swedish gummy candy and was sorry when my supply ran out.

3. Swedish Condiments

Swedish mustard Slott's Swedish food souvenir

Swedish Slott’s mustard. Scandinavians are very particular about their mustards and there are different mustards used for different dishes.

With the huge selection of Swedish mustards available, this bright yellow tube that caught my eye– Slott’s original mustard, established in 1919. This grainy and zesty mustard from Skåne in southern Sweden has a nice bite to it, perfect to make the mustard crust on the Swedes’ Christmas ham (and for leftover ham sandwiches).

I also saw many different kinds of creamy Swedish dressings, remoulade and burger toppings.

4. Swedish Jams

Sweden is known for its delicious strawberries so strawberry jam is an ideal souvenir. I also noted many apelsin (apple) jam and compote products.

5. Swedish hazelnut spreads

While Nutella– the hazelnut spread most of us are familiar with in the US– is Italian, I find that most European countries have their own version of this tasty hazelnut spread.

6. Swedish pickled everything

Swedish pickled vegetable saladSweden is well-known for their pickled salads. This extra chunky veggie salad looked interesting.

 7. Swedish Cookies

Rolled Swedish ginger cookies, like these from Annas PepparkakorRolled Swedish ginger cookies, like these from Annas Pepparkakor, fill Swedish supermarket shelves.

8. Swedish crisp bread

swedish crisp breadCrisp bread, a flat and dry cracker made mostly of rye flour, is popular throughout all the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland). Crisp bread was first baked in Sweden in 500 A.D. and for most of its history was considered a poor man’s bread. In modern times, crisp bread, with its high fiber content, has enjoyed a renewed interest from the health food crowd.

Although you’ll find many crisp breads back home, the variety on offer in Sweden is astounding. They make a great Swedish souvenir because they keep forever and can be eaten with pretty much anything (cheese is my favorite topping).

cheap swedish souvenir stockholm foodI loved the packaging of this Swedish round crisp bread, featuring the classic Swedish Dala horse.

9. Pre-packaged Swedish Cake mixes

swedish cake mixI’m not much of a baker so I love the instant gratification of pre-packaged cake mixes like these tempting Swedish mixes. My google research tells me Pepparkaka is a Swedish spice cake. Tracking down an exact translation for Saffranskaka was a little more difficult– I think this is a type of Swedish bundt cake?

 10. Swedish toiletries

I have no idea if these Swedish toiletry items are anything unique, but I like the pretty packaging. The shampoo and conditioner set would make a nice gift…for me.

Not US Customs-Friendly

bullen pilsner korvI couldn’t help but notice this striking can of Bullen’s Pilsner Korv mini sausages. I had no idea what these little sausages were about, but since I couldn’t bring it home, I had to settle for snapping a photo and googling it later. Bullen’s sausages turned out to have an interesting backstory– it’s actually a cult item in Sweden, dating back to 1953 and named after famed Swedish actor Erik Berglund. According to wikipedia, the sausages must not be grilled, but cooked in the broth that comes in the can. Intrigued? Check out the Bullens’ instagram account here.

swedish rapsberry juiceYes, I could technically put this raspberry juice in my suitcase, but I reserve all my larger liquids for alcoholic beverages. I did love the packaging though.

A tour through a Swedish grocery store would not be complete without at least a look at the Swedish meatballs available— both canned and frozen.

Have you visited a Swedish supermarket? What are your favorite Swedish food souvenirs?

 

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Tammy Marcotte

Thursday 2nd of March 2017

Our Favorites when we visited Sweden last year. We loved vitlök sauce, Tuc crackers, Aseda cheese and FUN drink mix. Remember candy day is Saturday. Would love to go back!

Kristin Francis

Wednesday 22nd of March 2017

Thanks for the tips! I'll look for them on my next trip!

Lor

Saturday 20th of September 2014

No problem! In case you're wondering the ginger biscuits you mention (peppakakor) and ginger cake (peppakaka) are the same name, kaka is singular, kakor is plural. It means cake or cookies.

Lorayn Brown

Sunday 7th of September 2014

Pepparkaka is just ginger cake. Saffranskaka is saffron cake. Apelsin is in fact orange, not apple (appel is apple) and hallonkräm isn't juice, but 'cream', it's a LOT thicker than juice and you eat it with milk. More like a fruit soup tbh. Also Moxie is an australian brand, not Swedish.

Kristin Francis

Wednesday 17th of September 2014

Ah thanks so much for the corrections! I hope to make another trip soon and spend a little more time investigating Swedish products.

Sharon

Friday 23rd of May 2014

Unfortunately, I have not been to a Swedish supermarket, but I want to now! It is funny how exotic and awesome items look just by having writing on them in a different language. I would love to go crazy with those lollies!

Amy

Tuesday 13th of May 2014

You're making my mouth water! That licorice looks so yummy :)

Kristin Francis

Thursday 15th of May 2014

There is store in NYC that specializes in Swedish candy-- be on the lookout for a post soon!