![]() ![]() My aunt invited us over for a delicious BBQ (traditional Valborg dinner if the weather is nice) with some friends and family. Then this year we got to spend Valborg the other way… with a neigborhood community. Apparently each department at KTH has their own color jumpsuit, and as the students complete different “challenges” or go to different events, they earn patches to sew onto the jumpsuit… it’s like scout badges for college students! I’m sure I don’t even want to know what was done to earn some of the badges, but I think the idea is fun :). ![]() We met up with some friends from Stockholm University, as well as my cousin and his friends from the KTH (a well-regarded technical college in Stockholm) … which is where we learned about these awesome jumpsuits. We were lucky to have amazing weather last year and spent most of the day lounging in the park with a few thousands other students. This is probably the most famous place to celebrate, with huge crowds of students participating in boat races, champagne spraying, and having picnics (and a bit too much to drink) in the parks, before going out in the night. ![]() Last year, we did the student-style celebration of Valborg by going up to Uppsala. There are two very different ways to celebrate this holiday, and Chris and I have been lucky to experience both. Back in the day the fires were also meant to ward off evil spirits… but today it’s really just about gathering with your community to celebrate the fact that the long, Swedish winter is FINALLY over. Valborg dates back to pagan times and is all about welcoming in spring (yes, spring here seems to start in May!), celebrated throughout Sweden with large bonfires and songs about winter’s end. Second, this weekend was Valborg, or Walpurgis Night in English, one of the best hidden holidays in Sweden. First, it was BEAUTIFUL weather here in Stockholm, so we finally set-up our backyard with new outdoor furniture, a hammock, and… a fire pit! So we thought making this dish might be the perfect way to break in the new fire pit. There are a few reasons why we decided to make kolbulle over this particular weekend. After watching them make kolbullar at Skansen, and after reading about the simplicity of the ingredients, Chris and I decided to give this dish a try… I have since learned that this traditional dish was eaten in the olden days by loggers throughout the Nordic countries because it was easy to make without a kitchen and none of the ingredients required refrigeration. Using a cast-iron pan over the flames, you begin by frying up some chunks of bacon, then adding in some simple batter (flour + water + salt), and finally topping everything with lingon berries. The kolbulle translates to “coal bun” (although it is definitely more of a pancake) because it should be cooked over an open fire. We first discovered Kolbulle at Skansen’s Christmas market and have since gone back every time they have a market, just to get this dish (ok, and maybe their donuts too). I mean, how can you really go wrong with bacon, batter, and lingon berries?! And one of those things that instantly became one of our favorite Swedish foods. One of those things I didn’t realize even existed until moving to Sweden. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |