One of the things Koen and I regretted most with Christmas 2019, was not booking a traditional Julbord, or Swedish Christmas buffet. As soon as reservations opened, we booked a table for December 25th at Grand Hotel.
Luckily our reservation wasn't canceled due to the second wave of Corona, only the type of Julbord changed. Rather than a buffet, Grand Hotel offered a 6 course plated meal and lowered the price from 1095kr to only 695kr!
First Course: Sea buckthorn glögg
I loved this to start off the meal! Glögg is the Swedish version of mulled wine, and it's enjoyed during the Christmas spirit. I say wine, but it can be spiced juice, mostly blackcurrant or grape, or a spirit. You can see in the photos that it's served with spoon. In Sweden it seems they want to make it as sweet as possible by adding raisins and almonds, as well. Koen took two sips and then gave me his, haha.
Second Course: Assorted herring
I love Swedish pickled herring, or sil. The selection included Grands spiced herring, mustard herring with coffee, saffron herring, and a lingonberry and rosemary herring, with two types of cheese served alongside : spiced cheese and brännvinsost. We couldn't resist a shot of aquavit to drink alongside this course: it's a tradition for a reason, right?
Third Course: Assorted Cold Fish
I was most looking forward to this course and it didn't disappoint! The assortment included gravad lax, juniper marinated salmon, warm smoked char, poached salmon, shellfish terrine, and eggs with shrimp and lavaret roe served with mustard sauce (hovmästarsås), Rhode Island sauce, and sauce verte.
Fourth Course: Rollmops
This is where we veered off the traditional menu. Normally the next course was sausages, cold cuts, ribs, meatballs, and Janssons temptation, but we were able to receive more traditional Swedish Christmas fish dishes. Rollmops are pickled herring filets, rolled up. Ours were served with potatoes, sour cream, and dill, topped with Kalix Löjrom, vendace roe. So delicious!
Fifth Course: Lutefisk
For our warm dish, we were served lutefisk, which is dried codfish, pickled in lye, then rehydrated for a few days before eating. It's a traditional Christmas dish not only in Sweden, but in Norway and Finland as well. The lutefisk has a very special taste and gelatinous texture - not my favorite.
Sixth Course: Cheese
Our favorite way to end a meal - with cheese! One mild and one blue, served with fig, red currants, and compote.
Seventh Course: Rice porridge with assorted Christmas candies
Swedes are known for their sweet tooth, and this Christmas dessert was no exception!
