Scandinavian Feasts

by Beatrice Ojakangas

This book includes complete menus for celebrations of all sizes and seasons, featuring traditional and contemporary recipes from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. In these lands of the midnight sun, the short days of winter are cheered with slow-cooked comfort foods and the long summer days are celebrated with light, fresh fair. This book carries on the Scandinavian tradition with a bounty of appetizers, drinks, smorasbord, meats, fish soups, vegetables, desserts and baked goods. From Finland comes a karelian country buffet featuring rye-crusted pasteries and a three-meat ragout. In a traditional Swedish menu, pancakes, complement pea soup and rye bread. A Norwegian feast of dill-stuffed whole salmon is finished off with kransekake, a ring cake of ground almonds. Tiny shrimp, beef tartare and a poor man's beef tartare of capers, horseradish and onion are among the 12 varieties of Danish open-faced sandwiches that come together in a creative smoorebrod.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Scandinavian Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Beatrice Ojakangas has a rich background in Scandinavian cuisines, traditions and history. She and her husband, Richard, are second-generation Americans. All of their grandparents came from Finland. As they visited in Finland, Beatrice, known as "Peaches" to her friends and relatives, became interested in the foods and traditions of all Scandinavian countries. She has a special knack for making friends, and now has many acquaintances throughout Scandinavia. She is known for the sumptuous smorgasbords she prepares and serves in her home. If you visit in northern Minnesota, you may find her teaching cooking classes in her large, well-stocked kitchen. Or she may be assisting with Scandinavian heritage-appreciation camps. Beatrice has authored a Finnish cookbook and numerous articles on Finnish and Scandinavian cooking.

Reviews

[John Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a Finn . . . on my birth father's side of the family. When I was about five tears old my parents divorced and I had very little contact with my family or Finnish roots. About 10 years ago, I was in a restaurant in my hometown. They had historical photos of the townspeople hanging on their walls. When I finished dinner, I wandered around, reading the descriptions. Right there on the wall, I discovered a picture of my grandfather, Henry Kujala, and his pool hall and bar. This started a path to discovering my roots with the help of my daughter. We found family right here in River City, a cousin living within two miles of me. We found the family homestead in Finland and the ship manifest bringing my grandparents to America. We found my father's grave site in Texas and his parents in Fort Bragg, CA. It's been an interesting journey.

We researched traditions, holidays and food, even celebrating Christmas with the Finnish traditions and food. Ever had salted cod for Christmas dinner? I recently found this cookbook at Half Price Books for the bargain price of eight dollars. In reading it, I discovered some of my favorite foods are of my heritage: pate and liver, sardines and kipper, salt cod, salmon chowder, gingerbread and ginger cookies. I'm looking forward to cooking other Finnish recipes from this book. Beatrice Ojakangas is the Julia Child of Finnish cooking.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good broad-based book; several recipes that I need to try. Gronekalesouppe in a creamed version? Lots of smorebrod, dumplings, all of the classics. Only docked a star for lack of photos in the ebook.

[Sonja Isaacson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the cookbook we tried in December 2021. The book is organized into suggested menus so I aimed for the spirit of the menu and didn't do things like...make my own sausage.

"Candlemaking Buffet" - tomato soup, cheese tray, Wasa bread, cucumber slices, grapes.
"Finnish Farmhouse Breakfast" - red juice, hardtack, porridge, cheese.
"Saint Lucia's Day Candlelight Brunch" - Saint Lucia Wreath and Almond-Stuffed Baked Apple Halves.
"Swedish Country Breakfast" - Scandinavian Fruit Soup, eggs, sausage, potatoes, Wasa bread.
"Thursday Pea Soup and Pancakes" - Thursday Pea Soup, Spiced Rye Bread, Swedish Pancakes.
"Christmas Season Meatball Dinner" - Scandinavian meatballs and gravy, mashed potatoes, peas.
"Christmas Coffee Table" - Lingonberry jam cake, Christmas Stars Spicy, Ginger Cookies and Refrigerator Cookies.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although she herself is of Finnish descent, Beatrice Ojakangas has become the American guru of Scandinavian food. This book will tell you how to make Danish aebleskiver, Finnish rye porridge, Swedish Lucia buns, and yes, even lutefisk if you hanker for that Norwegian "delicacy." Each recipe is included in a menu for a celebration of some kind and the illustrations will make you want to try everything (they even make lutefisk look good.) I confess I usually use the church or Danish fellowship cookbooks to make Danish specialties, but I will be trying some of these recipes too. There is also a section with ideas and instructions for smorrebrod.

[Kierstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's just say you're all invited to my house for Syttende Mai! And hopefully, if I make the food taste as good as Beatrice instructs, you won't even care what the holiday is actually for.

[Lily P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only an interesting book for recipes, but a great collection of traditions and culture for Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.
Really good stuff!