Slickepott – The rubber scraper Posted by Katja on Feb 8, 2012 in Living in Sweden
Ok, so I thought of another kitchen utensil which can be found in almost all Swedish house holds. I don’t know who invented this one, so it may very well not be a Swedish invention. That does not stop swedes from using it religiously however.
Kids love to help out with baking, wanting to clean the bowl with the “Slickepott” as the rubber scraper/spatula is referred to in everyday Swedish. The Swedish verb for “to lick” is “att slicka” and “pott” derives most likely from a word for a container or bowl of some sort. Meaning that the Slickepott is something that you can wipe the very last from the jar, bowl or saucepan.
Just the same as the Osthyvel, cooking and baking is not the same without this utensil. It feels like a total waste to leave a jar of jam with lots left in it just because the knife or spoon doesn’t fit. However, there is a colorful solution.
Can you think of any utensils which are specifically used in your country that Swedes would appreciate as presents?
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Comments:
CK:
You’ve used “bowel” three times here when it should say “bowl”. Trust me, “to clean the bowel with the Slickepott” would be something completely different! 😉
Katja:
@CK Thanks guys, sorry about the spelling mistake… (*^^*)
Chris:
Great post, but I think you mean “bowl” 😉
Tânia Mello:
This even has a name here in São Paulo, Brazil : it is known as ‘pão-duro’, which means ‘tight-fisted’, used to describe people who hold money, even when they should spend it . Maybe ‘snål’ in Swedish ?
It’s known like this because with it one can use even the last drop of a dough, for example.
Aidan Fritz:
Similar to Tânia, in California I knew someone who called this a child-cheater. Slickepott is a nice derivation too.
Henri:
There is a Dutch word ‘likkepot’. Can be used for this instrument, but originally it is used to assign someone who licks clean the pot with tongue or finger.
janerowena:
In the UK they are known as spatulas, a very old name from the latin in the 1500s.