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Sweetish Swedish pancakes – maybe not what you’d expect! Posted by on Dec 10, 2015 in Culture, Living in Sweden

Swedish pancakes come sweet or savory – here, I’ll give you the run-down on sweet Swedish pancakes!

One very popular dish in Sweden is the pannkaka – the Swedish pancake. American readers might see the word “pancake” and think, “Oh! Swedish-style pancakes!”

Well, no. Swedish pancakes aren’t really just Swedish-style pancakes. They’re more like crêpes. In other words, while they do contain the most of the basic key ingredients of the American pancake, they do not include a raising agent, such as baking powder. As such, Swedish pancakes are flat and doughy.

Generally, people don’t mix any toppings into the batter of their pannkakor – they prefer to put them on top instead. In my experience, chocolate chip pannkakor aren’t really a thing, though maybe the odd Swede might do that.

What Swedes put on their pancakes varies, but one very common thing is fruit, especially berries, and especially lingonberries. For those of you who are unfamiliar, lingonberries (lingon in Swedish) are a type of berry which is very commonly found in the forests of Scandinavia. They are an important popular berry in the region, and in relation to the cost in other European countries, they are relatively cheap. When lingonberries aren’t available, or just as a matter of personal preference, many people have lingonberry jam on their pancakes instead. Lingonberry jam (lingonsylt) is never out of season, and if there’s an IKEA near you, you can find a jar in the food section!

As an alternative to lingonberries (or lingonberry jam), people often eat blueberries (blåbär) or blueberry jam (blåbärssylt), or strawberries (jordgubbar) or strawberry jam (jordgubbssylt). But it doesn’t stop there. Swedes don’t just put berries or jam on their pannkakor. Another key “topping” is cream. Sometimes it’s whipped, sometimes not – it’s a matter of personal preference (and what’s available to you in your kitchen!). Some people even replace their fruit and jam with hazelnut-chocolate cream.

What generally isn’t an acceptable topping is maple syrup. God forbid if you put maple syrup on your Swedish pancakes! Most Swedes, in my experience, think it’s way too sweet and unhealthy.

Pannkakor are generally eaten rolled up or folded rather than flat on the plate, something which obviously isn’t very practical with American pancakes. It is then sliced and eaten with a fork and knife. Since Swedish pancakes are generally presented on the table as a buffet of the pancakes themselves and their various toppings, the is done by each diner by themself on their own plate.

Swedish pancakes can be eaten either as a dessert or a main course. Many families eat pancakes with pea soup as a tradition on Thursdays. Some schools have picked up on this tradition and serve it for lunch on some Thursdays.

So, have you ever had Swedish pancakes? How do you make yours? What’s your favorite topping? Let us know in the comments!

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About the Author: Stephen Maconi

Stephen Maconi has been writing for the Transparent Swedish Blog since 2010. Wielding a Bachelor's Degree in Swedish and Nordic Linguistics from Uppsala University in Sweden, Stephen is an expert on Swedish language and culture.


Comments:

  1. Linda Nord:

    We love adding the toppings you mentioned on our Swedish pannkaka. Another we’ve also used is strawberry cream cheese.

  2. Linda Swenson:

    We grew up with panakaka and pletta (SP) I have the plet pan here in the kitchen.

    I have not made either for some time but oh when the grandchildren were little i would cook and cook and cook and they would eat and eat so many

    My favorite topping are blubar.

    I might have to have these for dinner this evening after reading all you shared.
    God Jul !!!!! Linda

  3. Lennart:

    I had never heard of putting lingonberry jam on pancakes until I moved from Sweden to America. As a matter fact, I had never heard of lingonberry jam. Lingonberry preserve, yes,but still not on pancakes.

  4. AnnaPanna:

    I like to eat my pancakes salty. Fill them with minced meat for example, roll up, top with cheese and gratinate in the oven. Or make an oven pancake (fläskpannkaka) with ham mixed into the batter.

  5. MatsN:

    Vanilla ice cream and strawberry jam on a hot pannkaka is the way to go in my opinion. Roll it up and enjoy the combination of hot and cold tastiness.

  6. Jim Dawson:

    I am quite surprised about the Swedes’opinion of maple syrup. How much sugar is in any kind of jam and how is it produced? Typically, when making jam, you start with 2 litres of sugar and end up with only 1.65 litres of jam. And, what about cream; is that any better for you than sugar?