The cinnamon bun day, the semla day, the crayfish day, the herring day, the hot dog day, the waffles day, the day of apples, licorice, pancakes… the list goes on. What you've just read are all the names of Swedish celebrations of food.

In Sweden, food is almost a sort of a religious cult, and treated with great appreciation and awe.
I don't even know how it turned out like that, but for me Sweden has the top-notch cuisine. And I'm speaking of quite simple dishes, like a piece of salmon with fingerling potatoes seasoned with traditional sauce, or tomatoes-rocket-avocado type of salad, bread, fried herring or the famous shrimp sandwich.

Swedes might as well favor cooking over going to restaurants. Well, it's cheaper, first of all, but cooking is also a way of spending time with joy and interest. For me, one of the most vivid culinary stories is still the one a Swedish friend of mine has told me about a student party he had had, when he and his friends had gathered some apples in a university garden, being particularly buzzed, and planning on making a cobbler. And for those who prefer spending time with their family cooking is certainly the merriest sort of leisure, especially during warm time of the year, when everybody drags out their grills on balconies and patios, gathering with friends. The industry supports that culinary enthusiasm, beside the food itself, one may find dozens of food magazines (nearly as many as those dedicated to interior design) on the shelves of the stores, and large supermarkets once in a month mail their promotional booklets with recipes (which are so finely made, that you want to keep them).

As for me, here I spend much more time cooking compared to Moscow. "Because I can." The local market in Malmo is the place to look for ingredients. For some time it was more like a sort of an exhibition dedicated to gardening achievements among horticulturists for me: black potatoes, as well as black bell peppers, purple carrots, tomatoes of six different colorations, guava, lychee, asparagus, strawberry (yeah, the one you may call plastic, but nevertheless available all year round), several breeds of melon, white round eggplants, etc.

But if you're too tired (or maybe too lazy) to cook, our multi-ethnic town has a lot to offer. You can choose among Vietnamese, Chinese, Lebanese, Italian, Indian, Turkish and Greek cuisine, both fast and slow food. And of course you can't miss the kebabs (now almost an unspoken symbol of Malmo), for the places that offer them are authentic, and the food itself is cheap and hearty.

You may as well share the meal with other citizens during fests that take place in Swedish towns: you can attend the crayfish festival, or asparagus festival, or food track festival, or for example the largest festival of food and music in Malmo – Malmofestivalen (10th to 18th of August).

For those impatient who already pack their baggage I highly recommend to try out
following things:
Shrimp sandwich (Räckmacka)
Smoked eel (Rökt ål)
Sia ice cream (pistachio and lilac are especially noteworthy).

Bon appetite!