| The Difference in Taste – African/Caribbean and Swedish Cuisine |
| Written by urbanlife.se |
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Food for thought:
“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.” ~Voltaire Till the 1970’s, Sweden and other Scandinavian countries had primarily a white population. It is only in the latter half of the 1970’s that immigration started to pick up speed and today, Sweden can boast of being a huge Diaspora of cultural ethnicity. People immigrated to Sweden from across the world but mostly from Africa and the Caribbean. Home to hundreds and thousands of second generation Africans, now, Sweden has a culture and cuisine that’s varied and intriguing. Fortunately, this means different tastes, ingredients, and methods of cooking. And an epicurean treat for those who relish good food! There are definitely several differences between African/Caribbean and Swedish cuisine but there is a common thread too! Both cuisines have been influenced by the culinary practices of other regions. To a great extent, Swedish cuisine relives a subtle French taste mostly because of the French influence from 17th and 18th century. The new-age or Gen-X Swedish cuisine is quite different and offers sushi (Japanese), pizza (Italian), and Kebab (Middle East). On the other hand, the African Cuisine has primarily been influenced by Asians, Arabs, and Europeans. So, not only do you get to eat the best of French influenced dishes, but also a blend of Middle Eastern and Asian cooking. Let’s move a step further – from influence to taste.If food doesn’t taste good then it’s no food at all – this was a statement made by an anonymous philosopher on his quest to find what really made food edible and enjoyable. Many ages down the line most people believe that in the art of preparation of a particular cuisine, ingredients used play an all important role. Did you ever think that something as small and ugly as a black pepper seed can make your food not only tasty but healthy as well? Talking of ingredients, the biggest difference in the preparation of Swedish and African cuisines lies in the use of these secretive ingredients and recipes that have been passed on one generation to another. African and Caribbean cuisine use different types of spices for taste and fragrance but Swedish cuisine has a more traditional foundation and is simple. Ever seen a Swede on fire? Well! Spicy African cuisine can make that happen! African cuisine is comprised of generous amount of fish, pork, and even Giraffes! That’s a tall order! Swedes on the other hand are fish lovers, especially crayfish. At the center of the Swedish cuisine is husmanskost, which stands for home-cooked food. Husmanskost uses locally procured ingredients like fish, all forms of pork, milk, cereals, potato, berries, apples, onions, and root vegetables. Different types of spices are used for preparing it but it is not as fiery as the Chermoula Fish, the world famous Moroccan chicken, or the spicy Yogurt sauce that are integral to the African Cuisine. The fact of the matter is that in spite of these differences, you will find most of the African ingredients like cassava, pepper, chilli, pork, prawns, tuna, crayfish, tuna, lobster, avocado, mango, and root vegetable, available in Sweden. So you can actually have the best of both worlds! |