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Archive for Emma

Promoting Sweden with köttbullar, kanelbullar and semla?

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The sweet Swedish delicacy called <i>semla</i> helps put Sweden on the map. Photo: Marie-Louise Johansson
The sweet Swedish delicacy called semla helps put Sweden on the map. Photo: Marie-Louise Johansson

Sweden is trying to brand itself as a “the new culinary nation.” Thinking about classic gastronomical countries like France and Italy, it may seem a bit far-fetched to think that Sweden will ever be able to compete on the global food scene.

But looking at the number of internationally successful Swedish chefs and the high standard of Swedish restaurants in general (roadside restaurants excepted), it may not be such a far-fetched idea after all. Especially if you also take into account the high-standard produce that Sweden has access to — from nature as well as from Swedish farms.

The idea behind “the new culinary nation” is to show the world the innovative Swedish cuisine, but having looked into the demand for information about Swedish food I’m not sure that innovative Swedish food is what people in general are interested in.

I had a look at the list of search terms that bring visitors to Sweden.se. Apart from various spellings of “Sweden” and the word for “weather” in different languages, some food terms are pretty high on the list. But it’s not exactly the most revolutionary dishes you find there: “köttbullar” is number 24, “kanelbullar” number 26 and “semla” number 37.

Köttbullar is Swedish for meatballs and they have for some strange reason become the typical example of Swedish food, although a quick look at Wikipedia shows just how many countries have their own types of meatballs.

On the other hand, kanelbullar are probably quite Swedish. It’s a wheat dough bun (bulle) filled with cinnamon (kanel), sugar and butter. But, then again, kanelbullar have been around for ages, so not very innovative either.

Lastly, semla is probably high on the search term list because it’s semla season right now. March 8 is THE semla day (called fettisdagen) this year, which means that it’s the last Tuesday before the 40-day period of fasting that precedes Easter in the Christian calendar. This is the excuse used to eat these sinfully delicious buns filled with almond paste and whipped cream. But — innovative? No, not exactly. It is claimed that semlor started to become popular in Sweden already in 1541.

I did, however, enjoy quite an innovative type of semla the other day. It was a strange hybrid between a kanelbulle and a semla. A kanelbulle was cut in two, and then filled with almond paste and whipped cream just like a normal semla. A bit over the top, if you ask me. So, if that’s innovative, I’ll stick with traditional — any day.

Let’s hope that Sweden’s innovative, new cuisine doesn’t lose track of what’s traditional and good. We found some favorites among Swedish–Ethiopian chef Marcus Samuelsson’s modernized traditional Swedish recipes. Hungry?

P.S. This is probably my last blog entry for quite some time. Next week I’m off on parental leave, and I’ll make sure to eat lots of semlor and use up a fair share of the 480 days off work that my husband and I are entitled to. So, until next time — all the best to all of you! :-)

Emma

February 24, 2011

Readers, tell us what you want!

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At Sweden.se, we analyze our work on the web on a regular basis — what seems to work (= reaches our target group) versus what doesn’t (for example, pages that get few visitors or few page views). At the beginning of every year, this process is more intense, as we look at the Sweden.se statistics for last year and, partly based on that, plan the year ahead — what to do and how to do it.

Sometimes it’s a frustrating job. We’ve noticed, for example, that a lot of the editorial content we published on Sweden.se during 2010 didn’t do at all as well as we thought it would. Why? Well, to be honest, we’re clueless. Increasing competition on the web? Not enough search engine optimization on the site? Or simply the wrong choice of topics?

On a happy note, our films seem to attract a fair number of viewers, which is really pleasing since we launched our film player, Watch, in 2010. And many people also found us on our Follow Sweden section (below, right) on The Local, Sweden’s news in English.

How can we make Sweden.se even better? What do you, our readers, want to know/see/hear?

How can we make Sweden.se even better? What do you, our readers, want to know/see/hear?

The best thing for us would be if you could just tell us what you’d like to know about Sweden. More hard facts? More culture? More on how to move to Sweden? Do you like it when we divide the year into themes (like our current fashion theme)? Why not post a comment with your opinion below?

Another recurring question for the Sweden.se staff is what we can do, as in what we’re allowed to do as representatives of a Swedish public agency, the Swedish Institute. We can’t allow our content to be too controversial. Politics is strictly off-limits, for example, and foreign politics even more so.

This is a problem that especially concerns this staff blog. Our disclaimer says: “This blog is an outlet of individual opinion, and what is said here does not necessarily represent the views of the Swedish Institute.” — but that doesn’t entitle us to write whatever we like. No matter how personal we want to be in our tonality and content, the problem is that in this context we still act as representatives of the Swedish state. So we are told. And maybe that’s right.

As much as Sweden loves and promotes free speech, this blog may not be the right forum for content of a too sensitive nature. One real borderline case was my own post from the day after the election in September 2010. It passed, but only just. Sometimes edits have to be made. Sometimes posts are simply not published.

It’s just that I have a feeling that our readers are fairly critical and would actually like to be served some controversial opinions about Sweden every now and then rather than just being fed all the nice facts about our nice country. Don’t get me wrong — state-employed or not, I love Sweden, but that doesn’t mean that everything about the country is hunky dory. That would be weird. That’s why I think allowing some negative sides of Sweden to show just increases our credibility.

But that’s really for you to say. Please make your voices heard below, give us some guidance on what you’d like to see on Sweden.se and in this blog during 2011.

Emma

February 8, 2011

ABBA and the promotion of Sweden

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Here at the Swedish Institute, we always say that we need to find new “icons” for Sweden. ABBA may have been a great band, and they may still be the best known Swedish band outside the Swedish borders, but they have long since passed their expiry date, so to speak. And we feel that we need to find other Swedish celebrities to use when promoting Sweden, like Robyn.

Still, I can’t help sharing this weird little YouTube clip of ABBA’s Björn and Benny singing Silent Night together in silly Santa hats. Enjoy!

Emma

December 16, 2010

Nobel Week for noble minds

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Taxis lined up outside of Stockholm's Concert Hall, ready to drive the Nobel laureates to the following banquet.

Taxis lined up outside of Stockholm's Concert Hall, ready to drive the Nobel laureates to the following banquet. Photo: mararie/Flickr

Stockholm City Hall ready to receive about 1,300 Nobel Prize-celebrating guests.

Stockholm City Hall ready to receive about 1,300 Nobel Prize-celebrating guests. Photo: Michael Cavén/Flickr

In Stockholm, December 10 is a day for tail coats, floor-length gowns and tiaras. The so-called Nobel Week, filled with Nobel festivities, reaches its climax: the award ceremony in Stockholm’s Concert Hall, when the Nobel Prize winners finally get their medals and diplomas, and the following, enormous banquet at Stockholm City Hall.  

Imagine stepping out of the solitude of your laboratory into the spotlight of the world to mingle with the Swedish royal family and other celebrities! Quite stressful for some of the scientists, I can imagine. And overwhelming. But it’s a great honor as well, of course. 

This is what some of them said in their own speeches:  

  • Aaron Klug, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1982: “It is as though I have been cast as an actor invited to take part in a production and not quite knowing his lines.”
  • Wassily Leontief, Economics Laureate in 1973: “I am dining with the King and Princesses in a golden hall, surrounded by the gracious ladies and gentlemen of their court.”
  • Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1991: “This is the first, and probably the last, time in my life where I have dinner with queens and princesses. I am worried. I suspect that with the chimes of midnight I will be turned into a pumpkin.”

Many of these Nobel Prize-winning great minds have found the answers to some of the big questions on earth. But many remain. We asked some of Sweden’s brightest minds to help us answer a few of these questions of earth, life, love and the future.  

See how Swedish professors tackle questions like:  

  • Why do we have emotions?
  • When will there be thinking robots?
  • Can stem cells cure Parkinson’s disease?
  • Can we put a price tag on natural resources?
  • Can biology explain God?
  • Why do children play?
  • When can we take the elevator to heaven?
  • What issue is the most crucial for our survival on earth?
  • Why do we look for the meaning of life?

    • Maybe there is a Nobel Prize winner among these noble Swedish minds as well…

    Emma

    December 6, 2010

    Innovation for a better world

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    The power of innovation keeps the world moving forward. Some ideas seem quite insignificant at first, but turn out to have a huge impact and contribute to a better world. Ever heard of the Peepoo bag? Even though you may not need it in your everyday life, it’s an innovation with the potential to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

    The Peepoo bag is a single-use, biodegradable bag that can be used as a toilet that you can carry with you. Two to four weeks after use, the treated feces has been transformed into a high-value fertilizer, a much sought-after commodity in developing countries. Such a simple idea somehow, and now it’s been developed into a revolutionary innovation.

    The Peepoo concept was invented by Swede Anders Wilhelmson in 2005, and a group of researchers and other interested persons have been involved in developing the idea. Since October 2010 the Peepoo bag has been on sale in Kenya, and because of its life-changing potential in developing countries where toilets are scarce it’s been in the media around the world. Al Jazeera published the video below on April 22, 2010.

    But the world is not only full of great innovations, but also of great actions. Inspired by the likes of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo — people who unselfishly fight for a better world — we decided to pick a few Swedish non-profit organizations as our own Nobel Peace Prize “nominees.”

    In the article “Sweden.se nominates alternative Nobel Peace Prize winners” freelance writer Cari Simmons introduces the equality agency Rättviseförmedlingen; the anti-bullying organization Friends; the Swedish Network of Asylum and Refugee Support Groups, FARR; and the parent patrol group Farsor och morsor på stan, who on a voluntary basis walk the streets of Stockholm late at night looking after teenagers. Inspiring Swedish organizations doing a fantastic job — and giving me a bad conscience for not doing more myself…

    While hoping for more great innovations and great actions to make the world a better place, me and my bad conscience will go and watch a movie.

    Emma

    November 23, 2010