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FOOD AND DRINK |
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Eating and drinking is nothing like as expensive as it used to be in
Sweden, though filling up at breakfast and lunch is still much better
value than eating out at restaurants in the evening. At its best,
Swedish food is excellent, largely meat-, fish- and potato-based, but
varied and generally tasty and filling. Specialities include the
northern Swedish delicacies - reindeer and elk meat, and wild berries -
and herring in many different guises
Food
Breakfast ( frukost ) is invariably a help-yourself buffet - served in
most hostels and some restaurants for around 50kr-70kr, and free in
hotels - consisting of juice, cereals, bread, boiled eggs, jams, salami,
tea and coffee on even the most limited tables. Something to watch out
for is the jug of filmjölk next to the ordinary milk, a thicker, sour
milk for pouring on cereals. Coffee in Sweden is usually of the filter
variety and can be bitter. It's often free after the first cup. Tea is
weak as a rule but costs around the same - 10-15kr. For snacks and
lighter meals the choice expands. A Gatukök (street kitchen) or
Korvstånd (hot-dog stall) will serve a selection of hot dogs, burgers,
chips and the like for around 30kr. Burger bars are just about
everywhere now and a hefty burger and chips meal will set you back a
shade over 50kr: the local Clockburger is cheaper than McDonald's and
Burger King, but all are generally the source of the cheapest (and
weakest) coffee in town. If you can afford a little extra, it's far
better to hit the coffee shops ( konditori ), which always display a
range of freshly baked pastries and cakes. They're not particularly
cheap (coffee and cake for 20-35kr), but are generally good, also
serving smörgåsar , open sandwiches piled high with an elaborate variety
of toppings for 30-40kr a time.
Eating in a restaurant is cheapest at lunchtime, when most places offer
something called the Dagens Rätt at 50-60kr, often the only affordable
way to sample real Swedish cooking. Served between 11am and 2pm, it
consists of a main dish with bread and salad, sometimes a drink, and
coffee. Other cheapish places for lunch are cafeterias , usually self-service
with cheaper snacks and hot meals; large department stores and train
stations are good places to look. More expensive but good for a blowout
are restaurants and hotels that put out the smörgåsbord at lunchtime for
150-200kr, where you help yourself to unlimited portions of herring,
smoked and fresh salmon, hot and cold meats, eggs, potatoes, salad,
cheese and fruit. A variation on the buffet theme is the Sillbricka , a
specialist buffet for around the same price where the dishes are all
based on cured and marinated herring.
If you don't eat the set lunch, meals in restaurants, especially at
dinner ( middag ), can be expensive: 150-200kr for a three-course affair,
plus 30-50kr for a beer and at least 100kr for a bottle of house plonk.
Pizzerias and Chinese restaurants offer better value. Large pizzas cost
40-60kr, usually with free salad and bread, and the price is generally
the same at lunch and dinner. Chinese restaurants nearly always offer a
set lunch for around 50kr, though they're pricier in the evening. Also
widespread are Middle Eastern kebab takeaways and cafés, where you'll
get something fairly substantial in pitta bread for around 30kr.
Drink
Drinking is still pricey, though in Stockholm it's no more than most
European capitals now. The cheapest choice is probably beer , which
costs 35-45kr for 400ml of lager-type drink - a sto stark . Unless you
specify, it will be starköl , the strongest Class III beer, or the
slightly weaker mellanöl ; folköl is the Class II and cheaper and weaker
brew; cheapest (around half the price) is lättöl , a Class I concoction
that is virtually nonalcoholic. Classes I and II are available in
supermarkets; Class III is only on sale in state-licensed liquor stores
( Systembolaget ), where it's around a third of the price you'll pay in
a bar. Pripps and Spendrups are the two main brands. A glass of wine in
a bar or restaurant costs around 30-40kr, while you can buy a whole
bottle for a little more in a state off-licence. For experimental
drinking, aquavit is a good bet, served ice-cold in tiny shots and
washed down with beer. There are various different "flavours", too, with
spices and herbs added.
You'll find bars in all towns and cities and most villages, though
they're not the focus of the social scene. In Stockholm and the larger
cities the move is towards brasserie-type places; elsewhere there are
more down-to-earth drinking dens, where the clientele is normally male
and drunk. Wherever you drink, you'll find that things close down around
11pm or midnight, though not in Gothenburg and Stockholm, where you can
keep drinking into the small hours. The shops are open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm,
the minimum age for being served is 20, and you may need to show ID.
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