Anne Adsten
To a visitor it may seem like any other buffet or Smorgasbord with loads of different kinds of foods, but the Julbord (Christmas buffet) is sacred to many Swedes. Of course there are differences between the south of Sweden and the north as well as there are themed Cristmas buffets, like the one served by Elaine Asp with a taste of Sapmi and the one at Big River Camp in Storåbränna with a taste of the wild, and of course from family to family.
There are lots of restaurants in Sweden serving Christmas buffet from December 1st and up to Christmas Eve. Large companies often treat their employees or customers to Julbord as a sign of good will. It is also quite common to gather friends and family to go out and eat a proper Christmas buffet in a restaurant together even if you later are going to make your own buffet on Christmas Eve. So if you feel like trying the Swedish Julbord, but not cooking yourself, a good way to experience the flavours is to visit a Christmas market in Sweden followed by a Julbord!
One of the best Christmas fairs in Sweden is the one at the regional museum of Jämtland Härjedalen, Jamtli Julmarknad in Östersund. The Restaurant Hov within the museum grounds and market area serves a traditional Christmas Buffet from early December every year.
Hävvi means “of course” in Sami and is the name of the restaurant in the Sami mountain village Glen south of Östersund. Their homemade Christmas buffet includes foods from the mountains and forests around Glen. The dishes are both Sami and traditional Swedish Christmas buffet dishes.
Elaine Asp has opened her new restaurant by her home in Lockåsböle in 2020, you will find the latest information on Restaurang Hävvi Elaine here.
Big River Camp is a comfortable hotel & Spa in Storåbränna, 1,5 hours north of Östersund city. It is a place to enjoy hunting and fishing as well as safaris by snow mobile or dog sled. In time for Christmas Big River Camp designs their Christmas Buffet in their own style with wild meats. They serve more than 70 different kinds of delicacies like moose mule, reindeer testicles, pickled moose vom, bear meat, moose meatballs and goodies from the Fågelberget charcuteries. For younger guests there is a surprise hidden under the Chrismas tree for all of those who have finished their buffet!
The Ski Resort Åre 1,5 hours west of Östersund is all about the Christmas spirit all December. The village is being decorated with lights and there are lots of activities besides skiing to get you in the spirit. The classical day for the shops to show off their Christmas storefronts (julskyltning in swedish) is held at a certain sunday in Advent and shops stay open til late for all Christmas shoppers. Buustamon is a hillside hotel at 732 m. a. s. l. This means you start your Christmas adventure by being picked up in a snow cat to get you to the off road hotel. Buustamons fjällgård makes their own special made mulled Chrismas drink (glögg in Swedish) for guest to enjoy in the cellar distillery and then it is time to enjoy the buffet on the first floor in the restaurant. All the best delicacies from around is chosen including the Swedish favourites which are a must for a classic Christmas buffet.
At the center of the Christmas buffet table at Nysäterns fjällgård, a shieling* by the Sonfjället National Park, there is the bowl of “Gum”. Gum is a product from the last morning of the summer herding period. Raw unseparated milk was cooked and made into rennet. Then the compressed milk was brought from the shieling down to the original farm. The method was a sophisticated way of making use of every last drop of milk. The material was then used for making butter, cheese and whey butter in the same making. You could say it was like pieces of cheese in a sauce from butter and whey, like a caramel sauce. This mix was then eaten hot or cold with most all different kinds of dishes.
The rest of the summer produce was turned into butter, cheese and whey butter stored in cellars dug into the ground and lined with stones. At the end of the summer this produce was brought to the village by horses.
At Nysäterns Fjällgård everything is homemade or comes from the area around Mount Sonfjället. There is reindeer meat, berries, mushrooms and moose. The ham is from the farm pigs and chicken and lamb is also from own produce. All bread is from the farm bakery and all dairy products have been produced within the farm. Only a few ingredients on the Christmas buffet table are from nearby producers.
A shieling is a collection of cabins/cottages, located in or near the mountains, used primarily in summer for the grazing of livestock. The word Shieling is Gaelic.
