Swedish Cardamon Bread Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Why do Swedes love cardamom? ›

Culinary archaeologist Daniel Serra, who co-wrote the book An Early Meal – a Viking Age Cookbook and Culinary Odyssey, believes that cardamom first became of interest in Scandinavia in the 13th Century for both its medicinal and culinary use, as documented in the old cookbook Libellus de Arte Coquinaria.

Pulla is also common in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northern Ontario, areas in the United States and Canada which have large Finnish populations. There it is also commonly known as nisu, an old Finnish word still in use with the same meaning in some dialects, despite originally simply meaning 'wheat'.

Cardamom buns, kardemummabullar in Swedish, have a long history in Sweden and are a popular pastry enjoyed throughout the country. The exact origin of cardamom buns in Sweden is unclear, but it is believed that they were introduced by German bakers who came to Sweden in the 17th century.

Swedish recipes nearly always use green cardamom, which is added for its floral scent. Black cardamom is often seen as an inferior cousin to the green pods, but this is not really true. Black cardamom is harvested much later than its green counterpart and has a more pungent flavour.

It's important to note that there are different types of cardamom, and it's the green cardamom that is used in nearly all Swedish (and Norwegian) recipes. Cardamom buns make for the perfect fika.

Cardamom

For chronic constipation, drinking cardamom tea can help ease bowel movements. It is also known to alleviate nausea, vomiting, and heartburn sensations, which are prevalent in conjunction with constipation. Cardamom, either in your diet or in the form of Cardamom tea, will keep your digestive system happy.

Traditional Eastern Finnish rye bread is called limppu. The closest translation to English would be "loaf" (although limppu is always round and bulbous, while rectangular loaves are available). This bread is dark, sour in taste, dense, heavy and comparatively dry.

Swedish Braided Cardamom Bread is a traditional holiday loaf that's a delicious enriched dough that's topped with pearl sugar.

Cardamom bread in Scandinavia

Cardamom is a typical spice found in southern Indian cooking and curries, but over the centuries of spice trade it made its way to Scandinavia and is the star ingredient in Finnish and Swedish baking.

Pågenlimpan - Sweden's best-selling loaf.

What is the famous bread in Sweden? ›

Kavring is a classic Swedish bread that started by traveling through the Nordic countries. It originated as a crisp rye bread in Norway, and then, in the late 1800s, it evolved into a slightly sweet, tender, and fragrant loaf in southern Sweden.

Swedes are known for having a sweet tooth and the 'fika' culture has given the country an incredibly high patisserie standard. World-famous pastries like the cinnamon bun and the Swedish 'semla' even have their own day.

India is the world's largest consumer market for cardamom, but trails Saudi Arabia in imports.

Green cardamom seeds are the third most expensive spice in the world, after saffron and vanilla. The main reason is that it needs to be harvested by hand. It's a time-consuming procedure of handpicking and it is grown only in a few places throughout the world.

India, formerly the foremost producer, consumer and exporter of small cardamom, is second to Guatemala which fortuitously is currently the largest producer of cardamom. India has reported substantial diversity in small cardamom and is considered to be the centre of origin of E. cardamomum.

In Scandinavian culture, cardamom often represents comfort and home and family and holiday treats–similar to how we in the U.S. view cinnamon, perhaps.

About 1,000 years ago, the Vikings found cardamom in the bazaars of Constantinople and introduced it to Scandinavia. Today, Swedes consume 60 times as much Cardamom as Americans do and 18 times more per capita than the average country, including it in mulled wines, fresh pastries, and stewed fruits (Rae).

However, some 95% of cardamom produced in India is for domestic purposes, and India is itself by far the most important consuming country for cardamoms in the world. India also imports cardamom from Sri Lanka.