Talk:Smorgasbord

Julbord

This section is written in an editorial or POV bombastic style, and needs to be either rewritten simply in describing the foods, or removed entirely. Encyclopedias speak in the third person, and should almost never use the second person or talk directly to the reader, as it does now. --Kuzaar^-T-C- 16:27, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

• I've started the effort, but there is a long way to go. I think with another (admittedly major) edit, this article will have improved beyond 'start-over' status.Reimelt 20:26, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

"Ansjovis" and "anchovies"

Note that when discussing "Jansons Frestelse", "ansjovis" and "anchovies" is not the same: The swedish "Ansjovis" is "sprats pickled the anchovy way" (its made from "skarpsill"), while the english "anchovies" is known in swedish as "sardeller". This is when talking about food dishes. When talking about the species of fish, "ansjovis" and "anchovies" is the same. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.163.203.3 (talk) 08:47, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Simplified language

We made some changes to keep the spirit of of the original article but with more simplified language. (referring to suggestions made here) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tpnordberg (talk • contribs) 02:14, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Picture

That picture isn't much of a smörgåsbord. This is more like it: http://www.missmaud.com.au/write/SmorgLunchNewLge.jpg. I don't know how to edit pictures though. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.226.178.53 (talk) 22:27, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Origins

When did the the smorgasbord come to being? How does it compare to the French buffet? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.165.47.49 (talk) 01:49, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Mid 1800s. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.226.178.120 (talk) 13:27, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Some would say that it compares favorably to the French Buffet- as the saying goes, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating!" :) --Kuzaar^-T-C- 13:42, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Potato casserole

Potato casserole definitely has no raison d'être at a traditional julbord. Bcarlssonswe (talk) 13:20, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

Smörgåsbord/Smorgasbord?

Are the diacritics really ever used in English? Isn't the correct English spelling smorgasbord? We could use the Swedish spelling when referring specifically to the Swedish smörgåsbord. 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 12:48, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

The English word smorgasbord is essentially a synonym for a buffet. There is already an article on that and I see no reason to duplicate content about buffets in general in this article. The main justification for this article's existence to cover the specifically Swedish traditions. Hence, I find the Swedish word with mandatory diacriticals a more appropriate main title for the article. As for whether the diacriticals are used in English, yeah they are probably not. I've seen it that way but I think it's uncommon (my dictionary has both). hajhouse 08:44, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

Okay, I figured the "English" section might be rewritten... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 09:39, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

Sorry to be pedantic, but they aren't diacritics. Read the article Swedish alphabet: The letters "Å", "Ä" and "Ö" are considered distinct letters in Swedish and are sorted after Z as shown above (unlike the German umlauts in the German alphabet). --EvilFred (talk) 01:31, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

I actually was planning to mention exactly the above and it seems someone has already pointed this out. The article continues to refer to diacritics when, as has been pointed out, they are distinct letters that only APPEAR to have diacritics due to their shape. Sadly I can't think of a better way to reword the incorrect sections. --||bass (talk) 16:57, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

Question

How do Swedish people call the dish made with eel? Is it also cured and eaten raw like rakfisk? And what beverages are drunk in julbord except alcoholic beverages? --Appletrees (talk) 11:05, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

The eel on the julbord is usually smoked, and it is unsurprisingly called "smoked eel". Except for the alcoholic beverages, the most common drinks are Julmust and Mumma (English, look at the bottom, Swedish). Some people drink Coke, but that's just plain wrong. --194.22.3.6 (talk) 13:14, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

Interesting, Swedish and English seem to have a lot in common. Thank you for letting me know the other information.--Appletrees (talk) 19:58, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

Beers and Ales are also popular at the Julbord, but Julmust and snaps are really integrated parts of a Julbord. -- Henriok (talk) 19:11, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

There is also sv:Glögg, known here in Finland as fi:Glögi, and there seems to be an english article as Mulled wine. The non-alcoholic version of that seems to be surprisingly popular nowadays (I can speak of a part of Finland only, though). Apart from that, I'd say only non-alcoholic are milk and water. 82.141.64.160 (talk) 15:12, 25 May 2012 (UTC)

Det store kolde bord

Smörgasbord seems to exactly the same as the danish lunch buffet ('Det kolde bord', or 'Det lune bord'). Probably just a common scandinavian tradition. Should the article be expanded to cover the danish variant or is a new article more appropiate? We probably need to find a source discussing the possible difference or similarity... Carewolf (talk) 15:43, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

The other Scandinavian names are in there, I added the missing redirect, and have updated the Danish_cuisine#Det_kolde_bord to include the "main" template to this article. I'm calling it done, but the last of these may be overreach; if someone wants to clarify the differences, have at it. -- B.S. Lawrence (talk) 19:45, 17 September 2009 (UTC)

Julebord and koldtbord in Norwegian

Smörgåsbord here is what we in Norwegian call koldtbord. Julebord, which the wiki page linked to in Norwegian is different. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.62.151.202 (talk) 11:20, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

Change the pictures!!

Both the smörgåsbord picture and the julbord picture only shows desserts and has nothing to do with neither smörgåsbord or julbord. Plus cupcakes are not a traditional swedish dish. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.226.178.14 (talk) 22:41, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

I'm the one who added the pictures from flickr to this article. I think they look good and fit to the contents. I'm not a Swedish and don't live in any of the Scandinavian countries, therefore, the pictures are my best. If you can take pictures of Smorgasbord, please feel free to replace them with better images.--Appletrees (talk) 19:56, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

Here:http://www.missmaud.com.au/Portals/0/restaurant/SmorgLunchNewLge.jpg is a good example of a real smörgåsbord. I don´t know how to add pictures,btw. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.226.178.26 (talk) 23:06, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Well, the picture seems to be taken in Australia and copyrighted as well. If you want to upload files, you need to make an account and then see the left menu at the bottom. There is "upload files' menu" where you have to go. However, you need to upload either your own pictures or free images from copyright. Or you can get a permit from photographer via email. As I said, the pictures are my best and it is time for you to show your contribution.-Appletrees (talk) 11:03, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

I just don´t understand how you can call that a smörgåsbord.There are only breakfast items in that picture. Where is the herring? The salmon? The meatballs? The sausages? Your picture lack all the food that is supposed to be on a smörgåsbord and cupcakes are still not a traditional swedish dish. Miss Maud may be australian but she is right anyway. Plus the julbord pictures only shows candy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.226.178.26 (talk) 21:56, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Who is Miss Maud? The link shows just a picture of buffet and no description or indication written on the page. I don't think Swedish people usually call musicians for their meal unlike the picture. It was like an event held at a restaurant. Besides, the internet domain clearly is not belonged to Sweden. The pictures I added are all from Swedish flickr users with the title "Smorgasbord". If you think they are not authentic, or traditional Swedish smorgasbord, then please leave a caption in the image template. Before complaining about others' effort, please contribute something. As I repeatedly said, that is my best. Why don't you take pictures and upload images of "traditional Swedish smorgasbord or Julbord? You're a Swedish, so you can grab as many chance as you can. --Appletrees (talk) 17:37, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Smorgasborg

A corruption of smorgasbord often found in Business English, and online. I think the misspelling should be included in the article.Toddsschneider (talk) 13:47, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

Dining cars

Where it says: Smörgåsbord was also served as an appetizer in hotels and later at railway stations, before the dining cars time for the guests. Does that mean ... railway stations, before the invention of dining cars,? That'd be my guess, but I didn't change because it's unreferenced. -- B.S. Lawrence (talk) 19:45, 17 September 2009 (UTC)

Requested move

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: Not moved. Ucucha 02:26, 15 March 2010 (UTC)

---

Smörgåsbord → Smorgasbord — the term without diacritics has become an English word. Caspian blue 16:12, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Evidence that the diacritic-free spelling is preferred? Knepflerle (talk) 17:48, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Ta-da, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/smorgasbord. Several major English dictionaries are one of the evidences.--Caspian blue 11:30, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

I'd want to see what Britannica, M-W, the OED, and Encarta use. Dictionary.com does not indiscriminately strip diacritics (see http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cafe, for example), so this does count as evidence.--Atemperman (talk) 19:29, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

• Comment is the English word "smorgasbord" the same thing as the Scandinavian buffet table? Doesn't the English word signify a bunch of options or if food, a buffet, more than anything else? 70.29.210.242 (talk) 05:46, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

This may indeed be significant. "Zurich" and "Zürich" refer to the same thing, while the nativized "smorgasbord" has a different meaning than the original Swedish term. --Atemperman (talk) 19:29, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

• Oppose. This article is about the Swedish buffet, not the English term (which belongs at Wiktionary). — AjaxSmack 01:35, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

• Oppose as per AjaxSmack. —innotata (Talk • Contribs) 01:43, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Mold?

Under the etymology section I've never heard of pieces of mold (sic) that float to the top of cream when churned. Presumably this means the forming lumps of butter?The Yowser (talk) 13:59, 26 April 2011 (UTC)

[sic!]

"The classic Swedish julbord is the highlight of Swedish cuisine" - really? I mean... really?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.254.86.23 (talk) 15:19, 24 April 2012 (UTC)

Advertising

Please stop adding tidbits about this or that book title including "Smorgasbord", it's just plain advertising. Nixdorf (talk) 22:30, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

Why does the article mention how is this smorgasbord called in Latvia, Estonian or Lithuanian? Why not in German, Polish, Portuguese or Swahili? Shouldn't the article be about smorgasbord and not how it is called in some minor tribal languages? For example in Estonian the word for smorgasbord is Swedish table and is borrowed directly from Russian, not Swedish. Why are those Baltic tribes creeping in on something that is clearly Germanic, Scandinavian, Swedish? Shouldn't one desirous to marvel about delicacies of Latvian cuisine (no such thing) start an entry on Latvian cold table? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.187.149.145 (talk) 12:01, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

US Centric?

I'm not sure anybody in the UK would consider "smörgåsbord" (with or without the diacritics) as synonymous with "buffet". The usage this term has in the UK is mentioned only briefly towards the bottom of the article with the sentence "[t]he term is also used as a metaphor to indicate any diverse group, synonymous with a vast array.[6]"

The problem with the article as it stands is that the US usage is diluting/corrupting the primary Scandinavian usage, which appears to be more specific than simply "buffet." I think the article could make a better/clearer distinction between (i) Scandinavian, (ii) UK and (iii) US usage of the term. 81.23.54.142 (talk)

Is the term even used in the UK? Outside an upper-middle class metropolitan elite, the term "smörgåsbord" I think is unknown. I grew up in the UK, spent most of my life here, and I have a degree from university, but I have never once heard the term being used. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.157.17.12 (talk) 21:54, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

hot and cold

The intro says it consists of cold dishes but a later section says it involves hot and cold dishes. Could someone please fix the discrepancy?

— Reinyday, 17:25, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

Weirdness around "julbord"

I just skimmed through https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_dinner and was confused by the mentions of three specific courses (being Swedish myself) and followed a link to this article. Here a similarly specific take is presented that leaves me highly sceptical.

I strongly suspect that an individual author has generalized his own personal experiences too far.

Notably, there can be very great variations between even next-door neighbours with many Christmas traditions (not restricted to food) running in individual families.

As a contrasting comparison, the Christmas dinners in my own family where of the "bord" format with all components (ham, meatballs, sausages, omelette, bread, ...) available at the same time. Fish has to my recollection never been a part of it, ham broth a definite exception, etc.

I also note that the corresponding Swedish article, https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julbord, currently reads very differently from the Julbord section of this article.

Even when looking at Smörgåsbord in general, I would consider the "three courses" to be, at best, an over-generalization. Indeed, for me, the very point of a Smörgåsbord is the ability to pick freely from a wide variety of components without restrictions such as in what order components are to be eaten.

I would suggest throwing the current contents out and replacing them with translations of the Swedish pages, possibly with some modifications to compensate for assumptions of background knowledge. (I would be willing to do so myself, but am unlikely to have the time until February.) 80.226.24.9 (talk) 15:30, 30 December 2013 (UTC)

• Maybe it should just be clarified that there are traditionally three courses but that there can be many variations. In my family we have the contents of all the courses availabe on the buffet table and some in my family eats them in order while other mixes the courses on the plate. --LoPoBo (talk) 02:11, 31 December 2013 (UTC)

Fully protected edit request on 17 September 2016

A protected redirect, Smorgasbord, needs redirect category (rcat) templates added. Please modify it as follows:

• from this:

#REDIRECT [[Smörgåsbord]] {{R from title without diacritics}}

• to this:

#REDIRECT [[Smörgåsbord]]

{{Redirect category shell|{{R from move}}{{R from title without diacritics}}{{R hatnote}}{{R unprintworthy}}}}

• WHEN YOU COPY & PASTE, PLEASE LEAVE THE SKIPPED LINE BLANK FOR READABILITY.

The {{Redirect category shell}} template is used to sort redirects into one or more categories. When {{pp-protected}} and/or {{pp-move}} suffice, the Redirect category shell template will detect the protection level(s) and categorize the redirect automatically. (Also, the categories will be automatically removed or changed when and if protection is lifted, raised or lowered.) Thank you in advance!  Paine  ^u/c 21:00, 17 September 2016 (UTC)

Done. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk, contributions) 08:11, 18 September 2016 (UTC)

Thank you very much, Jo-Jo Eumerus!  Paine  ^u/c 11:46, 18 September 2016 (UTC)

Etymology

I added clarification between the English word smorgasbord, and the Swedish word smörgåsbord. The Swedish word doesn't generalize to other types of buffets, although it is also used on occasion in the same extended sense to refer to anything with a variety of choices. Kameloso (talk) 16:42, 8 January 2022 (UTC)

Requested move

A move request 14 years ago to change the name of this article to “Smorgasbord” failed because editors felt that the word for the Swedish buffet—which was distinct from the English expression—was still rendered at that time with accent marks.

This is no longer the case: Merriam-Webster and Cambridge Dictionaries refer to the Swedish buffet without any accents, as a loanword to English. Neither mention the accented rendition as a variant spelling either.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smorgasbord
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/smorgasbord

MOS:FOREIGN would dictate that the title of the article, and the common-name for this topic, be “Smorgasbord”, without any accent marks. Is this change still controversial?        —Showerlemon (talk) 20:25, 25 May 2024 (UTC)