User:Emmiesoderstrom/sandbox

Your article, Swedish Preservation Methods can go nicely in the SWEDISH CUISINE article, within the HISTORY section either before or after HUSMANSKOST.  You have a good outline so far but you need to fully develop article.  We agree with your final thought of just writing about fish preservation.  Narrow topic works nicely.

Article evaluation

The article named Swedish cuisine gives a broad picture of Swedish food. It covers historical aspects, common dishes/drinks and what a typical meal usually consists of. The text seems a little biased since the author have base part of the text on his/her own experience. For example when mentioning how Swedish cuisine is influenced by other cultures and cuisines. In the ending paragraph from 'Food and Society' it is stated that five different types of milk (with varying fat percentage) is sold in Swedish grocery stores. This information is not necessary and does not fit in under the heading. Moreover, there are not enough citations to back up the facts and most of the references are recipes. Most of the references are not working. Overall, a lot of improvements could be done to the article on Swedish cuisine, apart from the things already mentioned, the English could be better.

Possible Topics

• New page - Swedish Food Preservation or develop the history section in the article about Swedish cuisine
• Coffee in Sweden – Could make a new page on this subject. There is a lot of history in the article on Coffee but not on how coffee was introduced in Sweden and how the nation grew to be one of the worlds most prolific coffee drinkers.
• Semla – The article on this Swedish sweet pastry does not include a lot of information on its historical aspects. As a matter of fact, only two sentences are used to describe its history. For this reason this paragraph could be a suitable topic to further develop at Wikipedia.

Final Topic

For my final topic I will work on the History section in the article on Swedish Cuisine. I will here develop the concepts about methods for preservations commonly used in Swedish Cuisine. I will broaden the history on fish preservation to include e.g. fermentation, pickling and curing. I might also include how making jam was important and what berries historically been used. In the existing history section I will improve the text and add citation where possible, since the introduction text of the history section is not including a single citation.

Outline:

I've adjusted the first paragraph of the introduction in the original article to be included in the introduction to the section "Swedish preservation methods". Some citations are missing and will be added.

Existing first paragraph in History section in original article:

The importance of fish has governed Swedish population and trade patterns far back in history. For preservation, fish were salted and cured. Salt became a major trade item at the dawn of the Scandinavian middle ages, which began circa 1000 AD. Cabbage preserved as sauerkraut and various kinds of preserved berries, apples, etc. were used once as a source of vitamin C during the winter (today sauerkraut is very seldom used in Swedish cuisine). Lingonberry jam, still a favourite, may be the most traditional and typical Swedish way to add freshness to sometimes rather heavy food, such as steaks and stews.

• My edit of the text is included in the introduction section of Swedish preservation methods, see below

New headline:

Final version below:

To be put under the history section in Swedish cuisine. The first existing paragraph would be removed and than the preservation section would be but above 'Husmanskost'

Swedish preservation methods

Historically, a number of different preservation methods have been used in Swedish Cuisine and the methods dates back a long time. Recently found traces of food preservation in the form of fermented fish are believed to be as old as 9200 years. The long Swedish winters made preservation of food essential for the survival of the population. Crops grown in the summer were stored and preserved to be consumed during the cold and dark months. Vegetables were pickled, berries were turned into jam and meats were dried and salted. Another preserved product consumed in Sweden is fermented milk, or sour milk (filmjölk) as it is also called. This dairy product has most likely been consumed in Scandinavia for thousands of years. In fact, vikings are believed to have consumed a product similar to sour milk on their journeys across the seas. The purpose of fermenting the milk was to increase the durability of it during the warm summer months. In southern European countries yoghurt, another variation of fermented dairy, was more common while sour milk was more prevalent in the temperate northern european region. Apart from fermenting and pickling, other common historical preservation methods included: salting, drying, curing, smoking and freezing. Even though some of these methods have been practised for hundreds of years, many of them (and the associated dishes) are still a large part of the contemporary Swedish food culture and cuisine.

Preservation methods for fish

The expansive Swedish coastline with the Gulf of Bothnia in the north east, the Baltic Sea in the south east and Kattegat and Skagerrak in the southwest, in combination with many inland lakes, have been an important sources of food in the Scandinavian country. The resulting easy access to fish has made seafood, especially in its preserved form, a staple in Swedish cuisine. As only a small portion of the population (the elites and fishermen) had access to fresh seafood in the past, preserved fish became the most common way of consuming the food. In the addition there were difficulties fishing during the cold and long winters, which made the need for preservation more necessary, especially in the frigid northern parts of the country. For this reason, a number of different preservation methods were developed to make fish available for consumption during the colder months as well. Some of the most common preservation methods for fish include drying, smoking, fermenting, pickling and salting. Salt in particular became an important source of preservation when trade made it significantly more accessible in the Middle ages and it came to be used in several preservation methods for fish, such as fermenting and curing. In addition, salted herring has historically been an important trading product, especially in the southern parts of Sweden.

Several preserved fish dishes are still consumed today, often as a part of traditional celebrations such as Christmas, Easter and Midsummer.

Pickling

Pickled herring served during midsummer

Pickled herring is today consumed during festive holidays such as Midsummer, Easter and Christmas. During Christmas the pickled fish is served as a part of the traditional Smörgåsbord. Historically, herring has been one of the major sources protein in Sweden. However, the elite considered it more of lower class food and did not start consuming it in its pickled form, until the mid 18th century. The pickling liquid was traditionally made out of vinegar, onions and spices. The original pickled herring has since then been transformed to also include different flavourings, such as a condiments made out of mustard and dill.

Fermenting

Fermented fish

Fermenting, the process in which microorganisms preserve food by lowering the pH, has historically been used in the production of fermented herring (surströmming). This practice was particularly common along the Swedish northern coastline. The herring, caught in the Baltic sea would be lightly salted and put in barrels to ferment around midsummer and then be enjoyed in August. At first the fermented fish was consumed by the lower classes (such as peasants). Later, it evolved to be included in festive arrangements in different social classes. Fermented herring reached its peak production in the 18th century when it was used as a food source during pitched battles. The production of fermented herring has varied throughout history, depending on salt availability. During periods of salt shortages, due to sanctions or strangled trade, the production of so called sour herring increased. At the same time, production of the salted version decreased. During these periods, low temperatures have been utilized in order to control the fermenting process.

Drying

Scandinavian weather conditions including cold and dry air have been beneficial for drying food and it is most likely the oldest preservation method used in the area. When salt supplies were scarce, drying was the major preservation method used. Vikings for example dried fish to bring on their trips. Stockfish, Lutfisk, is a traditional dish normally consumed during Christmas. Historically, the fish was consumed during other holidays and celebrations as well. The preservation method dates back as early as the16th century and includes air drying of pollock or ling before it is put into a bath of soda lye. In the final step the fish is put into a water bath were the fish swells and is washed several times prior to consumption.

Curing

Cured, marinated salmon, (gravlax) is one of Sweden's most famous dishes. The name 'grava' originates from the word buried, which also explains the preservation method. The preserving used to include lightly salting the salmon before it was buried under ground for a few days, a method causing the fish to ferment. The method later changed and did no longer include fermentation or burying to cause the curing. Instead salt, sugar and dill are used for curing the salmon.