Scandinavia, where even the fast food is slow, and respect for ingredients is paramount

The highlights of a recent food trip to Sweden and Denmark ranged from vegan hot dogs and vegetarian burgers bought from street stands to several places on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants (W50 Best). Different as they all were, they offered insights into the way Scandinavians prepare and eat their food.

The meat of wild game such as deer, elk, reindeer and bear features on menus alongside seafood and pickled and fermented vegetables. Even what is considered fast food is made with care in these countries – minced patties and pulled pork are all handmade, and seasoned and cooked to order.

While much of the world has only recently begun adopting plant-based meat alternatives such as those produced by companies like Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat and Omnipork, home-grown Swedish brand Anamma has been producing a large range of plant-based meats for more than 20 years – including a plant-based variation on the national dish of meatballs. The McVegan burger at McDonald's, featuring Anamma’s plant-based patty, has been a fixture on the fast-food chain’s menus in Sweden and Finland since 2017.

More than 20 years ago, the Swedish coffee company Lofbergs, founded in 1906, introduced organic coffee to Sweden and was a pioneer in the use of aluminium-free packaging. Sara Sundquist, policy expert at the Swedish Food Federation, says the trade body is an advocate of sustainable and ethical animal husbandry, energy use, and handling of food waste.

“Vegan options in Sweden are definitely part of the global trend, but [they] also [stem] from concerns about animal welfare and climate change. In Sweden, the cows are all grass-fed and a crucial part of keeping our land open is to ensure biodiversity on the fields and to fertilise the crops,” says Josefin Jackson, a Swedish agronomist and rural planner.

As for high-end dining, eating a meal at two-Michelin-star Faviken Magasinet is an education in ingredients and their backstories. The food is rustic, simple and full of natural flavours. Through words and pictures, diners learn about chef Magnus Nilsson’s attention to detail and his respect for the provenance of ingredients – game, seafood, vegetables and fruit are all sourced within a certain radius of the hunting estate within which the restaurant sits.

Sadly Faviken will close at the end of 2019, with Nilsson having revealed in a heartfelt message on social media that he’s burned out. He will switch to growing apples.

“Faviken was like a history class as well as a peek into the future,” says Jackson, who ate with us. “The eggs preserved in ashes made me think of how important it is, next to all the innovations and ‘smart food’, to acknowledge how people lived through history when we never imported any food. Faviken reminded me of childhood memories and showed plenty of respect for the planet.”

Of the meals eaten on the trip, my favourite was that served at the three-Michelin-star Geranium restaurant in Copenhagen, ranked 19th on the 2018 W50 Best list.

Geranium chef Rasmus Kofoed is primarily vegetarian, eating fish once a week. He says: “The Scandinavian food culture is centuries old. Some of the first things we ate were oysters and beach cabbage. We still use them at Geranium, just in a different way.

“In our kitchen today, much like our ancestors, we dry and salt meat and fish, and pickle and ferment vegetables. While the menu at Geranium has many signature dishes, it changes seasonally.

“I am inspired by the nature that surrounds me, and when I see the leaves turning golden, the angle of the sun changing and that hint of autumn in the air, I feel it’s time to update the menu – [autumn is the] time for nuts, mushrooms, late summer berries and venison.”

At the other end of the scale from W50 Best establishments is Gasoline Grill in Copenhagen. It’s an odd mix – a service station and burger stand. Its hearty organic burgers are made to order, and there are three menu choices for meat eaters: cheeseburger with special Gasoline sauce, butter burger made with organic virgin Danish butter, and the original Gasoline burger. For vegetarians there’s a green burger made with seasonal vegetables.

 Gasoline Grill has been named one of the best burger joints in the world by industry experts.

Faviken Magasinet 216, 837 94 Jarpen, Sweden, tel: +46 647 401 77

Geranium, Per Henrik Lings Allé 4, 8. DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark, tel: +45 6996 0020

Gasoline Grill, Landgreven 10, 1300, Copenhagen, Denmark