Use of Cardamom in Scandinavia

[rajsuman]

Hi,

This is an off-shoot of a discussion in the Indian forum:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...60entry595350

The rose cookies that are made in Kerala seem to be similar to Scandinavian rosettes. On the other hand, Scandinavia and Germany use cardamom in their baking. I was wondering if there was any culinary /historical /colonial connection? Parts of India were colonized by the Dutch for a while, so it would make sense if cardamom featured in the food of the Netherlands. From what I gather, that's not the case. So how did the cardamom end up in German and Scandinavian cooking? Are the rose cookies related to the rosettes or did they evolve independently?

Suman

[KatieM]

Hello Suman,

I am very new to this site, and I'm not sure that I can give you a definitive answer. However, my mother is Danish, and we use a LOT of cardamom. It basically goes into anything that is pastry/bread/cookie. For some reason, not so much in cakes, though. The only explanation for this that I can offer, one that my Danish books tell me, is that the Vikings brought spices back with them from their adventures. This would also explain why saffron is reasonably popular. I guess I can only assume that cardamom was the most popular of what they brought back. It's actually quite interesting, because in the Midwest, where I am from, you can find whole cardamom in the Scandinavian baking stores, but here on the East Coast, where I live now, I have to go to Indian shops to find it! Sorry if this isn't more informative. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. I am very curious myself!

Edited June 10, 2004 by KatieM (log)

[gingerly]

came across

Vikings came upon cardamom about one thousand years ago, in Constantinople, and introduced it into Scandinavia, where it remains popular

in a search.

[carswell]

In Sweden I was told that it was introduced through trade in the 12th or 13th century and was popular with the Vikings. It was listed among the items in the spice chest of Gustav Wasa (died 1560). But in his cookbook Aquavit, Marcus Samuelsson writes, "The chicken is seasoned with cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and cloves, spices that have been an important part of Swedish cuisine since the eighteenth century, when the Swedish East India Company first brought them to Sweden from Asia."

What I've always wondered is why cardamom should feature so prominently in Scandinavian cooking (breads and pastries but also as a flavouring for meats and drinks) and so little elsewhere in Europe. Especially since Swedish sweet rolls are so good.

[Dan Ryan]

I think many of the European countries had their favourite spices in the Middle Ages. In the UK saffron was immensely popular (and was even grown there), as was ginger (think of all the cakes and biscuits), while France favoured the clove, and Italy (Venice) nutmeg and cinnamon.

[Bridgestone]

I've been living in Sweden for nearly 10 years now but I have to admit that I decided not to answer this question when I first read it a few weeks back. I don't think that there are any easy answers...

I'm not sure if I completely buy the viking answer. Food/spice discoveries have happened through all ages as different civilizations have come in contact with one another. I don't see any reason why the vikings bringing spices back to Scandinavia would have any more lasting impact then say, the Romans bringing their spices to England.

My hypothesis has to do with the fact that Sweden and much of Scandinavia were relatively poor nations for a not all too long ago. I think that one can see quite a few reminents of these poorer times in Sweden's culinary traditions. Spices and goods from far-away places were luxuries that could only be tasted in times of celebration. Food and celebration go hand-in-hand in probably all cultures and as Sweden's poorer days are not too many generations back, the old traditions perhaps live a little stronger here.

Scandinavia has some of the highest per capita coffee consumption in the world. I believe this stems from a time when coffee was truly an exotic luxury imported from far-away places over dangerous oceans. To this day, one cannot be invited home to a Swedish family without being offered a cup of coffee. Saffron also has a leading role in Swedish celebration foods (saffron-steeped snaps, saffron-pickled herring and of course the Christmas saffron buns). And cardamom, too. Used in special dishes and with a heavy hand (just to make everyone understand that the item in question is indeed luxury).

Perhaps that and the fact that Sweden is a relatively uniform and homogeneous nation (i.e., nearly a whole nation celebrating the same holidays and ordering/making the same dishes) and you've got a pretty active market for some certain spices and goods.

At least that's what I can come up with when I think about it!