Glossary: Swedish seafood and food terms explained
October 27, 2026 – Fiskskaldjur
Swedish food has its own vocabulary. Here are the words you will meet in our shop and on our website.
- Gravlax / gravad lax
- Salmon cured with salt, sugar and dill. Served thinly sliced with hovmästarsås. See what is gravlax.
- Hovmästarsås
- A Swedish mustard-and-dill sauce, the classic partner for gravlax. See our hovmästarsås.
- Sill
- Atlantic herring, often pickled in flavoured marinades such as mustard, onion or blackcurrant. See the herring table guide.
- Strömming
- The smaller Baltic herring. See sill or strömming.
- Matjessill
- Herring cured in a sweet-salty brine, with a soft texture and mild flavour.
- Skagenröra
- A creamy shrimp salad with mayonnaise, dill and lemon, served on toast. See skagenröra.
- Räkmacka
- The Swedish shrimp sandwich. See how to make it.
- Löjrom
- Vendace roe, a Swedish delicacy. See the löjrom guide.
- Kaviar
- In Sweden, a smoked cod roe spread, not sturgeon caviar. See Swedish kaviar.
- Knäckebröd
- Swedish crispbread, often made from rye. See the knäckebröd guide.
- Filmjölk
- A Swedish soured milk, similar to a thin yoghurt, eaten with cereal or muesli.
- Falukorv
- A mild Swedish sausage. See how to cook it.
- Kräftskiva
- A Swedish crayfish party. See the kräftskiva guide.
- Julbord
- The Swedish Christmas table. See the julbord guide.
- Fika
- A coffee break with something sweet, a Swedish social tradition.
- Snaps
- A small glass of aquavit or flavoured spirit, traditionally served ice cold with herring and at crayfish parties. See what to drink with Swedish seafood.
- Fiskgryta
- A Swedish fish stew. See the recipe.
- Bostongurka
- A Swedish sweet-and-sour relish of diced pickled cucumber, used in herring such as Torslandasill.
- Pressgurka
- A thinly sliced, lightly pickled cucumber salad served with fish cakes and fish dishes.
