Nordic bread culture

Nordic breads are often seasoned with an assortment of different spices and additives, such as caraway seeds, orange zest, anise, and honey.

Four grain types dominated in the Nordic countries: barley and rye are the oldest; wheat and oats are more recent.

They subsequently took the technique home with them to show that they had been employed in high status work on the continent[citation needed].

Bread still retained its key function for breakfast, as the open sandwich is a starter for most Nordic people today and potatoes are used as a centrepiece in lunches and dinners.

The loaves were oblong in shape, made from ground whole rye, leavened with sour dough and sometimes sweetened with malt syrup.

More refined bread types for special occasions and feasts were prepared from sifted rye flour, and loaves made from wheat must have been eaten.

This strategy has resulted in the marketing of organic flour made from emmer, einkorn, spelt, kamut, ølandshvede, durum and svedjerug.

The most varied bread traditions in Finland are to be found in the regions of Karelia and Kainuu, where cereals have been ingeniously combined with other natural products such as berries, fish and vegetables.

The potato, although a late introduction to Finland in the early 19th century, features heavily in food culture and has found its way into many kinds of bread.

In Tampere, central Finland, a large bakery invented Ruisnappi, a rye snack flavoured with chilli, lemon, onion and garlic.

The innovation originated from the idea of using the bread taken from the holes which were removed from traditional round crispbreads, which was considered waste.

Rye breads baked in hot springs are a popular item today, being served for local consumption as well as for tourists.

In general, stock fish (Icelandic: harðfiskur) was served as a bread substitute, eaten with butter on the side with almost every meal.

The bread was kneaded and flattened into a round form by a cake roller or by hand, picked and baked on a hot stove or in ashes.

Today, flatbrauð with hangikjöt (smoked, cooked lamb, in thin slices) is often served, both in restaurants and at home.

Making this crispy bread is still a popular family event today and for many an essential part of the Christmas preparations.

Called Mýbiti ("midge bite") It is a sandwich made from rye bread that is baked in the hot springs nearby and shaped to resemble a unique green algae, lakeball (Icelandic: kúluskítur; Aegagropila linnaei), which is found in the lake (this algae is only found in a few lakes in the world).

Barley is the oldest grain and dominated in the mountainous northern parts of the region, while oats were most common in humid areas.

The coarse loaves were simply made from flour or crushed grain that was kneaded with hot water or some other liquid and shaped into a flat cake of dough.

For festive occasions, especially Christmas, the Norwegians have a long tradition of making various kinds of very thin flatbread called lefser, tunnbrød, kling, klining or krotekake.

Both men and women participate in baking these traditional breads; one rolls the dough and the other fries on wide, flat pans (takke).

However, during the Middle Ages, millstones powered by a waterwheel were introduced, and large amounts of grain could be ground more quickly.

New immigrants are bringing their cuisines to Norway, classic national and regional products are being revitalised, high-end restaurants for the business elite are springing up, and there is a growing interest in healthy organic food.

The whole grain bread from local bakers must give way to huge vehicle loads of baguettes and frozen dough offering cheaper products.

From Medieval times and the introduction of the first simple watermills, these flatbreads and crispbreads were baked only once or twice a year and kept dry in a storage chamber.

The large Finnish minority group in Sweden eats a stiffer rye bread baked with sour dough.

All older bread types still exist alongside the new ones, indicating the much greater variety open to individuals today than has been the case in the past.

20% of Swedes are first- or second-generation immigrants and use bread both as they did in their home countries and as it is used today in contemporary Swedish normative food culture.

[citation needed] Nordic food culture in the south and east of the region comprises a tradition of baking softer rye breads.

People in the northern regions of Norway, Sweden and Finland have a tradition of baking thin flat, crispy breads using barley.