Highly acclaimed head chef of Fäviken Magasinet restaurant in Sweden, Magnus Nilsson, has been going from strength to strength and after his first wonderful book, Fäviken, we are excited to see what book two will offer with his take on Nordic home cooking.
The chef told Phaidon: “The idea is that there has been nothing comprehensive published in English on Nordic cooking, basically ever,” he told us. “There have been books about Scandinavian cooking or on national cooking back in the 1970s but nothing since then. And everyone confuses the countries and the regions and no one really understands how diverse it all is. So I’m aiming to show all that with this new book.”
The research for the book has been collated from his extensive travels around Nordic countries such as Denmark, The Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Calling upon the services of local people to offer up their suggestions on traditional Nordic fare, Nilsson has translated these dishes into 650 contemporary classics.
Taking inspiration from far and wide, original recipes from all generations of Scandinavians have been catalogued in this book, working its way through familiar classics such as; smoked salmon, meatballs and lingonberry jam, to lesser known aspects of the cuisine which include; rosehip soup, pork roasted with prunes, and juniper and honey beer.
Keeping the layout in true slick Scandinavian style, the chapters have been categorized by food type from meat, fish and vegetables, to breads, pastries and desserts. The easy to read format makes the book an automatic reference guide for any kitchen wishing to embark on the culinary delights of Nordic lands.
Containing beautiful images from Erik Olson to accompany the gastronomic endevours, as well as narrative texts from Magnus himself on Nordic culinary history, ingredients and techniques including smoking and home preserving.