Picking the gastronomic concept for a museum can go horribly wrong, especially if you try and match it to the theme of the museum too strictly. For Vikingaliv – one of Stockholm’s newest museums that lets visitors experience the Iron Age through the eyes of the vikings – this could entail that museum guests would be slopping barley porridge from large wooden ladles.
However, restaurateur Anna Broms, the driving force behind Vikingaliv’s restaurant Glöd (Swedish for fervour), has done an elegant job of translating Norse cuisine into a modern-day equivalent. The range of items on the menu offers something for everyone – there is “folk” mead and a Viking casserole for experience-hungry tourists, while a wheat berry salad (oats of different sorts where the viking’s most common stodge) is a great option for Stockholmers out on their Sunday walk. The 250 square metre space, designed by local studio Joyn, also captures a Nordic vibe without relying on clichés such as pelts, goblets, cast-iron casseroles and fire pits to do the job.
The ‘sill med nubbe’ (245 kronor) is a potpourri of three classic Swedish pickled herrings – flavoured with mustard, Dutch brine and onion – served with small aquavit schnapps, crisp bread, matured cheese and steamed potatoes. Confirming the rumour that the Vikings were big eaters, the portion is not for the faint at heart. Fish was another prehistoric staple, yet the soused char with delicately steamed vegetables and dill mayonnaise (185 kronor) would most likely have been a dish frowned upon by Sweden’s ancestors. I, however, welcome the elegant dish and its subtle flavours.
A dish that really stands out is Glöd’s very own marjoram sausage (175 kronor), which comes with a creamy and smooth potato mash, thinly sliced fennel and yellow beets. It somehow epitomises what I wish to see in a modern take on Viking-inspired, traditional food. It is warm, generous and hearty, but clearly tastes of the fresh organic and often local produce that was used in its preparation. This is the kind of thing that will keep both visitors and locals coming back for more.
Djurgårdsvägen 48
08 55 80 61 30
glodmat.se
Photo: Vikingaliv
