WEBVTT 00:00:00.009 --> 00:00:02.649 Hi, I'm Zar Larson. And today I'm gonna 00:00:02.660 --> 00:00:06.158 be showing you some of my favorite things from Sweden 00:00:06.169 --> 00:00:08.470 . And what makes me proud to be a Swede 00:00:08.698 --> 00:00:11.429 . I'm gonna show you some snacks, some foods 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:14.148 , talk to you about places you can visit and 00:00:14.159 --> 00:00:16.589 show you how to celebrate Midsummer. Like a true 00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:30.649 sweet. Let's go. So, first off, 00:00:30.658 --> 00:00:35.130 we have a classic which is basically the time where 00:00:35.139 --> 00:00:37.990 you don't eat like the real meals, no breakfast 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:40.399 , lunch or dinner. It's all that you snack 00:00:40.408 --> 00:00:44.798 on between those meals and usually it's some sort of 00:00:44.810 --> 00:00:49.844 pastry or, you know, and the Swedish cinnamon 00:00:49.853 --> 00:00:52.243 buns, which this is, are quite different than 00:00:52.255 --> 00:00:55.844 the American ones because we have this p which is 00:00:55.853 --> 00:00:59.884 these big like sugar things instead of that frosting. 00:00:59.895 --> 00:01:02.014 I've never had an American cinnamon bun. I think 00:01:02.024 --> 00:01:11.799 they look so scary. Ok. Ok. Mhm 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:15.930 . What I like is a cardamom bun. They're 00:01:15.939 --> 00:01:19.019 very yummy. And then this is the Semla which 00:01:19.028 --> 00:01:23.088 is very seasonal. You would only have this in 00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:27.739 the month of February. I'm not a huge fan 00:01:27.750 --> 00:01:30.278 of it because inside of it you see this is 00:01:30.290 --> 00:01:33.588 all, this is all like cream and that's all 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:34.650 very nice in that. And a bun. So 00:01:34.659 --> 00:01:40.010 this is kind of like um marzipan. But it's 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:42.388 weird because I really like Marzipan, but I don't 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:45.168 like this, but they're like cousins, but this 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:47.469 is the cousin that I don't like very much. 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:49.260 So I'm gonna, I'm gonna do this. You 00:01:49.269 --> 00:01:51.549 can put this in a bowl with warm milk. 00:01:51.558 --> 00:01:53.168 If you will eat it as a soup, you 00:01:53.180 --> 00:01:55.308 put it in the bowl with the warm milk. 00:01:55.859 --> 00:02:00.120 Then we, we're over to this little very exciting 00:02:00.129 --> 00:02:00.599 thing. When I grew up, I was only 00:02:00.609 --> 00:02:04.290 allowed to have it on Saturdays because Saturdays is the 00:02:04.299 --> 00:02:06.439 candy day. Every Saturday. I got to pick 00:02:06.448 --> 00:02:08.118 like 10 pieces of candy and it's like a pick 00:02:08.129 --> 00:02:10.599 and mix and it's in every single store in Sweden 00:02:10.710 --> 00:02:14.669 and I am a such a big liquorice fan. 00:02:14.679 --> 00:02:15.550 So I'm so happy to see one of my absolute 00:02:15.558 --> 00:02:20.659 favorites ever. Which is the Salt Patron. Oh 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:22.020 , sorry, I'm going to pick it up. 00:02:25.528 --> 00:02:29.069 This one is just, oh, it's so good 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:30.639 . This one is so good. Also, this 00:02:30.649 --> 00:02:34.588 one is amazing in this one is my favorite. 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:37.460 It's like raspberry and licorice. Also, this one 00:02:37.469 --> 00:02:39.719 is really good. He ro salty. These ones 00:02:39.729 --> 00:02:43.689 are absolutely the worst can you could ever have. 00:02:43.699 --> 00:02:46.129 This is some old people candy but you know what 00:02:46.179 --> 00:02:46.939 ? That's the beauty of it. You can pick 00:02:46.949 --> 00:02:50.558 and mix whatever you like this one. I haven't 00:02:50.569 --> 00:02:53.669 seen this in so long. This is a gum 00:02:53.819 --> 00:02:54.479 and I'm going to say that I'm actually gonna bring 00:02:54.490 --> 00:02:57.538 this home. Thank you, come to the house 00:02:57.610 --> 00:03:00.479 . Thank you so much. This one you could 00:03:00.558 --> 00:03:01.399 also have, you would, you would have this 00:03:01.409 --> 00:03:06.419 on some bread with a lot of butter, maybe 00:03:06.429 --> 00:03:09.788 some, some of this which is the hard bread 00:03:09.889 --> 00:03:15.038 . It's like a cream smoked fish roe. And 00:03:15.088 --> 00:03:19.360 I would understand that you might not love this if 00:03:19.368 --> 00:03:22.319 you didn't grow up on it. But to me 00:03:22.330 --> 00:03:27.149 , this is just like the most amazing flavor is 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:29.419 , it's giving like umami to me, I am 00:03:29.429 --> 00:03:34.308 way more of a salty savory type of person than 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.849 I am with the, the sweet stuff. Like 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:39.528 even the sweets, I will like enjoy a licorice 00:03:43.169 --> 00:03:49.879 , nice, nice. A lot of people know 00:03:49.889 --> 00:03:52.990 Swedish food from the food court at IKEA and that 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:54.139 is pretty accurate as you know, we have the 00:03:54.149 --> 00:03:57.449 Swedish meatballs here, but we also have some other 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:00.179 things to try and let's start with that. So 00:04:00.210 --> 00:04:02.080 on this little plate, this actually would look like 00:04:02.088 --> 00:04:05.028 a typical Midsummer. I don't know what it is 00:04:05.038 --> 00:04:08.754 about the Swedish holidays, maybe the same for you 00:04:08.764 --> 00:04:11.683 guys. But we do the exact same menu on 00:04:11.694 --> 00:04:14.925 every single holiday midsummer, Christmas Easter. Like it 00:04:14.933 --> 00:04:16.524 does not matter what kind of holiday we have the 00:04:16.535 --> 00:04:19.884 same menu period on this one right here. I 00:04:19.894 --> 00:04:21.983 see we got the pickled Herring. I would have 00:04:21.994 --> 00:04:29.358 it with some sour cream chives perhaps. Hm. 00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:32.470 It's like being at home. This is my favorite 00:04:33.028 --> 00:04:34.678 . I would have. It just like this to 00:04:34.750 --> 00:04:36.459 SAL is also very easy to make at home. 00:04:36.470 --> 00:04:44.619 Just shrimp. Some mayo dill onion. Mhm. 00:04:45.048 --> 00:04:48.059 It's like the Swedes. We love a good pickled 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:51.660 something pickled fish. It doesn't sound very nice. 00:04:51.939 --> 00:04:54.798 We don't have a lot of seasoning. So you 00:04:54.809 --> 00:04:59.000 do let the ingredients or the fish or, you 00:04:59.009 --> 00:05:00.899 know, whatever kind of be the star of the 00:05:00.910 --> 00:05:09.509 show staple staple in Swedish culture. Swedish cuisine, 00:05:10.178 --> 00:05:18.230 Swedish survival. Honestly, the star the queen, 00:05:18.689 --> 00:05:24.639 the Swedish dish, if you will. She's simple 00:05:24.649 --> 00:05:29.939 . She's elegant. She's classy four things. Meatball 00:05:30.809 --> 00:05:33.608 , mashed potato, pickled cucumber, ling and berry 00:05:34.119 --> 00:05:36.149 and with the yummy, yummy brown sauce for the 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:39.899 meatballs. This combination, I don't know who came 00:05:39.910 --> 00:05:41.809 up with it. I would say a genius. 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:48.329 It's just like it just hits, it just hit 00:05:48.730 --> 00:05:51.428 . Oh my God. This is like being out 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:54.269 for a long time. You're in the mountains, 00:05:54.278 --> 00:05:57.720 it's windy, it's freezing and then you see it 00:05:57.899 --> 00:06:00.178 , you see a cottage and in that cottage, 00:06:00.769 --> 00:06:05.790 this is what's waiting for. You also part of 00:06:05.798 --> 00:06:09.250 Swedish tradition. We just get shit faced on every 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:11.738 holiday and this glass is very big. But what's 00:06:11.750 --> 00:06:13.449 nice about it is that you don't need to drink 00:06:13.459 --> 00:06:15.678 the whole thing. It is not like a shot 00:06:15.689 --> 00:06:18.920 . Sometimes with the people you're around, you say 00:06:18.928 --> 00:06:21.220 , OK, let's just have half and then you 00:06:21.230 --> 00:06:25.238 would sing a song about drinking half of it because 00:06:25.250 --> 00:06:27.459 that is part of the fun. I'm gonna sing 00:06:27.470 --> 00:06:29.358 a song for you guys. I'm gonna do my 00:06:29.369 --> 00:06:55.809 dad's favorite. So, you know what? That 00:06:55.819 --> 00:06:59.410 was really nice. That was really nice. I 00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:00.250 don't know if it's because I'm grown now. I'm 00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:03.850 like 26. I can handle the liquor, but 00:07:03.858 --> 00:07:06.678 this was actually really nice. So whoever wants to 00:07:06.689 --> 00:07:12.528 have a taste of Swedish Ala? Shout out to 00:07:13.389 --> 00:07:18.759 an DeJean. It's midsummer time. Can't you? 00:07:18.769 --> 00:07:21.869 See, I'm sitting here with a beautiful flower crown 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:25.619 , which is something that you would wear on midsummer 00:07:25.629 --> 00:07:29.350 . My favorite holiday in Sweden, it is celebrated 00:07:29.358 --> 00:07:30.759 in the middle of summer, usually on the very 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:34.660 lightest day and night of the year and we dance 00:07:34.670 --> 00:07:41.379 around this pole which looks like this and then it's 00:07:41.389 --> 00:07:45.160 almost like a cross and then it hangs two round 00:07:45.170 --> 00:07:49.119 things on the pole that lays horizontally. And what 00:07:49.129 --> 00:07:50.699 , what does that look like? That is a 00:07:50.709 --> 00:07:55.713 penis? My ladies and gents that it's, it's 00:07:55.725 --> 00:07:57.274 , it's what we do. We dance around the 00:07:57.285 --> 00:08:01.213 green penis and we thank the penis for impregnating the 00:08:01.225 --> 00:08:03.613 earth and making it green and lush and we dance 00:08:03.625 --> 00:08:09.014 like frogs around it sometimes like Musli la Ola, 00:08:09.345 --> 00:08:11.803 which is a little guy who cries out for his 00:08:11.814 --> 00:08:13.454 mom. Like every other holiday, there's a lot 00:08:13.463 --> 00:08:16.673 of alcohol involved. Midsummer is probably the holiday where 00:08:16.684 --> 00:08:20.250 people would go the most like they will go in 00:08:20.259 --> 00:08:22.988 for it. It's just so be like people just 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:26.149 look beautiful. People are off work and can just 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:30.639 like celebrate the fact that at least we have hopefully 00:08:30.649 --> 00:08:37.759 two more months of warmth and sunlight. So as 00:08:37.769 --> 00:08:39.899 you can see here, this is Sweden. This 00:08:39.908 --> 00:08:41.788 is Norway, this is Finland, this is Denmark 00:08:43.058 --> 00:08:46.960 . This is Scandinavia. Finland is actually not a 00:08:46.969 --> 00:08:50.320 part of Scandinavia, but a part of the Nordic 00:08:50.609 --> 00:08:54.359 . So I would start my journey here from Stockholm 00:08:54.369 --> 00:08:58.019 if it's summer down south, winter up north. 00:08:58.048 --> 00:09:00.859 So I would take my car and I would go 00:09:00.869 --> 00:09:07.489 over all the way down to here. It's absolutely 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:11.639 stunning, white beaches, beautiful cliffs. When you 00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:13.769 are down south here, you could also go to 00:09:13.038 --> 00:09:16.889 Mal, which is the third biggest city in Sweden 00:09:16.099 --> 00:09:18.109 . And from Mal, you can take a train 00:09:18.119 --> 00:09:20.144 that takes about 20 minutes and you can go over 00:09:20.154 --> 00:09:24.335 to Copenhagen and just like spend the day there have 00:09:24.344 --> 00:09:26.303 a little beer, just chill in Denmark and then 00:09:26.315 --> 00:09:30.384 you go right back and just enjoy your evening here 00:09:30.394 --> 00:09:33.134 . But south of Sweden is just absolutely gorgeous. 00:09:33.144 --> 00:09:35.524 In the summertime, wintertime, I would do the 00:09:35.533 --> 00:09:39.065 opposite. I would go up north to go skiing 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:41.700 here with Norway. They have the fjords and they 00:09:41.710 --> 00:09:45.859 have a lot of mountains and up here you're most 00:09:45.869 --> 00:09:48.149 likely are gonna see the northern lights and there's a 00:09:48.158 --> 00:09:52.590 lot of reindeers up here. Maybe Rudolph is from 00:09:52.599 --> 00:09:54.379 here somewhere. The last show that I did actually 00:09:54.389 --> 00:09:58.668 was here in and it's really, really fun to 00:09:58.678 --> 00:10:01.479 come here. It's an amazing crowd. You could 00:10:01.489 --> 00:10:05.440 um go on a sled with some dogs. It's 00:10:05.450 --> 00:10:09.269 fucking cold though. But it's so stunning. And 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:11.729 up here they have a really funny accent, I 00:10:11.739 --> 00:10:15.668 think just like they do down, down south here 00:10:15.678 --> 00:10:18.109 also. Summer time. I like to go here 00:10:18.119 --> 00:10:20.729 to Gland, which is a super old island. 00:10:20.739 --> 00:10:24.599 A lot of rich history over here. I would 00:10:24.609 --> 00:10:26.658 say it takes about four hours with a ferry. 00:10:26.668 --> 00:10:31.399 Limestone city, baby, a lot of limestone over 00:10:31.418 --> 00:10:35.139 here. And that does for beautiful places to swim 00:10:35.149 --> 00:10:37.048 . Sweden in general. We have so many islands 00:10:37.058 --> 00:10:41.460 . We have about 220,000 islands. If you hear 00:10:41.469 --> 00:10:45.529 about Greece having a lot of islands, you should 00:10:45.538 --> 00:10:48.658 come here to the Stockholm Archipelago, which is just 00:10:48.668 --> 00:10:52.190 so so stunning. My favorite things in Stockholm would 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:54.859 be I like Yon a lot. It's in Stockholm 00:10:54.869 --> 00:10:56.750 City. So Stockholm is small, right? You 00:10:56.759 --> 00:11:01.408 can walk basically anywhere and you're always close to water 00:11:01.418 --> 00:11:03.619 . But Yon is just so beautiful because it's in 00:11:03.629 --> 00:11:05.759 the city, but it's like super green and not 00:11:05.769 --> 00:11:07.570 a lot of people live there. I think like 00:11:07.580 --> 00:11:11.529 the king's friends live there and like people like that 00:11:11.908 --> 00:11:15.649 , but it's just very nice. And we also 00:11:15.658 --> 00:11:16.739 have this thing is called a man, which means 00:11:16.750 --> 00:11:20.649 that you could basically camp wherever you want. There's 00:11:20.658 --> 00:11:22.239 no such thing as like a private owned area, 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:24.658 even though it is, you are still allowed to 00:11:24.668 --> 00:11:28.609 be there, you're still allowed to exist and do 00:11:28.619 --> 00:11:31.830 your thing. Unless it's on someone's like, backyard 00:11:31.009 --> 00:11:33.849 . The old town. I really love, I 00:11:33.859 --> 00:11:35.619 really, really love the Swedish archipelago and like I 00:11:35.629 --> 00:11:37.918 said, there's hundreds and thousands of islands. So 00:11:37.928 --> 00:11:41.629 wherever island you go to, I bet it's lovely 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:43.619 . Thank you so much for watching and I hope 00:11:43.629 --> 00:11:46.349 to see you soon in Sweden. Bye.