Kladdkaka: This gooey chocolate cake is a solid favorite among the Swedes, especially as the colder fall and winter months start creeping closer. Nothing says ‘höstmys’ (directly translated to “fall cuddles” from Swedish) as sharing a warm kladdkaka together with your loved ones, or perhaps even better – by yourself.
This classic is so good there’s little surprise as to why this little cake has its very own day in Sweden. Although the original recipe is as amazing as it gets, we at Swedes in the States have published a few versions of the classic over the years.
Here are 4 kladdkaka recipes that have made it to the top of our favorite list.
Coming in at number 33 among the top 1000 universities in the world: the University of Copenhagen.
The University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden
The annual ranking, which has been conducted by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy since 2009, judges the universities based on the quality of education, quality of faculty, research output, and per capita performance.
Shanghai Ranking Consultancy uses six different indicators to measure these criteria. They compare the number of Nobel Laureates & Fields Medalists within the alumni and staff, papers published in Nature and Science, Science Citation Index-expanded and Social Science Citation Index, and per capita academic performance of an institution.
The University of Copenhagen, Københavns Universitet, was established in 1479 and is the second oldest university in Scandinavia. As of July 2020, the university had 39 Nobel laureates affiliated to the faculty or/and alumni.
Notable alumni of the University of Copenhagen include a long list of well-known scientists, linguists, and politicians. Tycho Brahe and Søren Kierkegaard are among a few well-known individuals affiliated with the university.
The highest-rated university according to ARWA, Harvard University has 160 Nobel laureates affiliated to the faculty or/and alumni.
The article was originally published on October 20, 2020.
Imagine this: a small island accessible only by boat with no cars, permanent inhabitants or shops. Too good to be true? If you can dish out $1,100 a night, it’s not.
Fordypningsrommetis located on the coast of Northen Norway and offers utter and total tranquility.
The entire community consisting of a grand total of nine buildings, including four cabins housing up to fifteen people, can be rented on a weekly basis. It is the perfect place to go if you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life as there is not a single car on the island. Just make sure you do not forget to pack your toothbrush unless you want to take an hour-long boat ride to a neighboring island as in addition to a lack of cars, there are also no shops.
Not to worry though, you will not have to abandon all the comforts of modern living. Besides the stylish looking cabins there is also a sauna, kitchen, bathhouse, living room and even a tiny cathedral. During June to August “hosts” who in charge of the cooking and keeping the sauna hot come included in the price.
The tranquility and seclusion of the island tend to attract an artistic clientele, as does the fact that artists can seek permission to live there for free in exchange for sharing some of their work produced during their stay. Summertime visitors can choose to rent individual beds, and the rest of the year the whole community can be rented for about $1,100 a day.
The masterminds behind the island project, architects Rintala Eggertsson, and TYIN tegnestue, aimed to create as little disruption to the island’s natural environment as possible. This can be seen in the materials used for the buildings as well as their construction. The exterior of all buildings is made from sustainably produced wood, and rather than designing one big building the architects chose to build several small, individual cabins. One of them is even designed to look like an updated version of the Sami Njalla, a construction seated on a pole intended to keep food out of reach of wild animals. Although there is no need for residents on the island to worry about potential food thieves, the Njalla on the island serves a different purpose as it provides a fantastic view of the northern lights.
In 2018 the community was awarded one of Architizer’s 2018 A+Awards, an award recognizing innovative architecture projects from around the world. Experts are not the only ones who see the greatness in the island project; it has a five-star rating on Tripadvisor. Former inhabitants highly recommend it and have used words and phrases such as “cinematic” and “a little slice of heaven” to describe the community.
Image credit: https://thearctichideaway.com/en/
This article was originally published on January 10, 2019.
Scandinavian efficiency has become somewhat of a stereotype. The capability of Danish, Swedish and Norwegian people to deal with everything that life brings them and to keep a smile on their faces at the end of every day is something that has passed from one generation to the next.
From a very young age, Scandinavians are taught to take responsibility for their lives both socially as well as professionally. That responsibility is enhanced by the strong “Do It Yourself” mentality that trains the brain to work more practically. From IKEA to Lego, the world sees the people of the Nordics as a society that manages to find solutions to every problem.
Finding Solutions and Being Productive
Scandinavians are known for their ability to be practical both in terms of their everyday life as well as in terms of doing business. For example, Norwegian Air was the first airline to offer free inflight Wi-Fi to its customers. You can be on a flight from Oslo to Stockholm, and instead of counting minutes until the plane lands at Arlanda Airport, passengers were able to go online and enjoy the popular game Mega Moolah at casino.com. Being able to access the Internet during a flight might not feel like such a big deal, but it is definitely better than just sitting on a seat not knowing what to do for several hours.
Practicality does not only apply to traveling, and it is definitely not limited to the IKEA-like businesses. For the people of Scandinavia, DIY is a way of life, and by adopting this lifestyle approach, individuals find ways to deal with everyday life more effectively. From easily commuting through the metropolitan areas of Copenhagen, Stockholm, or Oslo to surviving alongside the reindeer in the lands mostly occupied by the Sami, Scandinavians have a unique way of living happily and of not worrying about issues that trouble the different societies in the rest of Europe.
Visiting Scandinavia this Summer
The Scandinavian countries are seeing summer 2021 as a turning point for their economy. The economy took a really big hit over the course of the last few months, and many Scandinavian companies were almost at the point of no return. For instance, Norwegian Air was one step away from declaring bankruptcy, but as of June 2021, it feels like the tide has turned for the Bærum based airline. One of the most popular low-budget airlines in Europe is back on its feet, and it is ready to take travelers both to destinations in the Nordics as well as to popular Mediterranean locations. After all, it is no secret that Scandinavians love the seaside areas of Spain, Portugal, and Greece.
If you are looking for sunny beaches and for turquoise waters, then Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are probably not going to do the job for you. On the other hand, if you want to explore the endless landscapes of the European North and if you want to experience almost two months of nothing but daylight, then you should check the guidelines about how to travel to Scandinavia. Exploring Denmark is relatively easy as the country is pretty small, and you can see every part of this beautiful kingdom within a few days. In terms of Norway, there is no better place if you want to explore the fjords or to eat the best-tasting salmon. As for Sweden, all you will have to do is rent a car and drive through its 450.000 square kilometers.
Raoul Wallenberg – the Swedish diplomat who, during the presumably very short time he had on earth, saved tens of thousands of Jewish lives. Lives that would have been tragically lost to history by the time they walked through the gates of concentration camps.
An honorary citizen of the United States, Canada, Hungary, Australia, and Israel, with streets and squares in New York City, Stockholm, Tel Aviv named after him, Raoul Wallenberg might very well be one of the most celebrated Swedes in history. But despite the many lives saved thanks to him, and enormous efforts made to honor his memory, his story is never an easy one to tell.
Raoul was born in Lidingö, a municipality outside of Stockholm, in 1912 to the Wallenberg family. His family includes a long line of bankers, politicians, and diplomats, including his grandfather, Gustaf Wallenberg, who was a diplomat and envoy to Tokyo, Istanbul, and Sofia. Raoul had a normal upbringing, including an eight-month stint in the Swedish military as part of the mandatory guidelines at the time. He graduated with an architecture degree from the University of Michigan and worked odd jobs until one fateful encounter.
Young Raoul Wallenberg. Photo credit: The Jewish Museum in Stockholm/ Karl Gabor
Raoul Wallenberg at the University of Michigan
Mr. Wallenberg was working at an export-import company when his business partner asked him to travel to Hungary to do business on his behalf. Thanks to these trips, he quickly learned how to speak Hungarian, and in 1941, he was appointed a joint owner and the International Director of the company. As part of his duties, Raoul made several business trips to Germany and Occupied-France during World War II, where he was able to closely observe the Nazis and what they were doing.
A few years later, in the spring of 1944, Raoul was recruited by his business partner to work on the War Refugee Board and travel to Budapest under diplomatic cover to lead the rescue operation of Jewish people who could not escape Hungary.
By the time Raoul Wallenberg started working as a representative, more than 400,000 Hungarian Jews were already deported by freight trains to various concentration camps, and only 230,000 Jews were left in Hungary.
While serving as Sweden’s special envoy in Budapest between July and December 1944, Wallenberg issued special passports and sheltered Jews in diplomatic buildings. Along with fellow Swedish diplomat Per Anger, Raoul issued “protective passports” that identified their owners as Swedish subjects awaiting repatriation. Although not legal, these documents looked official and were generally accepted by German and Hungarian authorities. Ultimately, those special passports prevented more than ten thousand Jews from deportation.
Wallenberg also rented 32 buildings in Budapest and declared them to be extraterritorial, which means that they were protected by diplomatic immunity. He created signs such as “The Swedish Library” and “The Swedish Research Institute” on their doors and hung large Swedish flags on the front of the buildings to throw the Nazis off. Similar to the passports mentioned above, these buildings housed and saved almost 10,000 people.
Perhaps one of Raoul’s bravest acts was when he intercepted a train full of Jewish people who were about to leave for Auschwitz. Sandor Ardai, one of the drivers working for Raoul, recounted the story:
“He climbed up on the roof of the train and began handing in protective passes through the doors which were not yet sealed. He ignored orders from the Germans for him to get down, then the Arrow Cross men began shooting and shouting at him to go away. He ignored them and calmly continued handing out passports to the hands that were reaching out for them. […] After Wallenberg had handed over the last of the passports he ordered all those who had one to leave the train and walk to the caravan of cars parked nearby, all marked in Swedish colors. I don’t remember exactly how many, but he saved dozens off that train, and the Germans and Arrow Cross were so dumbfounded they let him get away with it.”
Raoul Wallenberg at the Swedish Legislation in Budapest, surrounded by Hungarian co-workers. 1944.
Towards the end of World War II, Raoul was invited to meet with Soviet military officials to go over paperwork. That was the last time he was seen alive, on January 17, 1945.
Raoul’s family has never received an official explanation as to what happened.
There are many theories to Raoul’s disappearance, with some people thinking he was forced to work at a Gulag (a Soviet labor camp) while others believe he was murdered.
In February 1957, the Soviet government released a document dated back to July 1947, which stated that Raoul “most likely” died of a heart attack or heart failure. In 1989, Raoul’s personal belongings were returned to his family, including his passport.
A few years later in 1991, a detective tasked by the Russian government to investigate Raoul’s fate concluded that he died in 1947, executed while a prisoner in Lubyanka. He may have been a victim of the C-2 poison that was being tested at the time by the Soviets.
Unfortunately, the mystery surrounding Raoul’s death led both of his parents to commit suicide days apart from each other in 1979. Raoul’s half-sister attributed their suicide to their despair about never finding their son.
In the spring of 2016, the Swedish Tax Agency announced that if Raoul Wallenberg did not report to the Tax Agency by October 2016, he would be declared dead. This was after a petition to be declared dead in absentia had been made.
The Swedish Tax agency officially declared Raoul Wallenberg dead in October 2016. The official date of death being July 31, 1952. Five years after he was disappearance.
Nowadays, Raoul Wallenberg’s legacy lives on in the history of the more than thousands of Jews that he rescued during the war. His selfless acts, compassion, and determination allowed thousands of people to live and go on to do great things. Some of the people that he rescued went on to become doctors, teachers, artists, humanitarians, and even a senator for the United States. Senator Tom Lantos was the one who pushed for the recognition of Raoul Wallenberg as an honorary U.S. citizen.
In 1984, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law was created in order to advance human rights across 40 countries, from Europe to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Recently, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation invited survivors to share their thoughts on the man who saved their lives. One man wrote, “Since no words could ever express my eternal gratitude to you, Raoul Wallenberg, I named my child after you, for saving his grandmother’s life in November 1944 at the Budapest brick factory.”
Her past carries stories of tragedy and pain, but what makes Nadia Nadim stand out from the crowd is her determination to be the best. Currently one of Denmark’s greatest soccer players, and a future doctor specializing in reconstructive surgery, it is hard to imagine the long road that Nadia Nadim has traveled, as a refugee from Afghanistan, to be where she is now.
With the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, Nadia’s story has become more important than ever to share.
Here are 10 facts about the Danish-Afghan soccer player and medical student, Nadia Nadim:
Featured image: Ray Terrill, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1. Nadia Nadim was born in Herat, Afghanistan in 1988
2. At 12 years old, she arrived in Denmark but initially thought she was on her way to London
3. Her father, a general in the Afghan National Army, was murdered by the Taliban which forced the family to flee Afghanistan
4. She joined the Danish National team in football in 2009, making her the first naturalized Dane to represent a senior national soccer team in Denmark
5. She is a medical student at Aarhus University and is planning on specializing in reconstructive surgery after she retires from her soccer career
Summer is just around the corner, and in many parts of the country, the temperature is slowly allowing us to bring the outdoor furniture, grills, and t-shirts out.
In time for BBQ season, we partnered up with Big Swede BBQ to bring you some amazing Scandinavian recipes, perfect for the pending summer!
This article was first published on April 13, 2018.
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs fresh or frozen North Atlantic Shrimps (buy at IKEA, or get shrimp meat from your grocery store)
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Cup Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche
2 Medium Red Onions
1tsp Horseradish
2 tsp Brandy
4 oz Dijon Mustard
4 oz Whitefish Roe
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
5 Tbsp Dill finely chopped
Slices of sourdough bread
2 tbsp Duck fat
Dill sprigs for garnish
Caviar for garnish
Toast Skagen is a classic Swedish dish, once awarded “The Best Shrimp Sandwich in the World” by Huffington Post. It was created by the popular Swedish restaurateur, Tore Wretman, just after the World War II and named after a fishing port in Denmark. It is a great appetizer and features a mayonnaise-based shrimp salad on a toast, garnished with caviar. The Big BBQ Swede put a spin on it by using some duck fat, some sourdough bread, and some additional caviar as garnish.
Directions:
Begin with finely chopping the red onion. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, and Dijon mustard together. Add salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. You can also add some brandy or some horseradish if you want to. Keep the mixture cold until required.
Mix onions, mayo, mustard and sour cream. Add whitefish roe and stir. A traditional Toast Skagen calls for roe from Vendace, which is a species of freshwater whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is found in lakes throughout northern Europe. If you can get ahold of Kalix Vendace Roe, use it for Toast Skagen. Since this is almost impossible throughout the US, the alternative is whitefish roe.
You should use small or extra small North Atlantic shrimps for the Toast Skagen. It is better to get the shrimps will their shell on since they are more flavorful. If you don’t want to go through the work with cleaning and trimming the shrimps you can buy them without shells as well. The best place to get them is at IKEA – only negative is that you have to assemble them yourself, IKEA style. Clean the shrimps and add to the mayo mix. Finely chop the dill and add as well. Stir and keep chilled.
The Skagen mix is now finished. It will taste better if you let it sit on the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Taste and add salt, white pepper or more dill.
Ten minutes or so before serving, melt the duck fat in a large frying pan, add the sourdough bread slices and fry until golden brown on both sides. For a better presentation, cut off the edges and cut bread in half diagonally.
When ready to serve, pile the shrimp mixture on top of the fried bread and garnish with a dollop of caviar, a sprig of dill and a lemon wedge. You can also garnish with some chives or green onions. Best served on warm bread and cold shrimp mix. It’s a recipe that lends itself to experimentation. It is extremely easy to make but so rewarding. Toast Skagen is a wonderful little gem and is definitely worth trying out!!
Since the shattering news of his death, fans have scrambled to understand what went on behind closed doors, in hope of getting a picture of who the man behind the superstar was. A biography about Tim’s life, set to be released in November, will offer a personal, up close portrait of the Swedish producer – both before and during fame. The biography is authored by the Swedish journalist, Måns Mosesson, winner of awards like Stora Journalistpriset, Sweden’s most prestigious award for journalists.
According to Aftonbladet, the book is set to follow in Tim’s footsteps, from his childhood in Stockholm to his life in Los Angeles and tours in Ibiza and Miami. Mosesson has also interviewed family and friends of Tim Bergling to get an as accurate picture of his life as possible.
In a press release by Albert Bonnier Publishing House, Kerstin Almegård said about the upcoming biography:
“It is hard to phantom how great of an influence Tim Bergling had on both the music industry at large and his fans across the world. The author Måns Mosesson has traveled in Tim’s footsteps around the globe, from his childhood streets in Stockholm to Miami, Ibiza, and Los Angeles, to give a deeper and more complex image of Tim’s life and work”
What about the USA? It is considered to be the country where dreams come true, the land of chances, and the place where you have to remain active. However, switching to a permanent location can be even stressful in some cases. First of all, understanding a new country’s ways, norms, and rules can be hard. How not to become puzzled in the United States, and what do you have to do as a Swedish student?
Here are some helpful tips:
Read up about the United States in Advance
If you are sure that you have become a student of one of the American universities, you will have enough time to learn more about the whole country, the states, the culture, and typical norms and social rules. Moreover, within the context of COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions, find out the rules established exactly in the state you are moving to. Notice: the restrictions may differ in every state. For example, California could ease them, while Minnesota could tighten them. The information mentioned above can be found in various sources: blogs, your national embassy’s site, travel guides, and so on. Finally, seek information about your institution, its campus, activities, etc. In this case, you won’t have to refer a lot to other students, and you will feel confident every second!
So, before starting to live in the United States, make sure you understand the norms. Doubtless, you will learn them in the process of being in a particular city and getting accustomed to its pace. However, it is rather important not to screw up at the beginning of your American path!
By the way, if you want to read paperwork on an exact US-related topic, you can also rely on essayshark to save time and learn new facts!
Get in touch with the Swedish community
There are several organizations in the United States that can help you get more involved in the Swedish community, or if needed find support within the community. Hearing advice or sharing experiences about the US from the words of your fellow countrymen, then up you go! Furthermore, you can participate in Swedish cultural festivals to feel just a bit like at home.
In addition, many of these organizations can be of valuable help should something bad happen. The organizations remain permanently in touch with the embassy of Sweden. So, you can consult right there.
Be Open to Something New
You probably had a person in your class that sat alone and felt shy to come closer and say hello. Being introverted all the time isn’t a good feature if you want to know something new. So, try finding common ground with the people you study with. Be the initiator of a conversation, organize a field trip, go to a cafe and chat about various topics! Prove you are a charismatic student eager to move forward and make friends! What is more, being open is not only related to people. It is also connected with a chance to explore museums, monuments, interesting places, and so on. It’s nonsense to sit the whole time in your room, scroll the screen of your phone, and lie on a bed! In such an event, you are subsequently creating a new comfort zone and becoming captivated by it.
If you are a Swedish student in the USA, you open new frontiers for yourself! It is a great chance to broaden your horizons and gain the best characteristics of other nationals. In particular, if you want to develop yourself, you must achieve higher levels. Just imagine coming back home, meeting friends and parents, and telling funny and interesting stories about your American adventures. Don’t waste your precious time, and enjoy yourself while you can!
“For the last 30 years, I have devoted my life to the game of hockey…and now it’s time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter. The future excites me. I’ve met so many amazing people over the years that will help to guide and inspire me in my new journey.”
Lundqvist goes on to thank his former clubs and coaches, saying:
“Thank you to all the coaches and players that helped me throughout my career. Thank you to Swedish hockey! From growing up and playing in Sweden to ultimately representing my country on the world stage – These are some of my proudest moments. Thank you @nyrangers and New York City. I’m a born Swede but I’ll always feel like a New Yorker thanks to you. Thank you @NHL. This league was everything I dreamed of and more. Lastly, thank you to the game of hockey and its fans! You gave my life purpose and I have loved every single minute of it!
Thank you all❤️”
Last year, Henrik Lundqvist left the New York Rangers after 15 years with the team. The Swedish goalkeeper shared a heartfelt goodbye to his former club and moved on to Washington Capitals. Shortly after, Henrik Lundqvist had to cancel the season, due to a heart problem, and had to undergo open-heart surgery.
According to ESPN, Henrik Lundqvist opened up about requiring a second heart surgery, although the extent of the surgery is still unknown.
Henrik Lundqvist is one of Sweden’s most celebrated athletes and one of the most popular New York Rangers of all time.
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