Recipe: Ginger Snaps

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November 26, 2020

Christmas is the time to think of the future, make plans, rejoice with our loved ones, and most importantly, eat.

With the winter season already upon us, it would be really great to dish out some Christmas goodies a tiny bit earlier this year. Especially because many of us are still working from home and are on a constant lookout to cater to our untimely cravings for snacks. So, what better than munching on something that smells “Christmas-y” owing to the appetizing aroma of ginger and cinnamon.

Here is the recipe for Gingersnaps, which has the perfect balance of sugar and spice. I have tried to make it a wee-bit healthier but cutting down on the amount of butter added to the traditional recipe. Because of this, I didn’t get as many cracks, but it has the same crunch and tastes as awesome as the traditional one. To get the typical cracked cookie appearance, add 2 more tablespoons of butter to this recipe.

Ginger is an integral part of this Swedish recipe and instead of using ginger powder, I grated fresh ginger root into the dough mixture. I recommend looking at this page where you will find genuine reviews and a great selection of graters, which you can use to finalize the perfect gadget for your kitchen needs.

So, here is how you can prepare the tastiest, easiest, and fancy looking cookies ever!

Ingredients

¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar, additional 1 tablespoon
1 small egg
¼ cup molasses/ honey
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger root, grated
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, additional ½ teaspoon
¼ teaspoon ground clove

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C and line a baking tray with butter paper.

2. In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Whisk in egg and molasses until the mixture is frothy.

4. Sieve flour and baking powder into the egg mixture.

5. Mix in ginger, cinnamon, and clove until lightly knead the mixture into a soft dough. You may add a tablespoon of flour to the mix if required.

6. In a separate bowl, mix a tablespoon of granulated sugar with ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon.

7. Take the walnut-size section of the dough and then roll it into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

8. Slightly flatten the dough ball and place it over the prepared baking tray.

9. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and sugar mixture.

10. Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until they turn light brown in color.

11. Serve and enjoy!

Denmark to close down world’s largest fur auction house due to Coronavirus

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Swedes in the States

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November 21, 2020

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Denmark’s largest fur auctioneer announced last week that they will be shutting their doors permanently within the next coming years. The news comes after the European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, released a report stating that new SARS-CoV-2 variants have been linked to mink farms. As a result of the finding, the Danish government has ordered the killing of about 15 million minks, to contain the spread of the coronavirus and deadlier variants of it.

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A post shared by The Humane Society of the US (@humanesociety)

Similar cases where COVID-19 has been traced back to mink farms have been found in other places around the world, including Spain, the United States, and the Netherlands – which will be following closely and has announced the shut down of all mink farms in the country by March 2021.

Kopenhagen Fur, a Danish cooperative owned by close to 1,500 fur farmers and fur brokers, was founded in 1930 and is today considered one of the largest fur auction houses in the world. Animal rights organizations are looking at the closure with optimism, many believing that this could be the beginning of the end for the fur industry.

Joanna Swabe, Senior Director of Public Affairs at HSI Europe said: “Fur farms are not only the cause of immense and unnecessary animal suffering, but they are also ticking time bombs for deadly diseases. We cannot simply sit back and wait for the next pandemic to emerge from them”, according to VegNews.com.

Sockerbit New York shuts down West Village store

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Swedes in the States

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November 20, 2020

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Sockerbit New York opened its doors in 2010 on Christopher Street in West Village, Manhattan – one of the first Swedish candy stores to open in New York. Since then, they have become a neighborhood classic and a must-have both among the local New Yorkers but also among the many Scandinavians living or traveling through the big apple.

The Sockerbit success covered more than just Manhattan, with the brand opening two stores in California, and an online shop meant to cater to anyone between Los Angeles and New York with a Swedish sweet tooth.

In a recent post on their Instagram, Sockerbit says: “Virtually everyone can relate to a time in their life where they faced a tough decision. Our Sweet and Swedish journey wouldn’t have been possible without you! However, after sincere thought and consideration, we’ve decided to set our sights on new goals and we will be closing the West Village location.“

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A post shared by Sockerbit Sweet & Swedish (@sockerbitnyc)

The announcement comes shortly after states countrywide introduce new restrictions amid a rising number of infections of COVID-19. It is no secret that a huge financial strain has been put on small mom-and-pop shops, among many other businesses, as a result.

“We opened Sockerbit NY 10 years ago, so much to be thankful for and to so many of you!! Thank you for all your support!! Your chats, your help during difficult times, hurricanes, and now pandemic… our dreams would have never come true without you.” they continue on Instagram.

While Sockerbits Anaheim location is also permanently closed, the Los Angeles location will still be open.

Sockerbit New York will be open on November 21, 22 and 28 for special prices and promotions! Be sure to pass by to say thank you and good bye to a sweet Swedish era in West Village.

Meet Eha Urbsalu: Founder of Viking Beauty Secrets – the clean, sustainable beauty brand inspired by the Nordics

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Swedes in the States

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November 20, 2020

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Eha Urbsalu has always been fascinated by her Nordic heritage and the Vikings. Her maternal ancestors came from an island in Estonia called Hiiumaa, where the Vikings had once had a very prominent presence.

Eha’s passion for beauty and skincare was ignited after winning Miss Estonia in high school and experiencing issues with her skin due to heavy makeup and the stress of traveling.

It is with these combined experiences that Eha founded the beauty brand Viking Beauty Secrets. Inspired by simple but powerful ingredients of the North, Eha is on a mission to bring these nutrient-rich, clean, and organic ingredients to anyone who may experience the same skin concerns as she once did.

After receiving samples at the Swedes in the States office, we fell in love with this indie beauty brand with such a strong commitment to sustainability and clean beauty, that we decided that we had to know more. Because after all, who wouldn’t be curious about the Viking’s beauty secrets?

The history of the island Hiiumaa is interesting both from a Swedish and Estonian perspective. Tell us more about Hiiumaa?

Hiiumaa is a very special island in the Baltic Sea, between Sweden and Estonia. Swedes were in fact the first to settle on the island in the 1200s. In Swedish the name of the island is Dagö. There are still some Estonian Swedes living on the island today, also known as “aibofolke”, which means island people in Swedish (Ö-bo-folk). My grandmother and mother grew up on the island, and my sister Kaja lives in Hiiumaa today.

One of our main ingredients in Viking Beauty Secrets products is Sea Buckthorn, which grows in Hiiumaa.

How did you make your way to the United States from Estonia?

I was born in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, but I spent many of my weekends growing up in Hiiumaa.

At 17, I became one of the winners of the Miss Estonia beauty pageant. Shortly after, I won another beauty pageant called, Supermodel of the Soviet Union. When I was 18, I came to the United States to compete and was among the top 4 in the Supermodel of the World competition.

Competing in beauty pageants started off many years of modeling and acting, and eventually, I settled down in New York City and finished my Bachelors of Arts from SUNY.

When did you decide to start Viking Beauty Secrets?

After moving to New York City, I became more aware of the chemicals that can be found in the food and skincare in the United States. While the European Union has decided to ban over 1300 chemicals in skincare products, the FDA has only banned 30 in the United States.

My modeling and acting jobs required me to spend about 14 hours a day in makeup, so I really began to appreciate the organic alternatives to the chemical loaded skincare. I kept bringing different natural products from Estonia until I figured out what really works and started my own certified organic Nordic skincare brand, Viking Beauty Secrets.

Tell us more about the ingredients that you use in your beauty products – volcanic sand, cloudberry, and rowanberries?

I decided from the start that all our products would be certified organic, using the cleanest ingredients from Northern Europe. Northern Europe is the eco-friendliest region of the world, sparsely populated, with the cleanest air and soil, and the highest scores on the Yale Environmental Performance Index.

The main ingredients in Viking Beauty Secrets products are three Nordic berries: Cloudberries, Rowanberries and Sea Buckthorn. These super antioxidant berries have been used for skincare and health benefits for centuries in the Nordic parts of the world. Hence the name Viking Beauty Secrets.

Apart from clean and organic products, it was really important that we were a sustainable skincare brand. All our bottles are made of glass instead of plastic, and our tubes are made of recycled materials. All of our packaging is 100% recyclable.

Which skincare problems are your products best suited for?

Our products are perfect for sensitive skin as they are mild and contain no harmful chemicals. They also have great anti-aging properties thanks to the super berries, so I would recommend it for anyone who wants to keep their skin looking nourished and healthy over a longer time.

The latest product – a certified organic Face Scrub, uses Icelandic Volcanic Sand to draw out the impurities, but some people also use it as a mask for a few minutes before they rinse it off. It seems to have worked well for people with uneven skin tones and even eczema. The main thing is not to scrub too hard, just let the minerals soak in the skin and then gently wash off.

To read more about Viking Beauty Secrets, visit their website: http://www.vikingbeauty.com

These Are The Most Popular Baby Names in Sweden

By

Luda Berdnyk

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November 19, 2020

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It’s that time of the year again: Statistics Sweden has just released fresh data with Sweden’s most popular baby names of 2019!

Topping the list of most popular names given to babies in Swedes is Alice as a girl’s name, while the most popular boy’s name was Lucas.

The top 10 most popular girl’s name, in order, are Alice, Olivia, Astrid, Maja, Vera, Ebb, Ella, Wilma, Alma, and Libby. Alice topped the list of most popular names in almost half of Sweden’s counties and had a grand total of 688 newborn baby girls in 2019.

Plats 2019	Plats (2018)	Flicknamn	Antal	Plats 2019	Plats (2018)	Pojknamn	Antal
1	(1)	Alice	688	1	(4)	Lucas	768
2	(7)	Olivia	645	2	(2)	Liam	760
3	(8)	Astrid	628	3	(1)	William	732
4	(2)	Maja	618	4	(7)	Elias	729
5	( 19)	Vera	607	5	(3)	Noah	680
6	(6)	Ebba	590	6	(8)	Hugo	669
7	(4)	Ella	582	7	(5)	Oliver	647
8	(5)	Wilma	574	8	(6)	Oscar	645
9	(9)	Alma	562	9	(9)	Adam	620
10	(3)	Lilly	561	10	( 27)	Matteo	596

From the Swedish Statistics Bureau. https://www.scb.se/

Vera was a surprise, considering that this newcomer jumped 14 spots from last year’s results. Likewise, the girl’s name Hedda had a 53 percent increase in popularity over the previous year.

The top 10 most popular boy’s name, in order, are Lucas, Liam, William, Elias, Noah, Hugo, Oliver, Oscar, Adam, and Matteo. Lucas topped the list with 768 newborn baby boys last year.

Interestingly enough, there were many unique baby names, which is defined as a name not usually on the list (or a unique spelling – i.e. Lukas instead of Lucas). In 2019, there were 4,578 girls and 4,342 boys who were given a very unique name.

The names which departed the top 100 list to make space for the new more popular names were Zoe, Belle, Penny and Greta for girls, and Jonathan, Milian, Maximilian, and Lias for boys.

This article was originally published on February 1, 2020.

Elon Musk tests positive for COVID-19 after birthday celebration in Sweden

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Swedes in the States

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November 18, 2020

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Super entrepreneur, Elon Musk, took to Twitter last week to confirm that he had tested positive for covid-19. By questioning the results of his test, he quickly stirred up a discussion on Twitter regarding the legitimacy of the tests as two tests had come back positive, and two were negative.

It was in the same thread that one curious Twitter follower asked Musk whether or not he had been infected in Sweden, which Elon Musk swiftly confirmed, saying: “Yes, but from a visiting American. Ah, the irony is just too much!!”

According to the Swedish news outlet, Aftonbladet, Elon Musk was infected during a birthday celebration at Stora Sundby Slott in Eskilstuna, a town about 1.5 hours outside of Stockholm.

The birthday celebration was hosted by Ken Howery, an American entrepreneur who, together with Elon Musk, founded Paypal. Ken Howery is also currently the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, appointed by President Trump.

Meet Jessica Tovesson: Bringing Swedish language and culture to you through Learn Swedish Now

By

Swedes in the States

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November 16, 2020

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-In collaboration with Learn Swedish Now, LLC –

Jessica Tovesson met the love of her life in Kalmar in 2005. Like many Swedes before her, she made the decision to move to the United States to be with her now-husband. Little did she know that this would be the start of her great American adventure and that she, with the use of her experience in education, would go on to start her own Swedish language education company, Learn Swedish Now LLC.

Today, Jessica lives in Chicago and teaches virtual classes from beginner to advanced across the United States. Swedes in the States decided to catch up with her to learn more about her, Learn Swedish Now LLC, and her Swedish classes.

Jessica, tell us about the start of your journey from Sweden to the United States?

I met my future husband when both of us were visiting family in Kalmar in 2005. He is a scientist and was living and working in the US at the time. After a long-distance relationship, we decided to settle down together in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

How did you get started with teaching in the United States?

The Embassy of Sweden in Washington, DC had an event that I participated in where I was introduced to staff at the Swedish School for the greater DC area. Given my background as an educator and language instructor, I was invited for an interview at the school and was offered a position as a teacher for the adult groups.

I started the position in 2017 and promptly learned about the diverse group of people interested in the Swedish language and culture. Some of them are relocating to Sweden for work or school, or a new relationship; others have a close friend or family member that is a native speaker. There are also those that want to reconnect with their family heritage, and some have a general passion for Swedish culture and language.

What is your experience teaching Swedish?

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Stockholm University and have been an educator for most of my adult life. After teaching elementary and middle school for a few years in the US I decided to expand my teaching into adult education and started working with clients that needed to learn the Swedish language and our culture. In 2017 I moved to the Washington, DC area and got

involved with the Swedish School. I teach beginner adult classes there and was also the Deputy Director of the Swedish School before relocating to the Chicago area. In parallel, I have been continuing to teach advanced classes in Swedish to private clients, which has included Embassy personnel, Scientists, and Government officials, all of whom have relocated to Sweden for business.

Why did you decide to start your company Learn Swedish Now, LLC?

Listening to my students over the years, I realized that there was a strong interest in small group lessons and it was often on my mind as students kept bringing it up.

Students at all levels of proficiency were seeking additional support and felt that they needed more than what was offered in the larger group classes and that more frequent interactive learning opportunities would help them advance faster.

Many of those students now enjoy learning Swedish in a small group setting and the lunch classes we offer are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, which is a great way to learn to speak Swedish with confidence.

What can your students expect from your classes?

The students will learn to speak Swedish in small virtual instructor-led classes. The curriculum is designed to be engaging, fun, and immersive. We work with students to accommodate their particular learning styles and incorporate different tools and techniques into a holistic learning experience. Our Swedish language classes will teach you to speak Swedish with confidence due to our small classes, that are limited to a maximum of 4 students. With more than 15 years of teaching experience, we can customize the learning experience in a way that helps every student speak with confidence.

What are your favorite spots in Chicago?

I am a huge soccer fan and played competitively from the age of seven through high school. I greatly enjoy watching women’s soccer and I can’t wait to watch the Chicago Red Stars playing live again once.

What do you miss the most about Sweden?

I miss my wonderful family a lot, my dear Swedish friends, the fantastic island Öland with its beautiful sunsets and, of course, the Swedish godis (candy) that is one of a kind.

Learn Swedish Now, LLC offers everyone an entirely free, no-commitment trial class. If you want to sign up for your free trial, you can find more information about that here: https://www.learnswedishnow.com/free-trial

You also receive a 15% discount with the code “swedes15”.

Norwegian Air denied bailout and furloughs 1,600 employees

By

Swedes in the States

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November 9, 2020

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According to the Norwegian media outlet, Børsen, Norwegian Air is being forced to furlough 1,600 employees. The devastating news comes as the low-cost airline, which was recently awarded the best low-cost airline in Europe for the 6th consecutive year, has been denied further financial support from the Norwegian government.

The Norwegian government simply doesn’t see a new bailout as being of good use of public funds, according to a statement made by the government earlier today.

In response, Jacob Schram, CEO of Norwegian Air, said: “After today’s discouraging answer from the Norwegian government, we have no choice than to furlough another 1,600 employees and park 15 of the 21 airplanes we have recently had up in the air. It is a sad day for everyone at Norwegian. I apologize deeply to all employees who might be affected but we don’t see any other way out.”

Before the Coronavirus crisis, Norwegian Air had about 10,000 employees worldwide. With further cut downs, Norwegian Air will be down to 600 employees.

Meet Elin Strömberg: Swedes in the States food contributor

By

Swedes in the States

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November 5, 2020

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Elin Strömberg moved from Hammarstrand, an hour outside of Östersund in northern Sweden, to New York to study graphic design. But the multi-talented Swede doesn’t only bring her creative genius to the world of graphic design, she also takes it with her to the kitchen. On her Instagram account @elininthekitchen, you can follow Elin as she creates fun, healthy-ish dishes, and desserts.

Of course, you can take a girl out of Sweden but you can’t take Sweden out of the girl. Elin whips up amazing recipes inspired by the Swedish cuisine, and at Swedes in the States is where she shares those recipes.

We look forward to introducing you to our new food contributor!

Tell us about your journey from Hammarstrand to New York City?

Growing up, I definitely felt that itch that I’m sure many ex-pats have felt at some point – that I wanted to get away and experience something different.

I felt a little out of place and kind of restless all throughout high school, and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. Luckily, I ended up meeting this absolutely wonderful student counselor during my last year of high school (shout-out to Ulla!), she signed me up for a class in graphic design – which was taught by this awesome and dedicated teacher, Alee, who had studied design here in New York.

Having always been a creative person, whether it be painting, drawing, cooking – I was hooked immediately! It didn’t go unnoticed, and Alee really encouraged me to apply to some schools in New York.

It took me a while to build up the courage to do so, but obviously, I am very glad that I did. I’m incredibly thankful that I had these people around me who believed in me and cheered me on. And then I met my now-husband within weeks of arriving here, and the rest is history! 😊

How did you form a passion for baking?

I’ve always loved both cooking and baking! Both my parents are really good at it, although they approach it very differently – my mom makes the best traditional, indulgent Swedish food, and my dad is a health nut who loves to explore different cuisines. So I guess I’m a healthy mix of both of them!

You share recipes that are gluten-free and mostly dairy-free. Do you find it harder to create recipes with a healthy twist?

Not necessarily – there are so many different products out there that can substitute for white flour or white sugar, as an example. I am reluctant to label what I make as “healthy” or even as a universally better alternative, we’re all different, with different ideas of what’s “healthy”. I’m definitely not a nutritionist, I’m just approaching my cooking and baking in a way that I feel works for me.

How does the food in the United States compare to the food in Sweden?

I’m not sure it does! It’s very different, especially for someone like me who comes from this small town in northern Sweden, and now I’m here in this whirlwind of different cultures and cuisines that is New York City. The United States is such a massive country, so it’s really impossible to even begin to compare.

Baking and cooking enthusiasts can follow you and your journey on your Instagram @elininthekitchen. What led you to start sharing your recipes on social media?

My friends have been saying that I should do it for a while – but it felt a little intimidating, especially since I didn’t really know anything about photography. But I’m slowly learning and improving!

You are the new food contributor at Swedes in the States. What can our readers expect to see from you?

With Christmas coming up (yay!), expect to see a lot of traditional Swedish Christmas baking and cooking! It really is my favorite holiday, and I am so excited to share it with all of you! 😊

Swedes Were Among The First Colonizers In North America

By

Swedes in the States

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November 5, 2020

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Whether or not Columbus was the first foreigner to discover the Americas has been widely debated, perhaps even more so in Scandinavia than in the United States.

According to many, the first foreigner to discover North America was a Scandinavian Viking by the name of Leif Ericsson. However, the Scandinavians might not only have been the first to discover North America – but Sweden was namely also one of the first countries to colonize parts of the United States.

Modern-day Sweden is considered a neutral and peaceful country. To this date, Sweden hasn’t participated in a war for over 200 years. But just about 400 years ago, Sweden was one of the biggest superpowers in Europe, with an empire consisting of the entirety of Finland, some portions of Norway, Poland, the Baltic countries, Germany, and what would be the United States.

Bet you didn’t see that one coming…

In 1637, a group of businessmen including Swedish, Dutch and German individuals decided that they wanted in on the lucrative business of fur and tobacco trade in North America. One of the men leading the expedition, the Dutchman Peter Minuit, had previously been a part of establishing Dutch settlements in the United States, among them being New Amsterdam (New York) which he had purchased himself in favor of the Dutch.

The following year, two ships- Fogel Grip (directly translated to Bird Grip) and Kalmar Nyckel (translated to Kalmar Key) arrived on the northern coast of Delaware; new settlements developed along the Delaware River such as Wilmington, Philadelphia, New Stockholm, Swedesboro, etc. and together formed the colony of New Sweden.

This how Swedish settlers most likely looked like in the regions around Delaware.
Credit: North Wind Press

When the collection of around 25 men, landed in Wilmington, the leader of the expedition Peter Minuit met with the local tribes and purchased large swathes of land from them. This land was carefully chosen to make carrying out a trade with the local tribes easy.

The colonies had a fairly positive relationship with some of the most prominent Native American tribes in the area and this included the powerful Susquehannock. The Swedes traded firearms for fur and even assisted the tribe in wars against the colony of Lord Baltimore.

The original version of this article was first published on November 5, 2017.

For more information on Sweden’s first colonies in North America, visit:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden
http://colonialswedes.net/History/History.html
http://colonialswedes.net/History/History.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheranism_by_region