Make Your Own Swedish Påskris With This DIY

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April 19, 2019

According to Swedish Easter traditions, we empty out eggs and decorate vines with them. This is part of every Swede’s upbringing. It is simple and you can add any personal touch to it.

The story behind the vines aren’t as joyful as the vines and the colorful feathers are. During the 17th century, when the tradition was first introduced in Sweden, the vines were used to flog members of the family, to remember Jesus pain and sacrifice. Thankfully, we’ve moved away from such traditions since (unless you’re in a sauna), and today Easter is a fun, bright and colorful family holiday.

What you do:

1. Use a needle or a pin to create small holes on the top and the bottom of the egg. Over the sink, gently start blowing out the yolk through one end out the other. After rinsing and drying the eggs, they are ready to be decorated.

2. Create a hoop by tying the string. Tie a small, oval bead to one end and press it through the hole on top of the egg. This creates a good hanger for your egg.

3. In Sweden the eggs are hung in vines, willow branches or thin birch branches, often also decorated with colorful feathers.

This article was originally published on April 6, 2017.

Recipe: Food By Emily’s Gravad Lax

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Food by Emily

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April 18, 2019

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Gravad Lax is one of the most popular dishes during Swedish holidays. We usually prepare it for Christmas, Easter, and Midsummer. It is also extremely simple to make. All it takes are four ingredients: salmon, sugar, salt, and dill. You can also add flavors to create a unique flavor, such as any citrus zest, or a tad of alcohol for different variations.

Here is the key. It is half the amount of salt to the amount of sugar. Simple as it can be. The key is to buy very fresh salmon and then, let it cure until saturated before putting it in the fridge for one to three days to cure. All we have to do is to turn the salmon over twice a day (in the am and pm) to ensure that both sides get cured. Voila!

Ingredients

3 pounds salmon filet, preferably skin on. Cut in half.

3 TBSP sugar

1.5 TBSP salt

3 TBSP finely chopped dill

Instructions

1. Trim the salmon filet and cut away any uneven edges. Make sure there are no bones by running your fingers up and down the fillet.

2. Mix the sugar and salt with the dill. Pepper if you want.

3. Prepare a glass baking dish by putting plastic wrap enough to cover the salmon.

4. Sprinkle half the mixture over the fillet and rub it down. Place the fillet onto the plastic wrap and cover it with the second half. Make sure they are evenly aligned.

Wrap the plastic wrap tightly. Then, add something heavy and place in the refrigerator.

5. After about 12 hours, remove the weight and turn it over. Place the weight again. After about 12 hours, do the same. On the second day, take the salmon out and sample it. If it doesn’t feel 100% cured, just let it sit for a little bit longer. When you feel it is ready, take it out and slice it thinly. Make sure you have a really sharp knife and slice it as thinly as you can.

It’s also quite popular, in Sweden, to serve your gravad lax with Hovmästarsås. Emily’s recipe for the sauce is extremely easy to whip up.

Ingredients

2 TBSP Swedish style mustard

1 TBSP dijon mustard

1 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP white wine vinegar

3/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup finely chopped dill

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Whisk together all ingredients and serve with the Gravlax! Mmmm.

Swedes in the States Are Hiring!

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Swedes in the States

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April 17, 2019

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Swedes in the States have since our initial launch in 2017, grown from being a small website to having around 35,000 visitors per month and a social media outreach of close to 400,000 impressions per month. Our team, spread across the United States, deliver daily content, plan events and much more for anyone in the U.S., with an interest in Scandinavian culture.

The Swedes in the States expansion is nowhere close to slowing down. For an upcoming project, and the launch of a sister company, we are now looking for social media managers and digital marketing experts. Preferably based in either Los Angeles or New York City. You will also have the option to work from home, but have to be ready to be on site when needed.

Since this will be a client-facing role, we expect you to be outgoing, solution-oriented and service-minded. Your responsibilities will include but are not limited to: executing social media strategies, content creation, creative brainstorming and pitching ideas as well as keeping a close, friendly, and honest relationship with our clients throughout the projects.

Experience required:

– More than 2 years of experience in Digital Marketing, Social Media, Content Creation, and Creative Design. Your degree holds no significance, as long as you excel in the things you are passionate about.

– Strong grammar and attention to detail.

– Must have experience in content creation and writing. (could be for a blog, a newspaper or any forum/job where writing is an essential part)

– Some experience with working towards the Nordic markets (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland)

ALL nationalities with the correct visa status are welcome to apply!

Submit your resume + cover letter together with writing sample, website, blog or portfolio to natalie@swedesinthestates.com

IKEA To Open Store In The Middle Of Manhattan

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Swedes in the States

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April 12, 2019

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First of all, it’s not what you might think…

IKEA will not be setting up a humongous store in the middle of Manhattan.

As a part of staying on trend and accommodating to the ever-evolving retail market, IKEA will be opening their first small-format store, on the Upper East Side in New York City, this coming Monday.

Their massive stores, which practically need their own zip code, are most of the time located on the outskirts of big cities and towns, making it harder for people living in city centers to spontaneously just pop by. The small-format shops will, however, in no way be small, this is after all IKEA we’re talking about, with the NYC shop spanning about 17,000 square feet.

The shop will be serving as a “planning studio” where customers can browse, plan and pick out the items they want, and have it delivered to their homes with cost-efficient shipping and delivery. Just like in their normal stores, IKEA will also be offering assembly services and financing options. Customers will also have the option to pick up products they ordered online, directly in the store.

Leontyne Green Sykes, the COO of Ikea’s U.S. retail operations says, “We are just fundamentally in a transformational period, where we are really spending a lot of time listening to customers and their needs,” “This actually addresses consumers’ needs very directly,” she said.

According to IKEA, they are planning on opening about 30 more small-format shops within the next coming years. In addition to potentially opening up another store in New York, they have their eyes set on cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

Avicii’s First Posthumous Single, S.O.S, Released – Listen To It Here

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Swedes in the States

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April 10, 2019

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In a recent interview with the New York Times, Tim ‘Avicii’ Bergling’s family opened up about how the past year since his death has been, what his last notes to the family were and when the world would hear the music he worked on, right up till his death.

Today, his first posthumous single, S.O.S, was released.

Aloe Blacc, who was also the voice behind Avicii’s hit track, Wake Me Up, is back singing the lyrics Avicii wrote. Lyrics that, after his death, sends shivers down the spine.

According to Avicii’s team and family, they believe that whatever Avicii needed to say, he will say through the songs on his upcoming album.

Listen to Avicii’s first posthumous single below.

Swedes in the States Welcome Bulle Bakery As Corporate Friend

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Natalie Söderberg

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April 9, 2019

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We want to welcome the amazing, Bulle Bakery, as one of Swedes in the States Corporate Friends. This means that our readers will always be up to date on news about Bulle Bakery, get access to behind the scenes interviews, participate in bulle contests, and much more…

Bulle Bakery was founded by the Swedish-American husband and wife duo, Sarah and Ezra Reich in December 2017. Since then, they’ve taken the entire city of Los Angeles by storm. Their clients have spanned from the king Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Swedish hockey players to most importantly, the team at Swedes in the States.

View this post on Instagram

If it’s good enough for the god @iamzlatanibrahimovic it’s good enough for you ? #zlatanibrahimovic ?? #bullebakery

A post shared by BULLE BAKERY (@bullebakery) on Sep 12, 2018 at 9:01pm PDT

Bulle Bakery normally bakes the three most popular bulle flavors, which are the traditional Swedish Kanelbulle (Cinnamon bun), the Kardemummabulle (Cardamom bun) and the Vaniljbulle (Vanilla bun).

Sarah Reich, co-founder at Bulle Bakery, says: “We like to keep our menu simple and traditional, but we are currently working on another flavor, it’s just a little too early to announce it now, but we do promise that Swedes in the States will be the first to know,”

You heard it, friends! You will all be the first ones to know when a new flavor is released!

View this post on Instagram

This week we’re back on all our locations including #melroseplacefarmersmarket ? We can’t wait to see you all again on Sunday ?? #bullebakery

A post shared by BULLE BAKERY (@bullebakery) on Aug 30, 2018 at 2:59pm PDT

Bulle Bakery’s bullar can be found at the following places in Los Angeles:

Swedish Scoops, 26 N Raymond Ave. Pasadena, fresh delivery every Friday.
Huset, 1316 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, fresh delivery every Saturday.
Olson’s Scandinavian Deli, 5660 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, some weekends/holidays (will be announced on SITS)

All buns are $5 each (saffron buns are $6) with a minimum of 10 buns per order. Bulle Bakery delivers within greater Los Angeles and delivery fees depend on your location. Orders can also be picked up in Playa Vista per agreement.

For orders, email: contact@bullebakery.com or text/call Sarah at 310.227.2099

There’s A New Sweetish Candy Store In Town

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Swedes in the States

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April 8, 2019

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The locals of Lancaster, Pennsylvania are a few lucky ones. The Swedish candy store, Sweetish, has just opened up its doors, on 356 N Queen St, in the center of the town.

The normal selection of Kalles Kaviar, Abba’s sill, and some Swedish (FINE, Norwegian) goat cheese can be found as well as Swedish coffee, books, and other Scandinavian inspired items.

Given that one of the most iconic Swedish companies, IKEA is headquartered in Pennsylvania, about an hour away from Lancaster, it is more than right that the Scandinavian employees have a place to buy actual Kalles Kaviar or perhaps even real påskmust? (Seriously IKEA, we’re speaking for the entire Scandinavian community when we say that your påskmust and julmust is crap!)

Sweetish has been added to our Nordic Map, which you can find here: https://swedesinthestates.com/the-swedes-in-the-states-map/

Keep your eyes open for another article about the store, the owners and the story behind to come.

We want to thank Kimberly Elizabeth Delacruz for the tip on Sweetish opening and letting us borrow her images.

A Year After Avicii’s Death: His Last Words & New Music To Be Released

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Swedes in the States

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April 5, 2019

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It has almost been a year since the world lost Swedish megastar, producer and DJ, Tim ‘Avicii’ Bergling. The tragic loss of a young, successful yet lonely, and unhappy, star set the whole world in deep shock and grief.

In a recent interview with the Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, Tim Bergling’s father, Klas Bergling, opens up about Tim’s last words and plans to release the music Avicii was working on right before his death.

In the interview, Klas Bergling says: “With all good intentions, people around us ask if it doesn’t feel better now, a year after. But it’s worse. There’s a whole other perspective, another type of depth in the missing him,”

“It was like the profession kidnapped our son. He would push himself pretty hard. He wouldn’t stop, unfortunately,” he says.

Klas Bergling also reveals what Tim Bergling wrote down in the very last note on his phone, three days before he died:

”Spread joy with my music, through the message behind. And enjoy the success, but not the materialistic success,”

Avicii’s new album “TIM” will be released on June 6, and his first single “SOS” will be released on April 10.

Why Buy When You Can Rent? IKEA To Start Leasing Furniture

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Swedes in the States

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April 4, 2019

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IKEA recently announced at the sustainability event, ONE HOME, ONE PLANET, plans to start testing out leasing solutions on furniture by the year 2020.

The leasing experiment was created as a response to research, made by IKEA, in order to better meet customers needs, while being more sustainable. The Swedish furniture giant has previously stated that it has an ambition of becoming a climate positive business by 2030 – reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by making all their products from renewable and recyclable materials and removing all single-use plastic products from their home furnishing range and restaurants.

Included in their 2030 sustainability goal is the promise to become circular, meaning that it will follow circular design principles to be re-used, repaired, upgraded and recycled from the start.

Jesper Broding, the CEO of Ingka Group, said in a statement: “Our future success will lie in our ability to reshape and improve our business model in all aspects. Testing out opportunities for leasing offers is one of the ways we are challenging ourselves to deliver on our transformation strategy, and become a more affordable, accessible and sustainable business. Climate change and unsustainable consumption are among the biggest challenges we face in society – business development like this shows how we are working hard to deliver to our vision to create a better everyday life for the many people,”

The leasing explorations and tests will be initiated in Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Poland, with the aim to ultimately create subscription-based leasing offers. This would give IKEA the option of maintaining ownership in order to properly ensure that products follow a circular lifecycle.

Pia Heidenmark Cook, Chief Sustainability Officer, at Ingka Group, says: “We know from our research that people’s behavior and relationship to things are changing – as small space living becomes more common, and people are becoming more conscious of their impact on the planet, they want to be less wasteful and are looking for help to prolong the life of their belongings. This is a huge opportunity for us to bring together our life at home knowledge and commitment to sustainable living in a way that is highly relevant for many customers around the world,”

Last year, 8.7 million IKEA products were re-packed, with the aim of being re-sold, instead of being wasted.

You can read IKEA’s full press release here.

Finnish Organisation Acquires Swedes in the States & Renames It ‘Finns in the States’

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Swedes in the States

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April 1, 2019

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Swedes in the States has been acquired by a Finnish government organization and will after today continue operations as Finns in the States.

Earlier this morning, negotiations between Swedes in the States management and a Finnish government organization finally came to an end. At an undisclosed amount, all Swedes in the States media platforms, including the event management arm, has been sold and will now be under the lead of the Finnish government.

The reason for the acquisition? They were sick and tired of Swedes living abroad.

“Sweden and Swedes have always had a superiority complex” “They generally consider themselves better than the other Nordic countries, and the popularity of the Swedes in the States media platform clearly proves to what extent this problem has grown,” said Olavi Ypiinääneen, head of the organization Finns Abroad. “It was time we put a stop to the nonsense,” he said.

Iceland’s president commented on the news on Twitter saying, “Finland has done all the surrounding Nordic countries a big favor. It’s going to be nice to finally see less of Sweden in all our social media feeds,”

In an open letter on the website, Swedes in the States founder & CEO, Natalie Söderberg, writes: “I was, as one would expect, surprised and disappointed to hear that our platform had caused such annoyance with our neighboring countries, but it is what it is, the check was too big for me to turn down, so Swedes in the States will, moving forward, be known as Finns in the States”

The redesign of Finns in the States platforms will begin this week. According to Finns in the States, the reorganization of the company is already underway with multiple Swedish employees being fired in favor of new Finnish employees.