CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD: SCANDINAVIA
To help welcome the upcoming Christmas holidays, I will post articles about Christmas celebrations in different parts of the world. My friend Bird Thor sent me the following link, “Christmas in Scandinavia,” so we will start in Scandinavia.
Christmas is celebrated throughout Scandinavia on the evening of December 24th. It is widely regarded as the most sacred holiday where families and relatives meet in their homes and celebrate. Besides the customary Christmas tree and presents under it, it is the traditional Julbord that is at the center of attention for most Scandinavians. A delicious home made protein rich feast that takes several days to prepare and has its roots in the Norse celebration of midvinterblot.
In Sweden, Christmas begins with the Saint Lucia day. The Saint Lucia ceremony takes place on December 13. Did you know that Swedish Christmas home decorations include red tulips? Christmas Eve is known as Julafton in Swedish. After the festive Christmas Eve dinner, someone dresses up as Tomte (Christmas gnome) who is believed to live under floorboards.
Be careful! In Denmark, the mischievous Danish elf Nisse plays pranks on people during Christmastime. On Christmas Eve, many Danish families leave some rice pudding or porridge for him so that he is nice to them. Children are not allowed to see the Christmas tree until dinner time on Christmas Eve (known as Juleaften) and parents decorate it secretly with home-made baubles.
Norway also has an elf called Nisse, but with the features of a goat (Julebukk in Norwegian.) The idea of Julebukk is a very old one and was probably known by the Vikings. There is a special Norwegian holiday cookie called Sand Kager. In the afternoons, children go from door to door to ask for treats and goodies.
When you spend Christmas in Finland, you will see that Finland shares some of its Scandinavian Christmas traditions with its neighbor Sweden – but then there are Christmas traditions in Finland that you’d never guess! A tip: Finnish sauna, anyone?
Iceland has many old traditions during Christmastime. Expect no fewer than 13 Icelandic Santa Clauses! The origin of these “Santas” is centuries old, and each has its own name, character and role. A special custom for Icelandic children is to put a shoe in the window from December 12 until Christmas Eve. If they have been good, one of Iceland’s “Santas” leaves a gift – bad children receive a potato!
I especially enjoyed reading about all the wonderful foods that Scandinavian families prepare for Christmas.
Recipe: Smoked O’Connor beef short ribs
8-hour smoked O’Connor beef short ribs with perfect smoke rings.
https://youtu.be/TElTGKlNFkg
Recipe: Slow Smoked Short Ribs of Beef
A recipe! I didn’t plan on doing recipes on this blog, really, but why not? It’s getting hotter, people have started having barbecues and I had a camera handy whilst cooking up some short ribs.
You’ll need:
Short ribs (2kg = four big pieces, the meat of which will shrink). These are cut ‘English style’, with the bone and flesh separated into individual chunks. A good butcher will cut them in different styles though, if necessary. Speaking of good butchers, I got my short ribs from The Ginger Pig. They probably won’t be on display so ask for them – they’ll get out a beef forequarter that has been hanging and will expertly cut your short ribs off. Make sure to watch out for the butcher trimming the fat off the meat. It looks like jerky, due to the dry ageing, and smells incredible. Anyway they’ll charge you £6.50 per kg for the short ribs; an absolute bargain for some well aged, well marbled meat from one of the best butchers in London, with the caveat being that they need to be cooked low and slow.
Spice rub. This will provide a Texas barbecue style dry rub, and ideally will be applied to the meat the day before you are going to smoke it. Just before is fine, but at least an hour will allow some of the flavours to permeate the flesh and give more flavour to the meat. The rub I use contains:
2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
You can just go for some salt, pepper and garlic, but I like the smokey and sweet flavours of the paprikas, and the hints of onion along with the spiciness of the cayenne. Grind together and put into a shaker if you have one, otherwise you can apply it simply with your hands.
Wood chips. I used oak which was steeped in whisky for this recipe, which is fine, but I find hickory to be ideal for beef. You can purchase some hickory wood chips on a site such as SoCal. Make sure to soak for half an hour before putting on your coals, and then drain thoroughly, to increase the flavour.
A smoker (or a normal barbecue with a lid). I use this bullet smoker, burned body and all, which acts as a sort of smoky oven with a lid placed on top, and the racks provide a perfect indirect heat. You could just use a normal barbecue though, moving the coals to one side and placing a lid on top, though this looks more impressive, I suppose.
Meat thermometer. Ideally you’d use one that cost more than £2, but as long as it vaguely lets you know the internal temperature, you’ll be fine. You could even go without one, as the ribs should, if cooked correctly, fork apart easily.
Cooking method:
Apply the rub. Tenderly massage the short ribs like you mean it; like no one is looking; like they’re paying you for it.
Set up the barbecue. Light the coals. When they’re white and settled, add some wood chips. If your barbecue has a built in thermometer, check it and make sure it reads 220 degrees fahrenheit. IMPORTANT: this heat has to be kept at a constant – this is the most important thing when smoking food, it would seem. Add the ribs with the bone facing the bottom of the grill (flesh side up). Optional: add a water bowl to the barbecue to keep the air moist. This can also be filled with whisky, vodka, beer, apple juice. Anything, pretty much.
Check the ribs regularly – once an hour, to be precise. Add more wood chips when needed (not that often). Bear in mind that the smoke is just flavouring the meat, and not cooking it – the heat is, so needs to be kept an eye on.
Don’t worry if they look burned, that’s how they’re meant to look. The meat will have shrunk after about four hours, exposing some of the bone and will be easy to pull apart. Let it rest for about twenty minutes, before either gnawing on the meat like Fred Flintstone, or forking off to make ‘pulled beef’.
