This overview of Sweden – its geography, its economy, its culture, and its people, and a recipe, too – was prepared by Drew Oster while an accounting student in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Introduction
The modern name “Sweden” is derived through back-formation from Old English Swēoþēod, which meant “People of the Swedes.” Sweden is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy of government and a highly developed economy. Sweden is an export-oriented mixed economy featuring a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. The recipe I am presenting is pepparkakor which is commonly known as ginger thins. These are regularly made during Christmas in Sweden. Pepparkakor are generally spiced a bit heavier with a smooth finish and are extremely thin approximately 1/8”. They are sometimes used to decorate Christmas trees.
Country Information
· Geographic Facts
Here are three geographic facts about Sweden:
1. Sweden lies west of the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia, providing a long coastline, and forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
2. The lowest elevation in Sweden is the bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad at -2.41 m below sea level. The highest point is Kebnekaise at 2,111 m above sea level.
3. At 173,732 square miles, Sweden is the 55th largest country in the world.
· 3 “Serious” Facts
Here are three serious facts about Sweden:
1. The actual age of the kingdom of Sweden is unknown.
2. The World Economic Forum 2009-2010 competitiveness index ranks Sweden the 4th most competitive economy in the world.
3. As of 2009, the total population of Sweden was estimated to be 9,325,429. The population exceeded 9 million for the first time on approximately 12 August 2004.
· 3 “Fun” Facts
Here are three fun facts about Sweden:
1. The favorite food in Sweden is usually meatballs with potatoes and lingonberry sauce. Swedish pancakes are also a favorite.
2. The Nobel Prize Ceremonies are held in Sweden and Norway every year on December 10th. The Nobel Prizes were founded by the Swedish inventor and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite in 1866.
3. Sweden has produced many famous musicians and musical groups over the years. ABBA, The Hives, Millencollin, The Cardigans, Kent, and Robyn to name a few.
Here is an unusual fact about Sweden:
1. Swedes are known for their Innovations.
Swedish Inventions include:
– The perfected the design of the zipper (Gideon Sundbäck).
– The marine propeller (John Ericsson).
– The refrigerator (Carl Munters and Baltzar von Platen).
– The computer mouse (Håkan Lans).
– The pace-maker (Rune Elmqvist).
Food Information
Recipe
Pepparkakor (Ginger Thins)
2 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tbs ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp allspice
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp baking soda
1-1/4 cups unsalted butter
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 small egg
the zest of 1/2 of one orange
1-1/3 cups golden syrup*
1-1/3 cups heavy cream
8-3/4 cups flour
Day one: Sift or whisk the spices and the baking soda together. Mix butter with the two sugars; add the spices and the egg. Add orange zest, golden syrup, cream and finally flour. Shape into several discs or logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Day two: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using one piece of dough at a time, roll it out on a floured workspace until very thin — approximately 1/8″. Dip cookie cutter in flour and cut out into desired shapes. Continue until all of the dough has been used.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, depending on size. Remove from baking sheets and put on wire racks to cool.
Recipe came from:
http://globalcookies.blogspot.com/2008/01/Sweden-pepparkakor.html
· My Kitchen Story
The first thing I had to do was find someone to help me out in the kitchen, so I enlisted the help of my fiancé, who is a skilled baker. She loves to bake, so this project turned out to be very fun and easy. On the first day of preparing this recipe, we sifted all the spices and baking soda together. Then, we went ahead with the recipe for day one and came out with dough and wrapped it in plastic wrap, which we refrigerated overnight. On day two, we rolled out the dough making sure it was very thin and used a cookie cutter to cut the dough into the shape we wanted. We then baked the dough for 7 minutes and came out with a great tasting pepparkakor (ginger thin).
When I first tasted the pepparkakor, I immediately loved them. I also got my family to try them and they all seemed to be enjoying the taste of the pepparkakor. I never expected to like what was I baking, but it seems I have found a recipe I will be making more often than anticipated.
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Contact Info: To contact the author of “A Taste of Sweden: A Recipe for Pepparkakor,” please email drew.oster@selu.edu.
BIOGRAPHY
David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/), book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/), international foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).
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A Taste of Sweden: A Recipe for Pepparkakor (Ginger Thins)
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