Kroppkaka (plural "kroppkakor") is a traditional
Swedish boiled
potato dumpling, most commonly filled with
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the oni ...
s and meat.
Potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern Un ...
es,
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeolog ...
flour,
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the oni ...
,
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...
and
minced meat/pork are common ingredients in kroppkaka. They are very similar to the Norwegian
raspeball
Potetball (also known as ball, klubb, kumle, komle, kompe, raspeball) is a traditional Norwegian potato dumpling. A similar German dish is called '' Kartoffelklöße''.
The main ingredient is peeled potatoes, which are grated or ground up an ...
, Lithuanian
cepelinai
Cepelinai ( "zeppelins"; singular: ''cepelinas'') or didžkukuliai are potato dumplings made from grated and riced potatoes and stuffed with ground meat, dry curd cheese or mushrooms. It has been described as a national dish of Lithuania, and is ...
and German
klöße.
Kroppkakor are served with
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food), spread, melted a ...
(melted),
lingonberry jam or heavy cream. There are some regional variations of the recipe with different proportions of boiled and raw potatoes. Spices are heavily featured in some variations. Kroppkakor are mainly eaten in the southern Swedish
landskap Landskap is common Scandinavian word which means ''landscape'' or ''province'' and can refer to:
*Districts of Norway, the historical provinces of Norway
*Provinces of Sweden, the historical provinces of Sweden and Finland
*Historical provinces of ...
(provinces) of
Öland
Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...
,
Småland
Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden.
Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized ...
,
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to th ...
and
Blekinge
Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second- ...
.
The dish is very different between regions. In
Blekinge
Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second- ...
, the kroppkakor are called ”grey kroppkakor” and are made from almost only raw potatoes and only a tiny bit boiled potatoes are used. In
Öland
Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...
, kroppkakor are made from mostly raw potatoes and a small amount of boiled potato. In
Småland
Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden.
Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized ...
, kroppkakor are made of mostly boiled potatoes and a small amount of raw potato, and in
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to th ...
, kroppkakor are made of only boiled potatoes.
In Blekinge and Öland, there are kroppkakor with different fillings such as
eel
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
and
seabirds
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environ ...
which were historically eaten mostly by the poor. However, the most common filling is pork.
Kroppkakor comes from the southeastern area of Sweden, but in northern Sweden, there is a similar dish called
palt
Palt is a traditional Swedish meat-filled potato dumpling, of which there are many different variants. Palt is more common in the northern part of Sweden. Palt is traditionally served with butter and lingonberry preserves, and a glass of cold mil ...
. Palt is made in a similar way, but the ingredients differ a little and it is made from uncooked potatoes only, such as what kind of flour and what kind of potatoes are used, which makes a difference in taste from kroppkakor.
See also
*
Kumle – Norwegian potato-dumpling
*
Klöße – potato-dumplings commonly found in
Central European and
Eastern European cuisine
Eastern European cuisine encompasses many different cultures, ethnicities, languages, and histories of Eastern Europe.
The cuisine of the region is strongly influenced by its climate and still varies, depending on a country. For example, countri ...
.
*
Poutine râpée – Acadian boiled potato-dumpling
References
External links
Öland Kroppkaka RecipeDebatable if this recipe is for Öländska kroppkakor or normal kroppkakor.
{{Dumplings
Potato dishes
Dumplings
Swedish cuisine