Top 10 Scandinavian Street Food

This famous snack is often referred to as the rød pølser, and it is the most common fast food eaten in Denmark. In fact, nothing is considered to be more Danish than eating freshly prepared pølser followed by a refreshing bottle of beer. It consists of a traditional Danish sausage served in a bun and is held to be a sort of a gourmet hot dog. The original pølser is distinguished by its unusual red color and is traditionally made with pure pork. The first pølser originated around 1921. It quickly became popular, and has since become an important heritage and fast food tradition all over Denmark. It is sold on the streets at mobile food stands called pølsevogns, where many types of hot dogs are served, but pølser is the absolute crowd pleaser. There are more than 120 pølsevogns in Copenhagen, and they are present all year round. Pølser is usually served with the sausage sticking out of the bun on both sides, and the traditional condiments served with the sausage are ketchup, mustard and Danish remoulade. The traditional Danish pølser is crowned by the addition of chopped onions, a heap of fried onions, and sliced pickles on top.Expand

Frikadeller are popular Danish and German meatballs that are usually made with ground pork, with the occasional addition of ground veal. These small meatballs have been prepared and consumed in that part of Europe for more than 200 years. The term frikadelle is German, and there are also many frikadeller sold as street food in Germany, Poland, and throughout Scandinavia. Frikadelle are typically served with boiled potatoes and traditional creamy sauces (for example, Danish brown sauce) on the side, a dish that is usually enjoyed as a hearty weekend meal. Pickled vegetables, mustard, rye bread, potato salad and a variety of other vegetables can also be served alongside frikadeller. However, modern versions use frikadeller in the creation of new dishes such as frikadeller sandwich or frikadeller smørrebrød.Expand

This traditional Danish version of the American hamburger is prepared with a thick beef patty that is served on a bun or a bread roll. It is usually accompanied by various sides and condiments such as pickles, onions, ketchup, or mustard. Due to its popularity, there is also a unique variety of the dish – a local specialty of the Jutland region – where the whole hamburger is doused in brown gravy before serving. Since their first first appearance in 1949, hamburgers have become an important part of Danish food culture, traditionally enjoyed at numerous burger bars across the country.Expand

This Danish sandwich consists of a bun that is filled with thinly sliced flæskesteg—a traditional pork roast with a crispy rind. It is usually complemented by braised red cabbage, pickles, mustard, ketchup, or mayonnaise. Flæskestegssandwich is a popular street food item that is often served at traditional hot dog stands and fast food establishments.Expand

These popular Danish sausages are prepared with pork meat and beef (or veal) and are lightly smoked over beech wood. They are characterized by their distinctive red color and the use of spices that typically include nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom. It is said that they were created in the 1920s by resourceful vendors who would color stale sausages with red dye and sell them at a slightly lower price. The invention soon became a popular option, and the tradition was continued to cater to the customers. Long and thin, rød pølses are usually boiled in a seasoned broth and are often accompanied by various condiments. However, they are best known as a part of the Danish variety of hot dog, also named pølser, in which they are placed in hot dog buns and come served with ketchup, mustard, Danish rémoulade, onions, and sliced pickles on top.Expand

Halv special is a Swedish hot dog variety that consists of a standard hot dog, but with a twist – it's covered in mashed potatoes. The word halv means half, but there's also a version called hel special, with hel meaning whole, referring to the fact that there are two sausages instead of just the one. The hot dogs are often additionally topped with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, pickles, and roasted onions. Sometimes, the customers can decide whether the sausage(s) will be grilled or boiled (or perhaps one of each in hel special). Halv and hel special are commonly paired with chocolate milk called Pucko.Expand

Reindeer hot dog is a Norwegian delicacy that can be found at Bergen's Trekroneren hot dog stand. The meat for the reindeer sausage comes from Northern Norway. The reindeer sausage is served in a hot dog bun and it's traditionally topped with mustard, lingonberry sauce, and crispy fried onions. This hot dog is beloved for its mild, sweet and savory, not too spicy and not too gamey flavor. The sausages are generously sized and have a casing on the outside that gives them an appealing snap when bitten into it. Expand

This classic Swedish street food item consists of a flatbread (tunnbröd) that is wrapped around grilled or boiled sausages. Usual condiments include mashed potatoes, shrimp-and-mayonnaise salad, onions, lettuce, and ketchup or mustard. Tunnbrödsrulle is a large, nutritious snack, usually enjoyed late at night. It is typically found at korvkiosks - Swedish street stands that mainly specialize in hot dogs.Expand

Pølse med lompe is a traditional hot dog variety. It consists of pølse, a hot dog sausage that can be either grillpølse (fried or grilled) or wienerpølse (boiled in water), and lompe, a small, round flatbread made with a mix of potato and wheat flour. The toppings are usually ketchup, mustard, crispy fried onions, raw onions, shrimp salad, or potato salad. The flatbread is wrapped around the sausage and toppings, and the concoction is enjoyed as a hot dog.Expand

Stekt strömming or fried herring is a hearty Swedish specialty consisting of herring fillets that are seasoned with salt, white pepper, and fresh dill, coated with flour and breadcrumbs, then fried in butter until crisp and golden brown on the outside. There are many ways to eat and serve these delicious fish fillets, but usually, they are accompanied by mashed potatoes, lingonberries or lingonberry jam, red onions, or pickled cucumbers. Another way to consume fried herrings is by topping them with a mixture of vinegar, sugar, allspice, and chopped red onions, which is also used in another Swedish fish dish known as inlagd sill (pickled herring). In Sweden, freshly fried herrings placed on top of a buttered crispbread or Swedish knäckerbröd are sold as a popular street food item. Other delicious variations of this dish include herring roll (strömmingsrulle) and herring burger (strömmingsburgar).Expand