Finally, for those in search of something more substantial, Manhattan mini-chain Fika carries a few select Swedish pastries, fitting for an establishment named after the national, coffee-centric equivalent to tea time. These include Dammsugare (“Vaccuum Cleaners”) and Mazarin tarts; the former are named not for their shape, as I originally imagined, but for the supposed bygone practice of bakers forming them from old crumbs, a familiar practice that forms the fabled basis for a few other traditional delicacies. The latter are named after the 17th century Italo-French statesman Cardinal Mazarin, who also has a Danish cake created in his honor. They make one wish that every country could have its dessert culture so amply represented in the five boroughs.
Visiting Stockholm a few years back, Iwas pleasantly surprised by a variety of things, not least that the Swedish capital is rife with 7/11s, all of which seem to stock a far more respectable form of donut than our stateside locations, free from the chemical aftertaste that plagues so many American commercial bakestuffs. In short, a country that takes its desserts seriously, as again confirmed by Sockerbit, Manhattan’s oldest emporium dedicated to Swedish candy (there’s another now, BonBon, which honestly seems excessive). Maybe not, however, considering that the Swedish love of sweets is anchored by Lordagsgodis, the Saturday tradition of giving kids free rein to select their own personal bagful, setting them up for a week of intermittent sugar highs. ‘Sockerbit,’ meanwhile, translates to ‘Sugar Cube,’ which is itself one of the many confectionary configurations for sale, a marshmallow hexahedron resembling a squared-off packing peanut, available here in pink and white varieties. Despite its chilly, Scandinavian Modern interior, the place remains transportive in the way the best candy stores are, with an endless supply of fun shapes and flavors to discover. These range from pastellfiskar, the original Swedish Fish and likely the world’s most popular wine gum, to salmiak, a salted licorice that makes our American varieties look meek, and the sweet-and-salty licorice logs evocatively known as Kanderade Haxvral (“Witches’ Scream”). It’s a good reminder that every commercially produced candy has its own (often long) individual story, a fact often forgotten in the study of culinary history. Sockerbit also sells smoked salmon in tubes, which is useful, but merely whets the appetite for more miscellanea. For other impulse buys, one could do worse than Ikea, which stocks a small but respectable rotating selection of Swedish favorites. On each visit I attempt to try something new, which was how I ended up with these two seasonal sodas, one (Julmust) dedicated to Christmas, the other (Påskmust) to Easter. I am 99% sure they are actually the same soda, but the different labels are fun nonetheless, the taste itself landing somewhere between root beer and cola. Finally, for those in search of something more substantial, Manhattan mini-chain Fika carries a few select Swedish pastries, fitting for an establishment named after the national, coffee-centric equivalent to tea time. These include Dammsugare (“Vaccuum Cleaners”) and Mazarin tarts; the former are named not for their shape, as I originally imagined, but for the supposed bygone practice of bakers forming them from old crumbs, a familiar practice that forms the fabled basis for a few other traditional delicacies. The latter are named after the 17th century Italo-French statesman Cardinal Mazarin, who also has a Danish cake created in his honor. They make one wish that every country could have its dessert culture so amply represented in the five boroughs.
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