A Nordic quest in the Westcoast

When Swedish Counsul General Fredrika Ornbrant invites you for lunch, you go on an empty stomach! Ornbrant greeted us at the door and welcomed us into her cosy home, where she was all set to orchestrate a tasting menu of Swedish treats."Eat well and you will live well. Taste for yourself, it is all Swedish," announced Ornbrant.

Ornbrant, who conducted her first cooking class at the age of nine for her siblings to teach them how to read a recipe, steered clear of the more traditional Swedish fare of meatballs, gravlax and pickled herring and opted for a simple tasting menu, which was an expression of her personal style of cooking. As she got the event rolling, Ornbrant led us to her spacious kitchen to prepare the first dish on her tasting menu: White fish Roe with Crème Fraîche and Onion Canapés. She scooped a generous helping of crème and onion on a slice of rye bread and topped it with delicious white fish roe, garnished with a spring of fresh dill. As she expertly arranged the canapé on a plate, Ornbrant announced with a contented smile that the ingredients had arrived just the day before from Sweden.

As she cooked, Ornbrant slipped into a nostalgic reverie, "I come from a family where men take great pride in cooking. My grandfather and father used to cook a lot," said the food enthusiast, who was gifted her first cook book by her father on her nineth birthday. "But today, none of the recipes are relevant as people have become health conscious. Gone are the days when people toiled hard in the fields and enjoyed a nourishing meal without counting the calories they consumed," explained Ornbrant, who assumed office in September 2012, when she arrived in the city with her husband and kids in tow.

According to her, eating fresh berries was a fleeting luxury during the winter in Sweden, which prompted them to make jams out of the berries so that they could be consumed throughout the year. The same was true of potatoes and other root vegetables, which were stored in earth cellars so that they could be served as winter food. Having introduced the guests to two of Sweden's most popular jams, cloudberry and ligonberry, Ornbrant set out to prepare her next dish Råraka with Ligonberry Jam and Bacon.

The dish of shredded potatoes bathed and fried in butter, lying elegantly beside a dollop of ligonberry jam and slices of fresh bacon spurred great interest amongst the guests. "The salty and starchy potatoes go well with the sweet jam, making it a hearty treat!" Ornbrant shared with a smile. Paying homage to the rich bounty of cheese produced in her country, she also introduced the guests to Västerbotten cheese, served with a dash of cloudberry jam, teamed to perfection with the finest wine to sip.

Ornbrant believes that the food prepared by her, can be easily made anywhere in the world, provided you have the right ingredients. She is hopeful that Swedish cuisine will bloom into one of the most influential gastronomic delights in Mumbai's all encompassing food culture. By the end of the tasting session, with the guests raving about her Swedish treats, it was confirmed that the Consul General of Sweden has definitely carved a niche in the culinary landscape of Mumbai.