I've Never Been to a Swedish Smoragasbord

Ikea is a great place to get inexpensive home furnishings, but did you know it is a great place for food? I have always loved their cafe that serves delicious items like Swedish meatballs and lingonberry soda. Their food store is also great to find items like frozen meatballs and Swedish cookies. Occasionally Ikea has special events to showcase Swedish food items and this past weekend I had the opportunity to try one out.

Ikea held a traditional all you can eat Easter smorgasbord on Friday. Our friends Mark and Anna and their girls love Ikea and had invited us along. I couldn't find a menu online, but Swedish food had me a little nervous. I know a lot of their cuisine centers around fish, which I just cannot eat. I was a bit afraid I would be leaving hungry.

We arrived and were given yellow bracelets to confirm our all you can eat status. We got in line and sure enough fish was a main staple on the menu. There were all types of salmon and herring - raw, on boiled eggs, in sauces, and even reshaped like a fish. There were my favorite meatballs. I took something that was a purplish color and foamy and I thought would be fruity. Turns out it was a beet salad something. I didn't hate it, but it was not what I expected!

Mark, Anna, and Mike all tried new things mostly in the fish arena. Even Madeline tried some fish roe (we told her they were sprinkles). The overall consensus was, it was fun to do, but we will stick to our normal Swedish meatballs.

Happy Easter!!