Kate Haigh testing blodpalt. Her dog Quattro got to sample it, too. He wasn't too fussed.
When Paul, the editor of Norran English, gets in touch to ask if you’ve seen the recent TasteAtlas list of the 100 Worst Rated Foods in the World, and mentions that the top three worst dishes, blood pancakes, blodpalt, and calskrove, are from northern Sweden, and then asks if you’re a vegetarian, it’s probably wise to say, “Vegan, actually!"
But did I do that? No, of course I didn’t. Instead, I reminded Paul of my exploits travelling the world and eating other energy-dense foods for the sakes of a personal blog (80kebabs.com). At this point, I realised there was no going back. That said, I’m from the UK, so I am used to black pudding and chip butties (sandwiches) – surely some blood and double carbs wouldn’t be that bad.
We looked in a few supermarkets but failed to source any bloodplättar pancakes – has there been a rush on them since they won this accolade? In all honesty, I can’t imagine they’re that bad, especially not if slathered in lingonberry jam.
As TasteAtlas says in their article, their rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. "Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instil pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.”
My interest is definitely piqued about the blood pancakes, but they will need to wait for another day.
So, on to the blodpalt. Wow, first impressions are not great, and I am shocked that some marketing team hasn’t done a better job trying to package them more attractively - they look like a couple of bull’s testicles.
I boiled them up and then covered them in butter, which seems to be the done thing. I cut into the large ball and was pleasantly surprised to see a mix of pork in the middle – this was far more appetising than the prospect of one massive lump of what I think is potato and flour with blood mixed in.
However, I’d expected it to taste more bloody, more iron-rich, and it was a disappointment that it didn’t. There was a pleasant herb or spice in the mix, but it was quite weighty and chewy. It wasn’t my favourite, but I’ve definitely had worse things in my mouth!
Interestingly, Quattro (my dog) ate the first bit of blodpalt I gave him, licked my fingers clean, but then ran away when I offered him more. That’s a pretty scathing canine review, especially when I've seen what he eats when we’re out for a walk!
And then the calskrove, a portmanteau of calzone (folded pizza) and skrovmål (the name for a burger and fries meal but that Google Translate tells me means blowout, which is what my arteries would do if I tried to eat it all).
"My only criticism is that I don't like warm lettuce so let's not pretend we need to inject vegetables into our diet via the calskrove."
This is a pizza purist’s nightmare, not to mention the stuff that gives cardiologists palpitations, but if you like pizza and you like burgers and chips, there really isn’t anything wrong with this. In fact, it’s great value for money and could realistically feed four. It’s not haute cuisine, but it’s more than edible.
Yes, that IS a sheep's head on a dinner plate.
Have you seen the photo of the Icelandic sheep’s head in fourth place on the TasteAtlas article? It's even worse than the one pictured above.
Come on, a burger in a pizza is a fantastic taste sensation compared to that. The pizza dough was top quality, the tomato sauce was herby and flavourful, and there was loads of cheese. Even the bread bun inside tasted pretty normal – I’d worried it would be soggy or really dry, but it wasn’t. My only criticism is that I don’t like warm lettuce so let’s not pretend we need to inject vegetables in our diet via the calskrove.
Chef Hossein making the calskrove at Tre Kronor restaurant, Skellefteå.
Overall, my guess is the tourist authorities in northern Sweden got together to downrate all the local specialities, partly to entice people here and partly to distract from the Norrland reputation for fermented fish and pizza with banana. I know I’d choose these “three worst-rated items” over many other Swedish and non-Swedish specialities.
Kate Haigh and the enormous calskrove from Tre Kronor restaurant.