Calskrove being prepared. Archive image.
TasteAtlas is a website that collects food reviews from all corners of the world.
Recently, their editorial team compiled a list of the 100 worst dishes globally. The ranking is based on over 385,000 user reviews – and in third place is the calskrove.
Here’s what TasteAtlas writes in their explanation (in English):
“This massive meal is an invention of the restaurant Tre Kronor in the Swedish town of Skellefteå. It consists of a calzone pizza filled with a hamburger (including the bun, toppings, and dressing) as well as French fries. The calorie-packed dish was originally created for people who couldn’t decide whether to eat pizza or a burger after a boozy night out.”
In first place is another familiar dish from our region, blood dumplings (blodpalt), and in second place is "bocadillo de sardinas," a type of Spanish sardine sandwich.
We called Rahim Ezatinia, owner of Restaurant Tre Kronor in Skellefteå. He helped create the calskrove in 2005, and the dish holds a special place in his heart.
– I haven’t seen the ranking. But attention is fun, no matter what they write, he says.
I assume you don’t agree with their assessment?
– No, exactly. You can say a lot about the calskrove, but the truth is, it’s enjoyed by many. It’s a real calorie bomb!
Since its creation, the calskrove has almost become a symbol of Skellefteå. Rahim Ezatinia shares the story of how the dish came to be – and it wasn’t quite as TasteAtlas claims.
– We had a regular customer who complained that the portions were too small. So, we started joking around with him and threw all sorts of things into his calzone order. He thought it was funny.
– One day, we had a leftover kids’ burger, so I suggested stuffing it inside to see his reaction. We watched from a distance, a bit nervous, but he came up and said it was delicious!
On September 16, 2006, Norran featured the calskrove for the first time. The youth editorial team rated it four out of five, describing it as "much tastier than expected!"
A few days later, the regular brought his friends along, and they also wanted to try the "calskrove." Eventually, Norran wrote an article about it, and the rest, as they say, is history.
– It was something completely new and quite strange. All the media wrote about it, and people even came from abroad to try it, says Ezatinia.
How popular would you say the calskrove is today?
– It varies, but we usually sell a few every week. At least!
A few years ago, the dish reached a national audience on "På spåret," when Fredrik Lindström and Kristian Luuk explained to the contestants what defines a true calskrove. Photo: SVT.