Lingonberry jam is a staple of Northern Europe cuisine and otherwise highly popular in Central Europe and Eastern Europe. Lingonberries ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea) grow on a short evergreen shrub in the Tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Eurasia to North America.
History
In Sweden, lingonberries may be sold as jam and juice, and as a key ingredient in dishes and
. Lingonberry jam may be served with meat courses, such as
, beef
stew or
Offal dishes (such as
maksalaatikko); regionally, it is served with fried
herring. Traditional dishes such as
Kroppkaka,
pitepalt,
,
,
kåldolmar,
fläskpannkaka,
mustamakkara and
black pudding are also commonly combined with lingonberries. The jam can also be paired with
oatmeal porridge (sometimes together with
cinnamon),
and some
.
Composition
Fine lingonberry jam is prepared with berries,
sugar and, optionally, a small amount of water. Cheaper varieties can be diluted with
. Sweetened lingonberries (
rårörda lingon) or (
rørte tyttebær) is prepared fresh by just mixing berries and sugar, without boiling. Because of the
benzoic acid, which is found in high amounts in lingonberries, the berries keep well without any preservatives.
See also
-
List of spreads
-
Cranberry sauce, a similar jam or sauce made from the closely related cranberry
Notes
External links
