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Readers reveal: Where to find the best of Indian culture in Sweden

Where can you find good Indian food in Sweden, the spices and ghee to make an authentic meal at home, or events centred on Indian culture? The Local asked Indians in Sweden for help.

Published: 10 May 2019 17:02 CEST
Updated: 28 January 2020 17:52 CET

Readers reveal: Where to find the best of Indian culture in Sweden

Missing India, or just want to learn more about its culture? We've compiled tips from Sweden's Indian community. File photo of an Indian classical dancer: Unsplash

In a new series, The Local is looking into the best places to find food, events, and cultural associations from different cultures, to help our readers who are feeling homesick or just looking to try something different.

With plenty of help from our Indian readers, the Facebook groups Indians in Sweden, Indians in Stockholm, the Västerås Indian Swedish Association, and two experts working to promote Indian culture in Sweden, we've gathered together the suggestions of where to find a piece of India in the Nordic nation.

Restaurants

Most people agreed that the offering of Indian food in Sweden had undergone a marked improvement in recent years, but warned against restaurants that catered to Swedish tastebuds with added sugar and fewer spices, as well as many inauthentic restaurants which advertised themselves as Indian to increase their popularity.

In Malmö, many readers recommended The South Indian, which The Local's southern Sweden correspondent has previously reviewed for our Malmö Lunch series. Lunch specials start from just 79 kronor ($8.21), and the restaurant has recently opened a branch in Stockholm.

Other restaurants in Malmö that came recommended were Kontrast, Masala House, Delhi Restaurang, and Golden Shiva.

In Gothenburg, readers recommended Indisk Tikka for takeaway Indian food.

Reader Anukool Korde, based in Västerås, got in touch to share three of his favourite Indian eateries across Sweden, but highlighted that a true Indian experience, with not only authentic food but also the same hospitality as experienced in India, was hard to track down.

As well as The South Indian in Malmö, Korde recommended Stockholm chain Indian Street Food, which was popular among our readers, saying: “The food was delectable, the waiters attentive, and the chef sensitive to our needs.” Extra good news is the fact that the chain recently expanded, opening two restaurants in the capital in addition to its existing food truck and two central restaurants.

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Elsewhere in the capital Stockholm, there were several positive reviews of the South Indian Market. “Feel like we are at South India as the name indicates. Yummy Biriyani, Masala Dosa and super cool South Indian music. Staff speaks South Indian language and Swedish. After eating at Bistro South Indian Market we felt really like we enjoyed a party at our home with friends!” one reader wrote.

Also recommended was Saravanaa Bhavan, an international chain with branches in St Eriksplan as well as Kista north of the centre, which received praise for the wide range of vegetarian options and the lunch buffet in particular.

Indian Grill was another popular choice, with reader Shivani Sapra saying: “Indian Grill serves the best authentic Indian food, the taste is really good, with the proper blend of Indian spices and flavours. The Mango Lassi is the best to have in summer and their halloumi wrap is one of the best.”

Several recommendations were made for Chili Masala in Solna, north of the city centre. Ruth Dolla, who works as India Manager at Visit Sweden promoting links between Sweden and India, named it her second favourite in the capital, with Indian Street Food her first pick.

And two other popular spots in Stockholm are the small chain Shanti, with several locations each with a different focus, and Cumin Club located in Vasastan and Södermalm.

But there are also options outside Sweden's major cities and even in the north.

The Local readers recommended New India in Uppsala, Lotus Kitchen in Älmhult, Indian Dhaba in Arlöv, and Taste of India in Sundsvall.

Inside the kitchen at Shanti. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

Groceries

Despite a booming Indian restaurant scene, cooking authentic meals at home can still pose challenges in Sweden.

“There are hundreds of spices available in India and in different parts of India. Those are not all available here, so the ones which are available are the most common ones,” explained Renjith Ramachandran, who set up the website SearchIndie to showcase Indian businesses and events in Sweden.

“You can have most spices delivered through Indian Post at a good price or bring them back from your yearly trip to India,” he suggested.

Three Stockholm grocery stores that were recommended for their range of Indian ingredients were Kista Grossen, Himlaya Livs, and Taj Mahal Livs, all of which stock beauty products and cosmetics alongside foodstuffs. Gothenburgers have the option of Indian Food House, while Indiska Kryddor specializes in spices and tea, and Indopak in Malmö sells Indian groceries.

The selection of widely available spices is much narrower in Sweden than in India. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

And to get food delivered to your door, two options are NGroceries and Farm2Home (Stockholm, Linköping and Norrköping only).

Ruth Dolla said that many of the crucial ingredients can be found, with a bit of searching, imported from India.

“Coriander and mint grown in India, where there's more sunlight, have more flavour so it's recommended to buy these from special grocery stores than from an Ica or Coop,” she suggested. “The only thing that is still hard to find is fresh curry leaves; you can find dried curry leaves in the specialty stores or one needs to grow it at home.”

In Swedish supermarkets, she recommended the Santa Maria range of Indian food including ready-made curry sauces and chutneys for something close to the real deal, and noted that Swedish dairy company Arla had started selling paneer (Indian cottage cheese) while the Kung Markatta chain had begun selling Ghee (Indian clarified butter).

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However, Dolla recommended heading to specialized stores to track down green chilis and good quality mangoes, although she recommended Stockholm's Hötorget market as an alternative for the fresh fruit.

For those who would like to learn some of the techniques and recipes used in Indian cooking, reader Priyanka got in touch to share her regular Stockholm-based vegetarian cooking meetups, V Cook Desi.

“Since I was missing authentic home-cooked food here, I started experimenting with it and started organizing my own Indian vegetarian home cooking sessions. In fact, I started it after one of my Swedish colleagues suggested that I share my recipes after hosting an Indian cook-along at her place,” she explained.

So far, she has taught the group how to make meals including stuffed aloo, palak paneer, paneer butter masala, and paneer malai kofta, with several more events planned for the summer.

Other businesses

Food is one of the main things many internationals miss from their home country, but is far from the only aspect of life that's different when you move abroad.

The SearchIndie website shows listings and reviews of Indian businesses and events across Sweden, as well as institutions such as temples and mosques.

For eyebrow threading and other beauty treatments, two Indian-run salons are Roopali Beauty Care in Kista and In o bli fin in central Stockholm.

Events and culture

Renjith Ramachandran, who runs the SearchIndie website, says Sweden's three largest cities (Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö) have the largest number of events.

“Namaste Stockholm at Kungsträdgården on May 25th is a must visit, where you can see the entire Indian community in Stockholm and lot of food and ten-hour nonstop programmes,” said Ramachandran.

He also recommended the Huddinge Indian Festival and the Stockholm Sangeet Festival, organized by a group of Swedish people but the only event in Scandinavia to focus on Indian classical music and dance.

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One event missing from the calendar is Holi, mainly due to the difficulty of organizing an outdoor festival during the unpredictable Swedish winter.

For more regular activities linked to Indian culture, there are plenty of choices for Indian dance schools in Stockholm, such as Bhangra Fitness, Alen's School of Indian Dances, and Bollywood Dance. And on Bollywood Bio, you can find out about Bollywood movies being shown across Sweden.

Finally, cultural associations such as Indians in Sweden and India Unlimited organize events and offer the chance to attend meetups, while Facebook groups such as Indians in Sweden, Indians in Stockholm, and Indians and Friends in Gothenburg can also be a valuable source of support.

IN DEPTH: How can Stockholm's cultural scene be more open to internationals?

Contribute to future articles in this series! Have you discovered a restaurant, shop, event or group that reminds you of home? Get in touch and tell us where people in Sweden can find the best of your home culture.

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How to grow your own fruits and vegetables in Sweden

Know your growing zone

Sweden is split into eight different growing zones, known as växtzoner in Swedish, with one being the mildest zone in the far south of the country and eight being the harshest, in the far north.

The easiest way to figure out which zone you live in is to search your address on a digital growing zone chart like this one from the Swedish Garden Association.

There are two “bonus” zones too, which you’re unlikely to see on plant labels: zone zero, which refers to extra mild conditions in zone one, like a sheltered south-facing garden or the climate inside an unheated greenhouse, and the fjällzon or zone nine, which is found in mountain regions.

Lots of fruit trees can handle snow, for example, but not all of them will survive the winters in harsher, colder zones.

“Apple trees or fruit trees will survive snow,” British gardener and cider maker John Taylor, known for presenting Swedish gardening show Trädgårdstider (Garden Times), told The Local.

“You can grow all kinds of apples, pears, plums, cherries, we can grow edible quince in southern Sweden, so there’s a bunch of fruit trees which will survive, but it depends what rootstock they’re on – that’s called grundstam in Swedish,” he explained.

“There’s one rootstock called B9 that survives down to minus 40, because it’s from Russia, then there’s another called M106, and that probably doesn’t want to live in the depths of Norrland.”

Buy plants local to you

An easy way to make sure the plant you’re planning on buying is going to survive in your zone is by sourcing it from a local plant nursery or garden centre, as they won’t sell plants that can’t handle the local climate.

“There’s a nursery in the north of Sweden and Finland called Blomkvists, they sell lots of fruit varieties which will survive up there,” Taylor said. “You can grow pretty much anything you want up there, just as we can [in Skåne, southern Sweden], but it will be different varieties that taste different and will survive the frost.”

You won’t be able to grow Mediterranean fruits like lemons or oranges in Sweden unless you bring them inside during the winter, although you should be able to grow peaches or nectarines in most of the country.

“The further up in the country you go, the further north you are or the further away from the coast, the harsher the climate becomes, so you might need to have them on a south-facing wall or in a greenhouse,” Taylor said.

Think outside the box

Although the growing season in Sweden may be shorter than it is further south, there are still a number of crops from warmer climates that do surprisingly well.

“People don’t really grow cucumbers outside here, I don’t think they realise that you can actually grow them outside,” Taylor said. “Tomatoes, too. You don’t need a greenhouse, you just stick them in the ground, they’re basically a weed – you’ll get so many you won’t know what to do with them.”

Sweetcorn, for example, performs well in a Swedish climate, Taylor said, although Swedes more often grow it as a feed crop for pigs.

You can also test things by trying to build a microclimate so you can grow things that are one or even two growing zones away from yours. Usually this is done by providing shelter from the wind and the weather using fences, hedges or by planting near buildings, as well as providing protection during the winter.

And if you’re pushed for space, look into companion planting, where you can grow multiple plants which complement each other in the same space.

One example of this is the “three sisters”: corn, climbing beans (or peas), and squash. The corn provides a support for the beans or peas, which anchor the corn in high winds while fixing nitrogen in the soil, while the squash’s large leaves provide shade for the soil, preventing it from drying out.

Don’t be put off just because you don’t have any outside space

Thinking outside the box applies to balconies too.

“If you’re in a built-up area, you will get reflected light from other buildings, so even if you’re on an east-facing balcony, you should be able to grow a lot of stuff. North is a bit more tricky, but east and west are probably better than south as you’re not getting hammered by the sun all day,” Taylor said.

You should be able to grow things like tomatoes, cucumbers and flowers, but it’s important to get hold of good soil and replenish it each year, so your plants have enough nutrients.

“Anybody with a balcony can grow pretty much the same that you can in a garden, you just have to get the soil up there and you always have to fertilise, the soil becomes nutrient deficient after one season.”

“But if you’re prepared to get the soil up on your balcony you can grow anything, even fruit trees. They will be smaller and stunted, and won’t give as much fruit – I’ve done it myself – so don’t see it as an obstacle, see it as a possibility.”

Kale and tomatoes growing on a balcony. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Take inspiration from Swedish growers

Thinking outside the box doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore what all your Swedish neighbours are doing. If you’re not sure what to plant in your garden or what fruit and veg you should try to grow, take a look at what other people who live near you are growing.

You might also come across some crops you’ve never tried before which work well in a Swedish climate, like Alpine strawberries (smultron), honeyberries (blåbärstry), wild garlic (ramslök) or sea buckthorn (havtorn).

This doesn’t just apply to varieties, but also where you plant them in your garden. Some crops need full sun, some work best in shade, and others, like asparagus, can grow tall and cast a shadow over your garden.

“You want a south-facing location for all fruit, and berries – check out what your neighbours are doing,” Taylor said.

If you don’t want tall plants to cast a shadow over other crops, see if you can plant them at the northernmost edge of your garden, while making sure that sun and soil conditions are still optimal. Blueberries, for example, need acidic soil to thrive, meaning you will probably need to amend your soil if planting in the ground, or even plant them in containers.

Think about what you want to do with your harvest

This may seem obvious, but it’s important to plant what you like to eat, too. If you hate the aniseedy, licorice-y taste of fennel, why bother growing it?

You should also choose the variety of crop based on what you’re going to use it for. Do you want to make pickles with your cucumbers, or are you going to eat them on salads? Do you want cherry tomatoes for snacking on, or big beef tomatoes for making sauces?

“Think ‘what am I going to do with my harvest’,” Taylor said. “Am I going to juice it? Am I going to preserve it? Am I going to make cider with it, for example?”

Apples, for example, can range from sweet eating apples to tart cooking apples, so make sure you do your research before you commit to buying an apple tree. Most varieties exist in English-speaking countries, so you should be able to search the name of the variety online and find some information in a language you understand, if you don’t speak Swedish.

“Patience is a virtue,” he added. “A lot of fruit trees are going to take two or three years, or even more, to give a harvest. So you have to have patience.”

Learn to deal with the Swedish weather

Many areas of Sweden along the coast or in the south of the country can get windy, which you’ll have to learn to deal with.

“How to deal with the wind? You can’t,” Taylor said. “We cannot affect this, we are powerless.”

“What you have to do is plant them in areas where there’s less wind, usually behind large buildings.”

Some plants simply won’t survive the wind, so either you plant them close to buildings, protect them, or accept that you’re restricted in what you can grow.

Make sure to provide supports for crops which will grow tall, like sunflowers, peas, beans and sweetcorn, and tie these down well or bury them deep in the ground, so summer storms can’t blow them away.

Listen to the full interview with John Taylor in The Local’s Sweden in Focus Extra podcast for Membership+ subscribers. Out on Wednesday, May 8th.

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