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SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: påskmust

Here's a piece of Easter vocabulary you simply must learn.

Swedish word of the day: påskmust
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Påskmust roughly means “Easter soda”, but most Swenglish speakers use the original word even when speaking Swedish.

We take a look at the history of the word påsk (Easter) in this word of the day, but what about the must?

It comes from the Latin term vinum mustum (literally “young wine”), but before you get too excited, the must filling supermarket shelves at the moment is non-alcoholic (otherwise of course, it wouldn’t be allowed in Swedish supermarkets at all). 

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The technique, however, is mostly unchanged: must is unfiltered juice from berries or fruit, which doesn’t ferment. The term mustus in Latin, meaning “fresh”, “young” or “new” is actually linked to the Greek word μύδος (“moisture”).

A place where this kind of juice is made is called a musteri, and there are lots of types of must as well as the seasonally themed varieties: äppelmust (apple juice), körsbärsmust (cherry juice), and lingonmust (lingonberry juice) for example).

Påskmust and its wintery counterpart julmust (Christmas soda) are made by adding the fruity syrup (the recipes are a closely guarded secret) to carbonated water, and they are sold in huge quantities around both holidays. The earliest adverts for påskmust date back to 1947, but it is becoming ever more popular, with sales rapidly increasing over recent years.

The malty flavour is said to pair especially well with the traditional festive food of herring, meats, and more herring.

If you want to start a controversial discussion at fika or around a påskbord (like a julbord or smörgåsbord, but at Easter), pose the question of whether julmust and påskmust are one and the same. While the labels show different seasonal scenes, the tastes are suspiciously similar.

It seems that even manufacturers have admitted the ingredients of both drinks are identical, even if Carlsberg – the producer of the popular Apotekarnes brand – claim that the storage, occasion, and experience of the two drinks lead to differences in the perceived taste.

READ ALSO: Six ways the Swedes celebrate Easter

Examples

Under påskhelgen dricker svenskar mer än 10 miljoner liter påskmust

During the Easter weekend, Swedes drink more than ten million litres of påskmust

Är julmust och påskmust samma sak?

Are julmust and påskmust the same thing?

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon USAmazon UKBokus or Adlibris.

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For members

SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: kondis

Today’s word has two meanings: one is healthy, the other less so.

Swedish word of the day: kondis

Kondis is a great example of a Swedish slang word ending in -is, which essentially is the shortened version of a longer word.

Somewhat confusingly, in the case of kondis, there are actually two similar words which have both been shortened in this way, resulting in one word with two different meanings.

The first meaning comes from konditori, the Swedish version of a patisserie or bakery, which you might recognise from the German word Konditor (a confectioner or pastry chef), originally from the Latin word condītor, which referred to a person who preserved, pickled or seasoned food.

  • Don’t miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading The Local’s app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button

The word kondis can either refer to a konditori itself, or to the type of baked goods and pastries they offer. A kondis differs somewhat from a bageri (bakery), which is more likely to focus on savoury or rustic baked goods, like bread (although many kondis also sell bread, and many bagerier will serve some sort of cake or sweet treat too). 

A kondis is also more likely to have some area where you can sit and enjoy your food on-site, perhaps with a cup of tea or coffee, while bakeries are more likely to be take-away only.

The second meaning of kondis is a shortened version of the word kondition, which translates roughly as your endurance or fitness. If you’re good at running, you might be described as having bra kondition or bra kondis, roughly equal to being fit. 

Another similar slang word for this in Swedish would be flås, which technically translates to “panting”, but can be used in the same way as kondis to describe physical endurance or fitness.

Example sentences:

Om man äter för mycket kondis kan man få dålig kondis.

If you eat too many pastries you could end up less fit.

Sprang du hela vägen hit? Du måste ha bra kondis!

Did you run the whole way here? You must be in good shape.

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon USAmazon UKBokus or Adlibris.

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