What objects lie at the heart of the Swedish idea, besides all sorts of Ikea and Volvo? Around what suns does the 'planet Sweden' revolve? Specially for the official website of Sweden Sweden.se, journalist and writer Per Enerud delved into Swedish everyday life and found unique objects there.
Solstickan: the sun match
The humble matchbox with a drawing on the label by artist Einar Nerman (his brother Ture Nerman was one of the founders of the Comintern) is perhaps the most reproduced illustration in Sweden. Solstickan – 'the sun match' – is not just a match brand, but a symbol of a charitable organization founded in 1936.
8 öre (about 1 euro cent) from each box goes to the Solstickan charitable foundation. The funds go primarily to medical research in the field of children's and elderly health.
Osthyveln: the cheese slicer
The fact that this item is a Norwegian invention is practically unknown to anyone in Sweden. Throughout Scandinavia, the cheese slicer is regarded with deep affection. It is intended for hard cheese. And Swedes are the world's top consumers of hard cheese: each person eats about 13 kg per year, regardless of age, and all this cheese is cut with cheese slicers. For Swedes, this item is not a knife, but rather a 'cheese plane' – that is the literal translation of the Swedish word osthyvel.
Kalles kaviar: caviar in a tube
The humble cod roe cream in tubes, like toothpaste, is the most desired gift from home for Swedes living abroad. The cream is so popular that it became a bone of contention in negotiations about Swedish membership in the European Union.
The issue is that the word kaviar in European legislation is intended for real caviar of the Russian or Iranian type, and the Swedish product, of course, was not even remotely similar. As a result, the manufacturer Abba Seafoods removed the word kaviar from the tube.
The design: a boy named Kalle eating a sandwich with the cream (in the post-Soviet tradition, his counterpart would be the chocolate girl 'Alenka') – has remained virtually unchanged since 1955.
Sparken: the spark
Winters in Sweden, especially in the northern part of the country, are harsh. When the bicycle season is hopelessly over, the spark season begins. The unusual word 'spark' – from the Swedish verb sparka (to kick, to push off) – denotes a type of sled. The rider stands on the runners and pushes off the surface with one foot. Sparks move on slippery roads or ice at high speed.
You can load grocery bags onto a spark or attach a child seat to it. For older people, it is convenient to hold onto a spark to avoid slipping in winter, since roads in Swedish cities are not salted.
Epatraktorn: the 'epa' tractor
After World War II, to encourage small farms, Swedish authorities passed a law on mechanization of the agricultural sector. Farmers were allowed to modify the gearbox in old cars so they could work as tractors. This type of vehicle was nicknamed the 'epa' tractor.
'Epa' was the name of a low-price department store: in Swedish, the word often means something cheap, of low quality. The new rules did not produce much result for agriculture, but the law allowed people under 18 to drive a car without a driver's license. Such cars are especially common outside major cities. They are often skillfully repaired and decorated with airbrushing. In appearance, they are completely unlike agricultural machinery.
Ahlgrens bilar: chewy candies
The most popular car in Sweden is not a Volvo, not a Saab, and certainly not some Lexus or Toyota. The most popular car in Sweden is Ahlgrens bilar, 'Ahlgren's cars'. Created in 1953, these chewy candies are still savored by all of Sweden.
The company that invented Ahlgrens bilar no longer exists, but the chewy cars can still be found in any grocery store in the country. Unceasing debates among connoisseurs about which color tastes better – green, white, or red – is a more serious discussion than who gets the Nobel Prize this year.
Laminofåtöljen: the designer armchair
In 1999, Sweden's leading design magazine announced a vote: readers were asked to choose the Swedish furniture item of the century. The winner was the Lamino armchair from the Swedese furniture factory.
The armchair was created by designer Yngve Ekström in 1957. Light and comfortable, it became a symbol of Swedish minimalism in design. The armchair is still produced at the same factory as 60 years ago: demand for it is unchanged. Lamino is very durable, and many Swedish homes still have armchairs from the first years of production.
Motorvärmaren: the engine heater
In Swedish parking lots, you can often see metal posts topped with a lockable box. In cold weather, parked cars are connected to these posts by a cord. This refers to engine heaters, which are almost always installed in Swedish cars.
The heater usually works on a timer. The car owner sets the desired start time – and in the morning gets into a warm car with defrosted windows. Another important advantage of this equipment is that exhaust gas cleaning systems work better when the engine is warm.
Träskor: wooden clogs
The wooden clog with a leather upper – that is what Swedes consider comfortable footwear. Most often the leather is black, but sometimes, especially in women's models, bright versions are also found. Such clogs have deep roots in the history of Scandinavian folk costumes – and today they are worn with ordinary clothing.
Snuset: snus tobacco
“Save us while we are still alive! Without snuff, we will perish in two days in the prime of life on this deserted island,” – a quote from Astrid Lindgren’s “Pippi Longstocking” exactly expresses the feelings Swedes have for snus. But the translation itself is inaccurate: snus is not snuff at all. Snus is a ground, moist form of tobacco that is placed under the lip and the nicotine is absorbed with saliva.
In the European Union and many other countries, snus is banned, but for Swedes it is sacred. Snus is sold in round tins. See something flat and round protruding from the pocket of Swedish jeans (or even a characteristic round worn spot on the trousers)? Do not doubt it, it’s snus, only snus, and nothing but snus.
Fjällräven Kånken: (not) just a backpack
The fashionable Kånken backpack is popular worldwide; hiking gear from the Swedish brand Fjällräven has appealed to hiking enthusiasts. In Sweden, a country with a rather harsh climate, clothing for extreme sports is considered bon ton in both urban and social circles.
In the Stockholm metro, you can meet people dressed to the nines in Gore-Tex, but wearing ties and expensive suits. With a Kånken backpack to the Opera or an important business meeting? Of course, why not.
Amerikaklockan: American clocks
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, nearly a quarter of Sweden’s population emigrated. The country was backward, agrarian, the poorest in Europe. Most emigrants sought fortune in America, many settling in Minnesota, where American authorities gave them land.
The emigrants did not miss the opportunity to boast of their successes to relatives in Sweden and sent various luxury items back home. Particularly popular were “American clocks” – large wall clocks with chimes. Such clocks still hang in many Swedish homes a hundred years later, as a memory of the era of poverty.
Dalahästen: Dalecarlian horse
The Dalecarlian horse is Sweden’s matryoshka. The souvenir of souvenirs. This horse is sold in all gift shops: historically the original was carved from red wood, but today you can find horses made of any material, any color. In Swedish homes, however, it occupies exactly the same place as the matryoshka in the countries of the former Soviet Union – more likely to be encountered than not, but hardly the main item in the house.
In the province of Dalarna (hence the name “Dalecarlian”), horses have been carved and painted since the 17th century. The best handcrafted horses are still made by artists in the village of Nusnäs. At the 1939 New York World’s Fair, a three-meter wooden horse became the symbol of the Swedish exhibition. Since then, it has been the archetypal souvenir of Sweden.
Morakniven: knife from Mora
And again we return to Astrid Lindgren. In her books about Emil of Lönneberga, the hero is punished by being sent to the carpentry shed. There the boy carves wooden figures with a pocketknife. In all likelihood, Emil’s knife is precisely a morakniv, a knife from the village of Mora.
The compact knife is primarily suited for woodworking. In its classic design – a handle of durable red Karelian birch. This is another icon of Swedish design. Over time, the manufacturer began producing quality kitchen knives with the characteristic red handle. Thus, from the carpentry shed, the knife migrated to elite kitchens.
Studentmössan: student cap
Anyone who finds themselves in Sweden in May will inevitably encounter young men and women in characteristic white caps. Sometimes, especially in late May-early June, they climb into open-top trucks and ride around Swedish cities: with music, singing, shouting, in a very cheerful mood. What does it all mean? You have witnessed the Swedish tradition of high school graduation.
The white cap once complemented the student uniform of universities in Lund and Uppsala: if you look closely, you will find that the cap models are different. A high school graduate had the right to wear the student cap after passing an oral exam: in classic Swedish literature, the panic of a young applicant before the exam is a particularly popular theme. Now there is no exam, and the student uniform has long disappeared – but the joy of the newly minted graduates remains.