2024, Food, History, Uncategorized

Swedish Meatloaf

57 Comments

Husband and I found an intriguing meatloaf recipe on our New York Times food app and made it this weekend. It is still in the oven as I write this and I don’t know how it tastes.

It is intriguing to me because it is made with caramelized cabbage inside it and on top of it. I am only so so about cabbage, but this looked like a nice way to get more greens into my diet. The cabbage is caramelized in butter and Lyles Golden Syrup. After it is baked, the meatloaf is served with a sauce made from lingonberry preserves, red wine vinegar, and Worcester sauce.

I never realized before that we have the Ottoman Empire to thank for meatloaf and meatballs. In the early 1700’s the King of Sweden traveled to Turkey and loved the kofte and ground meat recipes he tasted. He brought the recipes to Sweden. The rest is history.

What are your feelings about cabbage? If you were a historian, what would you like to research, and why?

57 thoughts on “Swedish Meatloaf”

  1. I like cabbage and, for that matter, the entire cole family in all its forms.

    I’m not an historian but a great portion of my reading is history based, as I think will come as no surprise to denizens of the Trail, in cultural and social aspects of nineteenth century America. If I were a professional that’s where my research would focus. I find the nineteenth century to be the perfect combination of remote and accessible. After all, in my lifetime I have known people from the nineteenth century. Historians often refer to the nineteenth century as “the long century”, considering the period from the French Revolution in 1789 to the start of the First World War as all of one era. That’s perfect for me. I concentrate on American culture in the nineteenth century because, if one is to gain in-depth familiarity with a subject, one has to set some boundaries. As big and diverse as America was in the 1800s, it still was compact enough that I keep running into the same set of individuals and key events. It’s amazing how the paths cross.

    If I were a professional historian I would likely be obliged to narrow my focus considerably. Most historians, and especially those in an academic setting, build a concentrated expertise on a very limited subject area. As an amateur I am free to pursue whatever aspects catch my interest.

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    1. Regarding both history and geneology, I find that the thing which occurred with the Louisiana Purchase, then westward expansion, was illiteracy. It interferes with research because the people that lost the ability to read and write during the expansion left little trace. The Puritans and Quakers had private school systems in the Eastern colonies. Those did not get re-established on the frontier until Lincoln’s public school mandate, leaving people with a 60 year tradition of no education on the frontier.  I see massive gaps in my family tree during this period because of this. The same must be true of history in general.

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      1. In my experience the difficulty and gaps in genealogical research are the result of the great irregularity in record keeping. Before 1850, only the heads of household were listed by name in the census. Before 1907 (I think) the recording of vital information like births and marriages was optional and persons with no particular reason to report those events to a governmental authority often did not. It is only by chance that individuals show up in church rolls or military records and that those records have survived and been transcribed.

        The prevalence of illiteracy on the frontier doesn’t mean that events in those places are unrecorded. It just means that those events are interpreted through the lens of the literate members of those communities.

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  2. how would i go about researching my native american great grandfather bor near mil lacs on the indian reservation then off to minneapolis carlyle and red lake. he did stuff that’s traceable but im interested in other details.

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  3. i’m a cabbage fan. cole slaw, is a fun thing to do variations of and tossing cabbage or for that matter most greens into a concoction is a regular occurrence

    potato onion base with no direction can be influenced by a choice of spinach kale cabbage spring mix or left over greens that are beginning to head for the compost bin. it ends up on top of baked potatoes in an omelette or in a bowl with a fork in the front seat of my car for an extended munch.

    makes me hungry

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      1. on the slaw ?

        honey vinegar blend with variations on the day

        on the potato egg thing maybe a red sauce like a pasta sauce or simple tomato sauce with cumin smoked paprika and turmeric

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    2. It happens sometimes that a critical mass of artists and writers and poets find themselves clustered in a particular place and time where they influence each other and make a lasting mark on the culture in general. I feel that way about the arts scene at the University of Minnesota in the late ‘60s. Some of those individuals went on to be national and internationally-known figures. It was an inspiring time and place.

      Another such critical mass of so-called Bohemians was Greenwich Village in the years between 1900 and the start of WWI. A good book on the subject is American Moderns by Christine Stansell. You can find a copy on ebay or Amazon for about $5.00.

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      2. thanks i’ll look it up

        i got to catch the tail end of the u of m art group

        malcom meyers herman somberg george morrison tom cowette night classes were my favorite chunk of the week painting drawing watercolor sculpture great vibe

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  5. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    Cabbage? Meh. I love a good cole slaw with Jimmy’s cole slaw dressing but otherwise I can take it or leave it. I think the problem with cooking cabbage is the same one I encounter with other vegetables. When the cook boils the veggie past recognition it is slimy and tasteless. When roasted is is delicious. I need to roast some cabbage and determine my opinion. 

    Historian? I find the traditions behind folk art, which was utilitarian on the American frontier (i.e. quilts) to be fascinating. I could find a book to write on that if I was younger.

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  6. I make cabbage soup, which can be wonderful with the right sausage. And cole slaw esp. with other grated veggies in it… My grandma used to make “pigs in a blanket”, a version of stuffed cabbage that I should check out…

    I’m curious about the “old religions” that were in Europe before Christianity, particularly in Scandinavia and Wales/Scotland, my ancestry. I keep saying I will read up on this, and then I don’t.

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  7. The first time I realized I liked cabbage was one St. Patrick’s Day quite a few years ago when a friend of mine made a traditional Irish meal with corned beef and cabbage. I did try a small piece of the corned beef because I had to but the cabbage was delicious. Someone else made a soup with cabbage and potatoes in it. I tried Irish soda bread – it was just okay. It was a delicious meal. I’ve opened my mind about cabbage since then and I’ve tried it a few ways. I like it in soups, roasted, and grilled.

    Music history with an English language focus would be fascinating. I’d also like to study the cultural cross-connections in languages from about the time of Christ to the late medieval period. Another period that fascinates me is ancient Greece and Rome. I know, pretty basic stuff, but I didn’t finish my degree. Those are some things I’ve considered but didn’t do.

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    1. Mom always made Irish stew on St. Patrick’s Day, and she’d wear a corsage of fresh, dainty shamrocks sent to her by her oldest brother in Drogheda for the occasion.

      Sentimental Irish songs – think “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” and “Danny Boy” – would be on the turntable, and she’d have a good cry.

      By evening she would have had a few beers. The Clancy Brothers and other more boisterous ballads would have taken the place of the maudlin songs, and we’d all sing and dance. “My Name Is McNamara I’m the Leader of the Band…,” or “If You’re Irish, Come Into the Parlor, There’s a Welcome Here for You,” were favorites, and we knew all of the words even though we didn’t understand them all. I wasn’t introduced to traditional Irish music until I came the US, nor had I tasted corned beef and cabbage until I came to St. Paul.

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  8. I like a good coleslaw too. And we’ve gotten into oven-roasted cabbage and other vegetables lately too. Yes, the charred/caramelized bits are tasty. But cabbage isn’t near the top of my favorite veggies list.

    Historical research? I was drawn to the Civil War in 4th grade, studied it like crazy for about 5-6 years. Then got into reading historical fiction set in the American Revolution or the Napoleonic Wars shortly after that.

    I suppose I’d end up researching wars through the millennia and why humans love to kill each other so frequently. As an official (according to Uncle Sam) Conscientious Objector and pacifist, it will baffle me until the day I day why we seem to relish violence in this world.

    Chris in Owatonna

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        1. DARN! I missed it. 😉

          My wife would have liked the Puppy Bowl. I’m more a a Kitty Bowl fan myself. But that would be just staring at 22 cats wandering around a large rectangle looking for food or a good place to take a nap.

          Strangely, my wife made a concerted effort to get into football this year and wanted to watch the Super Bowl more for the game than for the commercials (which have been going downhill in creativity and humor for years, i.m.o.).

          Chris

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  10. I am very interested in Northern Germany during the period of the 30 Years War. My mother’s family was particularly impacted by it due to their stubborn refusal to become Lutheran. They eventually did, but not until the invading Swedes had killed off most of the male members of the family.

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  11. I love cabbages of all kinds. Uncooked in slaw and salads, stewed, in soup, roasted, and grilled, it’s all delicious.

    The cabbage recipe you made, Renee, sounds similar to a Danish dish, Brunkål, that was one of my dad’s favorites. He’d usually cooked and served it with pig trotters, “used footwear” as he called it, with a dab of hot Coleman’s mustard on the side. Yum! I haven’t made it in ages, but I happen to have a head of cabbage in the fridge, so that might be something to prepare for dinner instead of the Ethiopian Atakit Wat I had planned on making.

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    1. An Ethiopian restaurant opened in our neighborhood not long ago. We had dinner there last week.

      The owner/waiter was a very smiley and friendly man who spoke and understood very little English. We ordered the meat and vegetable combo platter because we wanted to sample a smattering of the offered dishes. We were served the vegetable combo platter instead, so no sampling of the meat choices. There were five or six vegetable dishes, all served on injera, and they were all delicious. So I was inspired to look for recipes that we might be able to cook with the spices and seasonings we have on hand, so we’ve had a week of pretty exotic fare. Brunkål might be a welcome change.

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      1. This was half beef and half pork with a cup of heavy cream and 4 T of bread crumbs. One third of the caramelized cabbage was added to it, and then it was put in a pan with the rest of the cabbage on top and then baked. The official name for it was kalpudding. The lingonberry sauce was served on the side.

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  12. I enjoy the KFC coldslaw (sic).

    I was a historian yesterday. After watching an episode of Die Deutsche Wochenschau, the WW2 German weekly propaganda film, I wondered what became of the 50 WW1 destroyers sent to Britain as part of Lend Lease. They are all listed. Some sunken in action but most broken up later. The individual ships each have a story to tell. So since I did the destroyers, I had to go to the U-boats that were surrendered at the end of the war. Many were scuttled in the North Sea. The Japanese got a few which were caught in Japanese ports. They received new identification but apparently never saw action during the remaing months of the war.

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  13. When we moved “back” to the USA after decades in Taiwan (this was in 2018), I delighted in purchasing bags of ready mixed salads. After not too long, though, I tired of munching on cabbage. We switched to those based on lettuce, but soon enough, those felt like munching on nothing. I’m happily back with the cabbage now. 

    If I was familiar with other ways to prepare it, (cooked, not as a salad), I’d probably eat even more.

    Any ideas, anyone?

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    3. We also make our version of “boiled dinner”, but without the corned beef – large chunks of onion, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and some kind of good sausage – steam or boil the vegetables, add the meat whenever so it’s cooked through, serve in a platter with melted butter. 

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  14. Cabbage. I didn’t think there was much to do with it besides coleslaw. I mean I’m not eating sauerkraut!

    I guess I’ve seen it in Chinese restaurants, but yeah, that’s about it.

    History; there are so many interesting things! I just want to go back 100 years and work with my Grandfather or Great Grandfather.

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    2. Braised cabbage and sauerkraut is delicious. Try it, Ben, you just might like it. My friend, Tia, who is 100% Polish/American (she, her older brother, and all of their cousins were all born in Illinois, but the previous generations were all Polish immigrants) taught me to make a Polish sauerkraut soup – Kapuśniak – that is surprisingly good. So is her Ogórkowa zupa, pickle soup. Maybe I just have weird taste buds, but love tart and pungent foods.

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  15. I don’t think I’d like to be a historian – I don’t want to have a laser focus. I love to be distracted down rabbit holes. The period of history I know the most about is probably the Tudor era. Watched the BBC Six Wives of Henry VIII back in high school and was fascinated. But I’d rather have rabbit holes.

    Cabbage. I love cabbage rolls, grilled, roasted, pickled… bring it on. My favorite coleslaw is mine… I make it with extra carrot shreds and Litehouse dressing.

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  16. Historian Heather Cox-Richardson has turned me into an American history buff. Prior to her letters and books, whatever understanding of American history I had was pretty basic and extremely limited; American History 101 if you will. She has put quite a bit of flesh on those bare bones.

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    1. I agree that Heather’s letters and books are excellent and I read her letter every day. But Heather’s take on history, at least in her daily letter, is focused on politics and government actions. There is a lot more to history than politics and that other space is where my interest lies.

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  19. Corned Beef and Cabbage

    by George Bilgere

    I can see her in the kitchen,
    Cooking up, for the hundredth time,
    A little something from her
    Limited Midwestern repertoire.
    Cigarette going in the ashtray,
    The red wine pulsing in its glass,
    A warning light meaning
    Everything was simmering
    Just below the steel lid
    Of her smile, as she boiled
    The beef into submission,
    Chopped her way
    Through the vegetable kingdom
    With the broken-handled knife
    I use tonight, feeling her
    Anger rising from the dark
    Chambers of the head
    Of cabbage I slice through,
    Missing her, wanting
    To chew things over
    With my mother again.

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