Here are eight places to eat in Sweden’s capital, from cozy bistros to an urban farm.
Bracing horseradish powder and pickled mustard seeds balanced earthy beet carpaccio dappled with sweet pear jam.
Confit of grilled mushrooms got a sly pop of babyshiso.
Rosendals Trädgård, an urban farm that grows produce and composts waste for several Stockholm restaurants.Credit:Gregor Lengler/laif/Redux
Jerusalem-artichoke chips and sauerkraut mayo amped up the umami of smoked tempeh.
I found a similar sense of vivaciousness everywhere I ate in the Swedish capital.
Outside, the clouds hung low in the frigid air and the sky was dark by 3 p.m.
From left: The dining venues at the photography museum Fotografiska minimize food waste through partnerships with other local businesses; the beet carpaccio on Växthuset’s menu is accented with dill, rye crisp, and pickled mustard seed.From left: KASJA GÖRANSSON/COURTESY OF FOTOGRAFISKA; COURTESY OF VAXTHUSET
But inside, the restaurants felt positive and vibrant.
Its more than air travel.
Hes right: generally speaking, food waste is responsible for higher emissions than the airline industry.
From left: Salsify, a root vegetable that can be harvested in winter, at the restaurant Oxenstiernan; at Växthuset, ice cream is topped with a fruit compote and toasted almonds.From left: COURTESY OF RESTAURANG OXENSTIERNAN; COURTESY OF VAXTHUSET
We took our Swedish coffee break over cups brewed from beans salvaged in January.
Your portion might be smaller than an American expects, but thats another strategy for decreasing waste.
Sopkoket is casual, but fine dining represents Stockholms no-waste vanguard.
Urban Deli’s creative director Jessie Sommarström with her partner, Gordon Grimlund, and their son Justus.ANNA HÅLLAMS/COURTESY OF URBAN DELI
We upcycle as much as possible.
A local ceramics company grinds down shells from servings of oysters and mussels to incorporate into tableware.
Its a circle that never ends, chef Gustaf Sandfridsson said.
Its a new world if youre an old-school chef.
Yet these methods hark back to preindustrial times.
People didnt have refrigeration, Sandfridsson explained.
Wed pickle in season to save produce for winter when its nice to have something that tastes like summer.
Their findings showed a need to curb our reliance on animal proteins.
We need fat in our diets, so youd eat dairy.
We are developing a curriculum for teaching the public an understanding of proportions.
There, former Fotografiska chef Elvira Lindqvist has launchedOxenstiernanin an 18th-century farmhouse.
My intermezzo a croquette filled with leek fondue had been made with the alliums underused dark-green tops.
Most farmers are used to selling a little piece of a crop.
But on most vegetables, everything is edible, Lindqvist said.
I tell farmers, Send me the whole plant.
An even more diplomatic approach was in evidence atBonnies.
Ronnblom admitted it can be difficult to balance those conscientious measures with the level of luxury guests expect.
We have to have strawberries on the breakfast buffet 365 days a year, she said.
And as the restaurants I visited proved, theres no reason not to.
