Lingonberries are a vibrant, red fruit that's abundant in the Scandinavian countries. They can be picked in the wild and their tart juiciness is a terrific addition to dishes both sweet and savory. Here are five examples of traditional ways to serve them.
• 1 Sprinkle them fresh on top of hot or cold cereals.
• 2 Vispipuuro, a traditional Finnish semolina porridge dessert made with lingonberries (pictured above)
• 3 Top Finnish Meatballs (or similar) with lingonberry jam. The recipe linked here includes sour cream, which is a delicious tradition. More commonly, many of us have probably had the Swedish meatballs from IKEA.
• 4 Use lingonberry preserves as a stir-in for yogurt.
• 5 Serve the fresh berry or preserves on potato pancakes.
From Wikipedia:
The berries contain plentiful organic acids, vitamin C, provitamin A (as beta carotene), B vitamins (B1, B2, B3), and the elements potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. In addition to these nutrients, they also contain phytochemicals that are thought to counteract urinary-tract infections, and the seeds are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Have you tried lingonberries before? Lingonberry jam is pretty easy to come by, and we've heard about wild fruits in the northern US that are similar (by a different name). Let us know, fresh or preserved, how you like to eat them.
Related: In What Country Would You Eat This For Breakfast?
(Image: Flickr member Kimtaro licensed for use under Creative Commons; Tofu for Two)
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These sound like the Nanking Cherries that grow in Western Canada. I love picking local fruit! I think you can do the same things with Nanking Cherries, though I never tried it in yogurt - great idea!
I grew up eating lingonberries since my mother is Swedish. She always picked them growing up. We would usually have them on the side with any meat and potato dish. delicious. Especially good with pork dishes, and of course with swedish meatballs.
Growing up around my Norwegian grandmother.. I love lingonberries!
I love the preserves on top of warm östkaka and fresh whipped cream at Christmas. The tartness is fantastic!
We always had lingonberry jam and lemon with our schnitzel.
My father's family was Norwegian and my Mom's Dad was Swedish, so we always had lingonberry preserves with meatballs (Swedish & Norwegian) as well as beef and pork. We always have it with the rice pudding on Christmas.
This morning I had lingonberry jam stirred into my porridge. Yum.
I love lingonberry jam. I know it sounds crazy, but to me it tastes like the way kittens smell. Warm sunshine, earthy, sweet.
Again, fully aware of the crazy...
Lingonberry Cobbler.
When I lived in Norway we would pick the lingonberries, toss them in sugar, freeze. On the day we wanted to eat them, we would partially unfreeze them and top with vanilla sauce. Delicious.
Big lover of lingonberries! My boyfriend is Swedish but grew up in Norway so Lingonberry jam is sort of a staple around our house. Of course its great in the traditional meatballs and potatoes sense but its also delicious with ice cream, in a yogurt parfait, or drizzled over any sort of meat. Its great reduced and drizzled over lamb! A recent find at IKEA was lingonberry juice boxes. Delish and wonderful - the cocktail ideas are endless!
where on earth can i buy this stuff? the only place i can find it is ikea and that's a few hours away for me