Where is the Raw Food in Stockholm?

The hypocrite even loves curried herring

I love Sweden, Swedish people, Swedish design, language and, at risk of sounding like a Swedophile, I even love Swedish food, which is, let’s face it, not for everybody. Elk meatballs, reindeer pizza, curried herring, pickled herring, chilli herring, cardamom buns, schnapps – it’s an acquired taste. To me, the flavours of Swedish food always seem just like their culture; creative, uncomplicated, nourishing and distinct. Their chefs are also known for being edgy, so I was surprised not to find a single dedicated raw food bar in Stockholm. However, an hour before departure, I did find Renee Voltaire.

I hadn’t been to Stockholm for ages so this weekend when my Aussie mate Sarah and I went to see my good friend Lotta Lindblad’s art exhibition, I was in heaven, especially as my visit coincided with the first official hot (15C) and sunny day of the year. It seemed as though the entire population was out walking in Djurgarden, one of the central islands of the 20,000 the archipelago of Stockholm is based on and home to the worlds’ only National Park based in a city. It was a beautiful, natural, warm way to hunt down raw food, even it meant navigating hot dog stands and a traffic jam of prams.

Having researched potential raw food havens in Stockholm prior to flying, I knew there were endless vegan and vegetarian outlets (I popped into Hermitage and Ekologiskt Bageri in Gamla Stan) but I was disappointed that there weren’t any raw food bars. I did note that almost every cafe (see Waynes coffee) served vegetarian options and even if serving a salmon option, the salad was generous and very green. Raw fruit smoothies were also on offer but overall I have to admit it felt like a let-down. However all was not lost on my international raw food mission. I came across my first real, grown up, slick and superb savoury raw food brand.

Renee Voltaire is a grown up slick and fantastic Swedish raw food brand

I shouldn’t have been surprised. Sweden is home to some of the world’s best loved brands; Ikea, Ericsson, Volvo, Absolut, Orefors, Saab, Abba…Even Pippi Longstocking is a global phenomenon. They know how to do it and do it very well. I bought the dehydrated flax seed biscuits at 699SKR or roughly £6 from a ‘normal’ supermarket chain in Gamla Stan (Old Town), Renee had an entire end of aisle to herself and I was amazed at that alone. As far as I can tell, here in London Sainsbury’s and Tescos, there are no specific raw food products besides the obvious nuts, dried fruits and fruit and veggies. The thing that makes Renee Voltaire’s products so particularly delectable is her packaging and brand. It totally rocks and turns a boring dried fruit product into a raw food experience that I am proud to be a part of.

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Tags: elk, flax seed, herring, raw food, raw food cafes, raw food in sweden, renee voltaire, salmon, schnapps, stockholm, sweden