Scandinavian Adventures: A Food Market in Lilla Torg

I.

On the heels of my blabber about a recent travel adventure out of Madrid over a weekend, a french co-worker once remarked in a rather cryptic tone, "Wow, all you do is travel!". I smiled and told him the truth: "Yes! See I am on borrowed time! I am not sure how long I´ll stay here in Europe so I have to take advantage of the perks of being here!". Truth: I have a smaller net salary here than when I worked in Asia, but who doesn´t have a European dream? Who does not want to see the lights over Paris at night? To walk on centuries old cobblestoned paths, move around castles, to gleam bits and pieces of history, culture, and the traditions of these places.

But here´s the truth. I am first and foremost a food lover. In Europe, where the great food discoveries were perfected, the door is wide open for food adventures. I might not remember much about the snippets of stories/scandals/anecdotes on a particular castle, a church, a painting, or a street but my food-obsessed brain will never forget the scrumptiousness of eating something spectacular. And here in Europe you can taste them at their places of origin. Paella in Valencia, Croissant in Paris, Chocolates in Brussels, Danish pastries in Copenhagen, Goulash in Budapest, Portuguese Egg Tarts in Lisboa, Molecular Gastronomy at a pub in Madrid and oh that unforgettable realization that indeed bliss can be achieved by eating the best gelato in the world at a small park in Bologna.

My love of food is a big part of my travel plans. And having travelled a bit, I am even more fascinated and amazed by the life-long dedication that these food purveyors, cooks, artisan food makers and small homegrown brands put into making and offering the best products possible. Which travellers like me and you oh so willingly devour in minutes, haha! To see and eat these labours of love in the context of their origins, to bite into the makers´ stories and struggles, for me, the food aspect is one of the best things about traveling in Europe.

II.

On a day when it was raining in Copenhagen, my friend and I ventured into Malmo, Sweden. You would not believe how long it takes to cross over from Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden. Less than thirty minutes by train! That fast, thanks to the efficient transportation system between the two countries and the Øresund Bridge which connects Malmo to Copenhagen.

Fresh from the Malmo train station, we walked to Lilla Torg. A small yet beautiful square surrounded by old buildings and restaurants.

A restaurant in Lilla Torg.

Tulips were a-blooming around Lilla Torg

Intricate, beautiful beyond words. Doll houses on a storefront in Lilla Torg.

As we walked to the end of the square, we saw a scattering of pop-up shops each carrying a European flag and saw food, lots of food! My heart did a backflip. Oh Joy! How lucky and blessed we were that on Good Friday, while it was drizzling in Copenhagen, we were in sunny Malmo, smack right into an artisanal food market!

Artisanal Food Market in Malmo, Sweden

Care for some Paella?

This is not food:) Handmade soap from Provence, France

Handmade Fudge from The British Fudge Company

Our little goody bag of fudge. There were six big squares of fudge, but two food monsters with no self-control have devoured the two hefty cubes immediately.

Pretzels and other breads

Weird, was also thinking, a stall of Australian burgers in a predominantly European food market? But maybe that´s their differentiating factor, no? Seemed to be working though as we saw quite a queue for their burgers.

French and Danish Pastries

Our best buy from the fair! Sublime curds, jams and chutneys from England

Unlimited free taste of jams, curds and chutneys!

Chutneys of the most unusual and delicious kind

Traditional Scottish Shortbread

There were a lot of other food purveyors in the market. Baklavas, greek olives, and oils from the Greek stall. A french bistrot booth was serving french bistro meals, A Dutch stall was selling cheeses. Plus more booths than I can recall. But I didn´t take pics of these because, well, I wasn´t interested.

What does it say of us if we do not buy cooked food at a place like this? So of course we ate!

The good-looking cook at Mr. Langos, a Hungarian stall specializing in, what else, Langos!

Our delicious shrimp langos: crispy yet pillowy flat bread topped with cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, herbs and a generous serving of shrimps. Awesome!

A serving of Pierogi from the Polish food stall. Pierogies are dumplings similar to gyoza. We ordered the meat and cabbage filled pierogi. The skins are slightly thicker and chewier than the dumpling wrappers we are used to in Asia but the pierogies were still good and very filling!