The 2016 UNESCO Creative Cities Forum revolved around food. Naturally – the host city, Ostersund, is a City of Gastronomy. Although unable to attend personally, I felt there was an opportunity – even an obligation, under the circumstances – for the Cities of Literature to pay respects to gastronomic traditions, especially those of our home regions. 

It is late April or early May and the thick ice from Lake Storsjön is breaking up.

It’s late 2016 and two 40-something males, whose formative years were filled with the heady melodies of the 1980s “Dunedin Sound”, reminisce over times gone by: times filled with the innocence of youth, the newness of everything and the coolness of grunge. This was the inspiration for the Bird Dog Hot Dog.

Strange calluses are suddenly appearing on my hands and feet, said the young boy, seated at the table in the dark kitchen, flooded with the smoke of the roasted sardines.

An excerpt from the book by Hans Dölzer

Chestnuts are well known as a roasted snack at fairs and as stuffing for poultry. They are also suitable for a creamy autumn soup. It is strongly advisable not to use unpeeled chestnuts, because peeling them is a miserable business. They can be bought peeled and vacuum-packed.

An excerpt from the biography Hilde Domin, Dass ich sein kann, wie ich bin, by Marion Tauschwitz.

A poem by Polish poet, Czesław Miłosz 

If there were ever a grain that reflected the character of the Slovenian countryside throughout its long history of self-sufficiency, that grain would definitely be rye.

Aromatic round rye loaf with kefir starter

The recipe that captures the spirit of Nottingham people best is Mushy Peas with Mint Sauce, a recipe long associated with Nottingham’s famous Goose Fair.

What accounts for the enduring popularity of mushy peas and how do you cook them? 

from Eighty-fourers (Osmačtyřicátníci, 1924) by Jindřich Šimon Baar

An excerpt from the book by Ava Ólafsdóttir

Icelandic rice pudding comes in a few different variations, all of which are served warm. Two of the most common are a thin gruel and a thick porridge. The recipe here refers to the latter.