Julbord - the Christmas Smörgåsbord

Photo by Henrik Trygg, Stockholm's Visitors' Board

I know, I know... it's the 1st of October and I'm already writing about Christmas. My apologies! But people are booking rooms and planning their December visit to Stockholm, and I think it is a good thing to be aware of a certain Swedish Christmas tradition that takes place throughout the month of December: julbord! Julbord, which literally means Christmas table, is very similar to the famous smörgåsbord. This buffet-style meal has all of the traditional dishes found on the smörgåsbord like different types of pickled herring, smoked salmon, gravad lax, meatballs, sausages, paté and desserts as well as the addition of several more Christmassy dishes like ham, lutefisk and rice pudding.
The reason why this is good to be aware of in advance of a December visit is that many restaurants serve this (and only this) during the month of December (up until Christmas Eve). This can either be good or bad news. Good if you want to try this Swedish holiday tradition and bad if you are planning on having dinner at your favorite restaurant where you choose dishes from the menu. Another good thing to know is that you should definitely pre-book julbord, especially if you want good quality! All types of restaurants serve julbord in December... from budget to high end. Some serve the traditional julbord while others have a more modern variation. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, contact me directly and I can help you with recommendations and reservations.
If you require further information about Stockholm during the holidays, you can check my blog writings on the subject from last year.