A Canadian in Sweden

Havre Gryn

I don't even know how this happened, but since getting here I have started to eat an enormous amount of oatmeal (Havre gryn in Swedish). I never even liked oatmeal before. But in Swedish grocery stores, there is an entire aisle dedicated to it. Swedes take their oatmeal very seriously. Potatos too, but we won't get into that.

Oatmeal here is a lot less refined than back home. That means you get a few husks in every bowl. Those are the hard, inedible outside bit of the oat grain. They no doubt provide a lot of fibre, but I just spit them out. It hurts my teeth to chew them.

I have discovered that you get what you pay for when it comes to oatmeal, just like everything else (airline tickets come immediately to mind). There is crap no-name oatmeal and stuff that costs twice as much, but the expensive stuff is totally worth it. Gyllenhamers is the most expensive brand I could find and it is delish. It is really creamy with a smooth but assertive finish and a few earthy undertones that nicely complement its bouquet. I highly recommend it if you have the means.

posted by Jeff @ 7:20 AM