Phagomania: Swedish Sandwich Cakes

Marking the finalé in our sandwich trilogy, we seek out the greatest sandwich concept in the world – the sandwich/cake hybrid known as the Smörgåstårta

Feature by Lewis MacDonald | 04 Mar 2015

So, straight from the hip, we are talking about the ultimate sandwich here. We're pushing the sandwich to its outer limits, but in this 'Year Of The Sandwich,' where can we go after last month's sandwich art? Well, not to a meaty, greasy, American-governed excess of cholesterol – as much as we love that kind of thing. No, we're off to Scandinavia – where else in the world would be quietly getting on with perfecting such a great construction as the sandwich cake?

At this point I’d do my best Peter Kay impersonation by alternating the words “sandwich” and “cake” repeatedly with emphasised question marks. But unbeknownst to most readers, north-eastern countries such as Finland, Estonia and Sweden have a traditional masterpiece under their culinary belts in the form of the Smörgåstårta.

Imagine rocking up to a wedding, anniversary or funeral to be greeted with a towering edible masterpiece in the form of multiple layers of light rye bread housing all sorts of meat, fish, pâté and salad, then plastered in mayonnaise and cream cheese and completed with a decorative spectacle of cucumber, radish, egg or whatever you like. Heck, why not cover it in kiwifruit and turn it into a giant tortoise? As the images show, it's not like we haven’t seen that one before.

Where have these masterpieces been all our lives? We’ve been in the dark about these Scandinavian national treasures for too long, and let's face it, they probably make for a healthier party alternative to whatever it is you have in mind for your next shindig. So mark your next major occasion with a colossal tower of sandwich – you can thank us later.


More from phagomania's sandwich trilogy:


is 2015 really the year of the sandwich? phagomania thinks so

Phagomania takes on your favourite shops and on-the-go places

http://theskinny.co.uk/food/phagomania