Protected Designation of Origin products in West Sweden

Discover our local artisan foods

West Sweden with its varied natural landscapes and long tradition of artisan foods has more products with protected status than any other region in Sweden. Some of them come from our long coastal area and some from our species rich lakes, while others have their origins in farming. In common to them all is that they are made from local ingredients that have been refined as a result of knowledge and experience stretching way back in time. 

You can read more about the different designations (PDO and PGI) and what they mean further below.

 

Wrångebäck Cheese – A rustic cheese with a rich heritage (PDO)

Wrångebäck cheese is a hard cheese with a creamy consistency and complex tangy flavour. It’s made at Almnäs Bruk just outside Hjo by Lake Vättern.

Origin and description

The unique Wrångebäck Cheese is made and matured to a recipe developed at the end of the 19th century. The cheese gets its character from organic milk which is thermised, which means that it is heat treated at lower temperatures than pasteurised milk. The milk in its turn comes from cows that graze outdoors from the middle of April to the middle of October and mainly eat grass and wild plants like white clover and Timothy grass.

Production in the Guldkroken area outside Hjo ceased in 1961 but was started up again nearly 50 years later, and these days the cheese is a true classic in the industry. 

Where can you buy and eat Wrångebäck Cheese?

Wrångebäck Cheese is used in many restaurants and also sold in selected delicatessens around the country, including:

• Sivans Ost, Vara
• Mellbygatan, Lidköping
• Lottas Bak & Form, Tjörn
• Hugo Ericsons Ost in the Saluhallen, Göteborg

Vänerlöjrom, Vendace Roe from Lake Vänern – a delicacy from Sweden’s largest lake (PDO)

Vänerlöjrom is an exclusive roe product from vendace, which is fished in Sweden’s largest lake, Vänern, for a short period between October and December.  

Origin and description

Vendace used to be fished primarily just to eat, but in the 1960s fishermen in the Spiken fishing village also started to utilise the roe, a laborious process which craves both craftsmanship and skill. The fish are hand milked to get the roe out, which is then cleaned, rinsed, strained and dried. When it is dry, salt is added.

Nowadays Vänerlöjrom is a coveted delicacy, and much of its unique flavour stems from the clean waters of Lake Vänern.

Where can you buy and eat Vänerlöjrom?

Many restaurants serve dishes where Vänerlöjrom is one of the main ingredients. If you want to enjoy the roe right by Lake Vänern where it is fished we recommend:

• Restaurang Sjöboden, Spiken

Grebbestad Oysters – wild caught and delicious oysters (PDO)

Grebbestad Oysters are wild harvested European oysters (Ostrea edulis) from the Swedish west coast. The island rich coastline provides shelter from waves from the open sea, which creates the right conditions for the oyster banks.

Origin and description

Swedish oysters have been eaten since the Stone Age, and were being delivered to royal courts back in the 17th century. In the 19th century populations were threatened by overfishing and in the 1960s the European oyster was nearly wiped out by parasites, but Swedish populations survived thanks to the cold waters of the Bohuslän coast.

Today most of the oysters are hand caught by divers without disturbing the sea bed, and a smaller amount are fished with landing nets by wading fishers. The oysters are cleaned on land. It takes three to five years for the oysters to reach the right size, which means that they have plenty of time to develop lots of flavour. 

Where can you buy and eat Grebbestad Oysters?

Grebbestad Oysters are harvested by the Klemming family and sold at fish auctions in Gothenburg and to the city’s foremost fish restaurants, among other places. Klemming also offer local experiences, including oyster safaris, oyster diving and oyster weekends.  

• Klemmings Ostron, Grebbestad
• Bröderna Klemmings Dyk, Grebbestad

Smoked Vättersik – fishing tradition that has been passed down for generations (PDO)

Smoked Vättersik is a delicacy from Lake Vättern, one of Sweden’s clearest lakes. The cold and nutrient poor waters, in combination with the smoking process, give the whitefish its unique flavour.

Origin and description

Whitefish fishing in Lake Vättern has ancient origins, and the tradition of smoking the whitefish has been passed down through many generations. The Vättern whitefish is fished by net all year round, though mostly during the autumn months. It’s fished at different depths depending on the season.

When the whitefish has been caught it is cleaned and rinsed directly, before being smoked the traditional way in wood fired ovens using alder or cherry wood. The smoking gives the fish a mild saltiness and sweet sour tarry undertones.

Where can you buy and eat Smoked Vättersik?

Smoked Vättersik can be found on menus in restaurants in the area. If you want to buy some to take home you should visit the harbour in wooden town Hjo and the family owned fish shop Hjo Sik, or Feskeboa as it’s called locally.

• Hjo Sik, Hjo

Bohuslän blue mussels, – a sustainable source of protein from the sea (PDO)

Bohuslän blue mussels are a sustainable and tasty protein source which are farmed along the whole of Bohuslän’s coastline, from Nordre älv in the south to the Norwegian border in the north.  

Origin and description

Bohuslän blue mussels are grown using the so called long line method. This involves  mussel larvae living freely in the sea attaching themselves to long growing ropes in flowing, nutrient rich water. After a year the larvae will have developed into harvest ready mussels with lots of meat and a delicious slightly salty flavour.

Farming mussels this way is very sustainable, because they don’t need any additional feeding - the mussels live entirely off plankton in the sea. A single mussel can filter up to five litres of water per hour, which also helps reduce eutrophication.  

Where can you buy and eat Bohuslän blue mussels?

These tasty blue mussels can be enjoyed at many of the restaurants in Gothenburg and Bohuslän. If you would also like to go on a mussel expedition we can moreover recommend Musselbaren.

• Musselbaren, Ljungskile
• Musselbaren (Klevens tre kök), Smögen

Kullings kalvdans (Beestings pudding) – a historic dessert (PGI)

Kullings kalvdans (Beestings pudding) is a classic dish with a long tradition in West Sweden. The product is made from colostrum, from cows grazing in the Västgöterland countryside.

Origin and description

Agriculture and livestock farming have long been important industries for the farms based in the districts of Gäsene and Kullings, in the main thanks to the area’s favourable climate. Beestings pudding is mentioned as long ago as 1682.

Kullings kalvdans is made from colostrum – the first milk cows provide after calving. The colostrum’s high fat and protein content makes it set when heated and creates a pannacotta like consistency. As well as the actual milk, salt, sugar and vanilla are added. By mixing colostrum from different farms the dairy manager produces the consistency and flavour characteristic of Kullings kalvdans.

Where can you buy and eat Kullings kalvdans?

Kullings kalvdans sell the product themselves on markets. It’s also available to buy from selected delicatessens. 

• Gäsene Mejeri ostbutik, Ljung
• Vikaryds Köttbod, Alingsås
• Falbygdens Osteria, Falköping
• Gudagott Svenska Delikatesser, Göteborg

What do the EU’s protected designations mean?

Food and agricultural products with a clear geographical origin can be protected by the EU’s system for protected designations. There are two main categories:

• Protected Designation of Origin (PDO):Protects products that come from a specific place or a defined geographical area. All ingredients and the whole production process must take place within the geographical area and the actual product or preparation process must have a local connection, either to the place’s physical character or to local knowledge.   
  
  

• Protected Geographical Indication (PGI): Just like PDO, PGI products should come from a specific place or area, but the difference is that it’s sufficient if at least one of the stages of production takes place in the region. The product’s quality, reputation and other characteristics need to primarily have come about as a result of this geographical origin.  

 

Come and experience the flavours of West Sweden’s rich food culture for yourself!

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