Lingonberry jam facts for kids
Lingonberry jam with Swedish blood pudding served with boiled potatoes and cucumbers
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| Type | Spread |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Northern, Central and Eastern Europe |
| Main ingredients | Lingonberries, sugar |
Lingonberry jam is a popular spread in many parts of Europe. You'll find it often in Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe. It's made from small red berries called lingonberries.
Lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) grow on a short, green bush. These bushes are found in cold places like the Arctic tundra. They grow across the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe and Asia to North America.
History and Uses of Lingonberry Jam
In countries like Sweden, lingonberries are used in many ways. You can buy them as jam or juice. They are also a key ingredient in many main dishes and desserts.
Lingonberry jam is often served with savory meals. It goes well with meatballs, beef stew, or dishes made with liver. In some areas, people eat it with fried herring.
Many traditional dishes are also served with lingonberries. These include kroppkakor (potato dumplings) and pitepalt (potato dumplings with meat). It's also eaten with potato pancakes, spinach pancakes, and kåldolmar (cabbage rolls). Other dishes include fläskpannkaka (oven pancake with pork), mustamakkara (blood sausage), and black pudding.
The jam can also be a sweet addition to breakfast. People enjoy it with oatmeal porridge and mashed potatoes. It's also a tasty topping for some desserts.
What Lingonberry Jam is Made Of
Good quality lingonberry jam is quite simple. It's usually made with just berries and sugar. Sometimes, a little water is added too.
Some cheaper versions of the jam might have apples mixed in. This helps to make more jam with fewer lingonberries.
There's also a fresh version called sweetened lingonberries. In Swedish, it's rårörda lingon, and in Norwegian, rørte tyttebær. To make this, you just mix fresh berries with sugar. You don't need to boil them.
Lingonberries naturally contain a lot of benzoic acid. This special acid helps the berries stay fresh for a long time. Because of this, lingonberries don't usually need extra preservatives.
See also
In Spanish: Mermelada de arándano rojo para niños
