Is there caviar in a tube (like "Kalles caviar") abroad? Since we usually want to try local food when we are travelling, we tend to think that this kind of question is uninteresting. But if you're living abroad or staying abroad for a long time, you might want to try flavours from home sometimes. We have been travelling around much of Europe for 10 months now, so what about... is there caviar abroad?
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In most countries and shops in southern Europe, caviar is NOT available in tubes of the Kalles caviar type. However, if you are in tourist destinations where there are many Scandinavians, it is possible to find it. For example, we found Kalle's caviar in the upscale Apolónia supermarket on the Algarve coast in Portugal and in a grocery store in Barcelona. Torrevieja in Spain, where many Swedes live.
I also understand that many expatriate Swedes buy caviar at IKEA, although they no longer sell Kalle's caviar but their own brand, if I understand correctly.
"Caviar Creme" in Croatia
But now we've discovered that there are also foreign producers who make a similar product! When we bought this tube (pictured) at Konzum in Croatia, we didn't know exactly what it would contain. But it tastes just like caviar in a tube usually tastes, and that's what you see in the top picture in the post as well. So now we can vary with caviar sandwiches sometimes if we feel like it.
What are your experiences? Do you crave caviar or any other Swedish product when you are abroad, and if so, do you have any tricks to get it?
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anita wag agrimanaki says:
That was as if you had addressed the question directly to me. I've lived on Crete for over 20 years and that thing about wanting things from Sweden from time to time never goes away. But for me the wishes vary. Most of the time I manage to organise deliveries from friends, acquaintances and blog readers. This year, archipelago herring, matjessill and sourdough crisp have been on the wish list. My daughter likes Swedish youth magazines, so I usually order them for her. When the children were small, they wanted fish balls in dill sauce. (the husband almost threw up when we heated them in the microwave and the whole house smelled of fish balls) We never say no to Swedish sweets....
Some Swedish stuff can be found here in minimarkets during the summer (cheez doodles, marabou milk chocolate and the like).
06 October 2015 - 11:01
eastcoastmom i Connecticut says:
After almost 20 years living abroad, there's not much food we miss. But good crispbread is a must!
06 October 2015 - 11:55
Lennart says:
If we pass an IKEA store, we usually stop and buy some Swedish products, not just caviar.
06 October 2015 - 11:56
BP says:
Then you have a business idea when you get home: exporting Kalles in tubes;-)
I haven't had any cravings for Swedish food abroad yet. But we are not away as long as you are.
However, I have cravings here at home sometimes, and then it's only Hötorgshallen that applies.
06 October 2015 - 12:10
Steve says:
No wonder you get a craving for something typically Swedish sometimes.
I mean, from time to time I get a craving for something typically Greek.
A way to dream away when you are at home and home when you are away.
06 October 2015 - 12:15
Linnea says:
This weekend my dog poo bag courier arrived here in Bavaria 🙂 Here we have not found a single sensible manufacturer of this vital item for dog owners. Next week my courier will also arrive with Oatmeal! Oh oh oh oh what I will enjoy 🙂
Greetings Linnea in Bavaria
06 October 2015 - 12:48
Elisabeth says:
We've never yet had a craving to buy Swedish products when we've been abroad. We try to eat and try the local products, but we always bring a tube of caviar from home.
06 October 2015 - 13:14
admin says:
Anita, interesting to hear what it's like for you living abroad for so long! But cheese doodles, is it Swedish? I don't even know what it is, but it sounds very foreign!? 😉
Eastcoastmom, thank you for your comment! Glad you don't have to miss so much! Maybe it also depends on where you live and how the supply of food is there?
Lennart, we haven't stopped at IKEA yet, mostly because we were too tired when we drove by I think 😉.
BP, I can also get cravings at home! For really good Chinese food for example. and some other Asian... and Lebanese! Sthlm has a pretty good selection of foreign food though, fortunately.
Steve, we also get hungry for foreign food at home. Even here - the supply of Asian food is pretty poor throughout southern Europe so I can miss it!
Linnea, haha interesting about the dog poo bags! I have not thought about whether it is available here, as I do not usually eat it... But hope you will soon enjoy your oatmeal! 🙂
Elisabeth, we also rarely miss Swedish food, but when we saw crayfish and chanterelles on all the blogs, we started to miss it! 😉
06 October 2015 - 13:30
Bosse och Gerd says:
Sometimes it happens that we get a little hungry for Swedish goods and then we take the bus to Albir (4 km from Benidorm) and buy Svenne's and Kalle's caviar, Swedish extra-salted butter, skagenröra, pickled herring, hard bread and Swedish sour cream at the grocery store Costa Blanca - there they also sell surströmming, but we are not particularly hungry for it ...
06 October 2015 - 15:22
Alexandra says:
No, I rather miss foreign products when I'm at home in Sweden instead. 😀
06 October 2015 - 16:41
Ama de casa says:
I can do without caviar. Now I don't have to do it because there is caviar everywhere here in Torrevieja. But I actually prefer Klädesholmen's caviar, it is both cheaper and tastier than Kalle's 🙂.
06 October 2015 - 17:39
admin says:
Bosse and Gerd, skagenröra sounds good! Good to have a place to go if the spirit falls on 🙂 .
Alexandra, we can do that too! And one of the things we missed most during this trip is some Asian food and products. I must say that the selection is better in Sweden...
Ama de casa, we would also manage without any major problems, but now that we found this one, it was really good for a change 🙂.
06 October 2015 - 18:00
Rolle o Carina says:
Mmmm, caviar is just so good on the Egg Sandwich!
We usually bring a tube with us from home 🙂 .
Have fun and enjoy....
06 October 2015 - 18:44
admin says:
Rolle and Carina, isn't it delicious? We also took a tube with us, but it ran out a long time ago 😉.
06 October 2015 - 22:26
Henny says:
The son in the USA longs for genuine Kalles, Västerbottensost, Marabou chocolate, breakfast biscuits, Christmas must and mulled wine, so it is always a high priority when they visit here at home and when we send packages. (Not the Christmas must of course, the mulled wine is sent in the form of spices from Apoteket).
During a trip to the US, we brought some Swedish goodies and were honest enough to declare everything, including Kalle's. We were stopped and questioned about our caviar. We were stopped and questioned about our caviar. Fortunately, they believed us when we said it was regular fish roe - not Russian sturgeon.
06 October 2015 - 22:39
Ditte says:
We can do without caviar, but if there is an IKEA store, we buy it. Similarly, many Carrefour stores in Europe have a section with products from different countries, and caviar is usually available there too.
During our time in China, we were happy with KKEA for gingerbread, crispbread, bregott, Marabou chocolate, herring and sweets. Yes, some other things too... But then we were away for several years (certainly home for Christmas for a couple of weeks and six weeks in the summer).
06 October 2015 - 23:44
admin says:
Henny, there are really many things in food you can miss from Sweden! Interesting to hear about how you were stopped at customs with the caviar!
Ditte, understand that you were excited about IKEA during China time! If I was away for that long, I would definitely miss some things! However, I have not understood the Swedish loose candy that many foreign Swedes talk about, but that's probably because I never buy it in Sweden. Not very good I think... 😉 We have also missed crispbread and salted butter sometimes. We try to add salt to the butter we buy, but it's not quite the same 😉.
07 October 2015 - 8:23
steel city anna says:
Ikea is often visited by me and all English friends now know exactly what to buy from me if they go there. I should get a bonus from Ikea for all the extra customers their food department gets! Several friends have become crazy about coconut balls, cone buns and marabou thanks to me 🙂.
Now I have lived so long outside Sweden (ten years) that I would never be able to keep up with making a whole Christmas table, but some things are spiritually important.
09 October 2015 - 14:28