Christmas table and Christmas food in Sweden – traditions and dishes

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | What's on a Swedish Christmas table and in what order should you actually eat all the dishes? The Christmas table is one of our strongest food traditions, with herring, salmon, Christmas ham, meatballs, Jansson's temptation and much more. At the same time, Christmas food changes all the time – and different families have their own must-haves. Here we dive into the Swedish Christmas table, from herring and nubbe to meatballs and marzipan bread.

What is a Swedish Christmas table?

A Swedish Christmas buffet is a buffet with many different cold and hot dishes served during Christmas. It can be served at home on Christmas Eve, but it is also common to eat a Christmas buffet at a restaurant in the weeks before Christmas.

Unlike a Christmas dinner where a single main course is the centerpiece, the Christmas table consists of many smaller dishes. You can eat several times and eat the food in different rounds – or ”turns”.

There is of course no set rule for exactly what should be on the Christmas table. Traditions differ between different parts of Sweden, between different families and from one generation to another. But certain dishes have become so common that for many they are almost synonymous with Swedish Christmas.

What's on a classic Swedish Christmas table?

A large Christmas table can contain lots of dishes, but instead of trying to list everything, you can divide the food into a few main groups.

Herring and other fish

Herring has a natural place on many Swedish Christmas tables and is often served in several variations. It can be, for example, onion herring, mustard herring or some more modern flavored herring.

This is often accompanied by pickled or smoked salmon and sometimes other fish. For me, herring and salmon are among the most important things on the entire Christmas table – and of course, the herring is often accompanied by a nubbe.

Christmas ham and other cold cuts

Christmas ham is another Swedish Christmas classic. It is usually served cold and grilled, with mustard as a side dish.

On larger Christmas tables, there may also be various sausages, pâtés and other charcuterie. In the past, jam was a common feature and it is still present on many traditional Christmas tables, even if it is not one of our personal favorites.

For Peter, however, Christmas ham is important. He would prefer to have it with mustard on a hard sandwich.

Meatballs, Janssons and other hot dishes

After the cold comes the hot – or ”småvarmt”, as this part of the Christmas table is often called. Here you will usually find meatballs and prince’s sausage, and on many Christmas tables you will also find Jansson’s temptation, spare ribs and various types of cabbage.

For Peter, meatballs with potatoes and beetroot salad are a must, while I'm happy to go straight for Jansson's temptation. If there are also Brussels sprouts on the table, I'm extra happy.

Bread, cheese and accessories

The Christmas table also includes different kinds of bread, butter, cheese and mustard. Crispbread and wortbread are two classics, but even here traditions vary.

Beetroot salad is a common side dish, especially with meatballs and other Christmas food. Mustard, of course, goes with Christmas ham – at least if you ask Peter.

Something sweet at last

After a hearty Christmas table, it can feel almost superhuman to start over with dessert, but many Christmas tables still have a sweet ending.

This can include rice porridge, Ris à la Malta, cookies, crackers, iced chocolate, marzipan and other Christmas sweets. What is actually served varies at least as much as the rest of the Christmas table.

How to eat Christmas dinner? – Christmas dinner tours

MAN can of course, take a little of everything on the same plate. But if you want to eat Christmas dinner in the traditional way, there is another method: you take several turns. Exactly how many turns a Christmas dinner should be divided into varies. At some classic restaurant Christmas dinners, they talk about seven turns, while others make a simpler division. The basic principle is usually something like this:

1. Herring and Baltic herring – preferably several varieties.
2. Salmon and other cold fish – for example, pickled and smoked salmon.
3. The cold cure – Christmas ham, sausage, pâté and the like.
4. Slightly warm – meatballs, prince sausage, Jansson's temptation and other hot dishes.
5. East – with bread and suitable accessories.
6. Dessert and Christmas sweets – if there is still any space left.

On really large and traditional Christmas tables, the categories can be further divided into seven or even more rounds.

The advantage of not putting everything on the same plate is quite obvious when you think about it. Herring in mustard sauce, pickled salmon, meatballs, beetroot salad and Ris à la Malta don't actually need to get to know each other that well. Plus, you get a chance to taste the food properly – and hopefully have a little more stamina.

The history of the Christmas table – from brandy table to Christmas table

The Swedish Christmas table has changed a lot throughout history. Some of its roots can be found in the so-called the brandy table, which occurred in affluent environments during the 18th century.

Before the actual meal, guests could have brandy along with bread, butter, cheese, fish and meat, for example. The brandy table eventually developed further into the Swedish smörgåsbord, which in turn has influenced the shape of today's Christmas table.

At the same time, Christmas food has older roots than that, and many dishes have been added at completely different times. Something that is today perceived as an ancient Christmas tradition may in fact have become common on the Christmas table quite late.

If you want to know why we eat Christmas ham, herring, Jansson's temptation, meatballs, lutfisk and other classics, we have delved into the history behind the food in a separate report.

READ MORE: 13 dishes on the Christmas table - the history of Christmas food

Christmas food differs between different parts of Sweden

There is also not a single historical Swedish Christmas table that has looked the same from Skåne to Norrbotten.

In the past, food was largely determined by what ingredients were available locally and what could be grown, fished, hunted and preserved for the winter. As a result, various regional Christmas traditions developed. Traces of them still remain today.

In Halland, for example, long cabbage has a strong tradition, while brown cabbage is associated with the Skåne Christmas table. On Gotland, saffron pancakes can appear as a festive food, and further north there are completely different traditions.

Nowadays, of course, we can buy roughly the same ingredients no matter where in Sweden we live. But the regional specialties make the Christmas table much more enjoyable – and at the same time tell us about how people lived in the past.

READ MORE: Regional specialities on the Christmas table – from Norrbotten to Skåne

What do you drink at the Christmas table?

For many, Christmas must is the obvious non-alcoholic drink on the Christmas table. Beer is another classic, and those who want can combine the herring with schnapps.

Schnapps also has a historical connection to the older brandy table, where brandy was served with small dishes before the meal. And which brandy should you choose? If I had to choose, I have a definite opinion: preferably spiced brandy.

Mulled wine is of course also part of Christmas, but is often drunk as a separate part of the Christmas celebration rather than throughout the entire Christmas table – perhaps when guests arrive or later in the evening.

Christmas table in a restaurant

Going out to eat a Christmas feast has become a Swedish Christmas tradition in its own right. Restaurants, hotels, castles, manors and other establishments set up Christmas feasts in the weeks leading up to Christmas, sometimes as early as mid- or late November.

We have tried many different Christmas tables over the years. Some have been very traditional, while others have had a more modern profile or placed extra focus on fish and seafood, for example.

And the environment can of course be a big part of the experience. A Christmas table in an archipelago setting or at a castle will be something different than a modern restaurant Christmas table in the middle of Stockholm, even if many of the dishes are the same.

On large restaurant Christmas tables, the idea of different courses on the Christmas table also becomes extra relevant. When the buffet contains lots of dishes, it's easy to get overenthusiastic at first glance. Start carefully – the meatballs are unlikely to run away.

The Swedish Christmas table is changing

It can be easy to think of Christmas food as a collection of unwavering traditions, but that's never really how it works. Traditions change. Some dishes become less common, others move onto the Christmas table, and things that one generation took for granted may be skipped by the next generation.

Today, vegetarian and vegan options are common on many Christmas tables, while classics can get new flavors and influences from other food cultures can find their way into Christmas dishes.

But perhaps the families' own traditions are at least as important as the great national ones. In one family, Jansson's temptation is unthinkable without. In another, a certain kind of herring must be present. Someone loves lute fish – while someone else can't for the life of them understand why it's on the table.

This is also what makes the Christmas table come alive. Tradition doesn't have to mean that everything always has to be exactly the same.

What must be on our Christmas table?

At home, there are definitely some different opinions about what is most important. Peter wants meatballs, potatoes and beetroot salad. There will also be Christmas ham with mustard, and he likes to eat it on a hard sandwich. He also wants herring, salmon and nubbe.

I prioritize herring and nubbe, and the nubben may well be a spiced brandy. Jansson's temptation is also important, and there is Brussels sprouts makes the Christmas table even better. We can do just fine without the fish, jam and dip in the pot, however.

And then we have a little Christmas luxury together: Anthon Berg's marzipan bread. If we are home in Sweden over Christmas, we like to treat ourselves to some of these.

At the same time, we are no more bound by tradition than we can ignore the entire Christmas table. We have celebrated many Christmases abroad, and if we find ourselves somewhere where Swedish Christmas food neither exists nor feels natural, we don't need to try to recreate it. Then Christmas dinner can be something completely different. And that's okay too. Christmas doesn't actually have to taste the same every year.

Swedish Christmas food – traditions that keep changing

The Swedish Christmas table is both old and new at the same time. It includes food traditions with long historical roots, dishes that were added much later, regional specialties and families' very own must-haves.

Perhaps that is precisely why the Christmas table continues to be so strongly associated with Swedish Christmas. There is a common ground, but at the same time plenty of room to create your own Christmas table.

For some, Christmas ham is a must. For others, it's herring, Jansson's temptation or meatballs that make it Christmas. And for still others, celebrating Christmas far from home works just fine – without a single sausage in sight.

What dishes must be on your Christmas table? And is there any classic Christmas dish that you'd rather let someone else eat?