Mikaels Korvfabrik

Hello sausage lovers, I present to you today my recipe for Isterband (lard strips?), which is one of the few unique Swedish sausages that has little to no counterparts in other European food cultures.  It was also the first sausage I ever made.   Isterband is a rebellious and bold sausage from southern Sweden that defies the typical rules of sausage production.  Smoky, sour, and crumbly, it stands as a stalwart example of traditional Swedish sausage production, and I am delighted to share my Isterband recipe with you all. Many Swedish sausages owe their origin to German sausage making traditions.  Falukorv, Varmkorv/Wienerkorv/Prinskorv are of German origin.  They utilize German techniques and spices, and are appropriated into Swedish cuisine from Germanic sausage culture.   There are few Swedish sausages that are uniquely Swedish. To name a few: Cognacsmedwurst, Isterband, Fläskkorv/Julkorv, Svensk Hästkorv, Isterband, Spickekorv, Renkorv, etc. I...

Hello sausage lovers, I present to you today a unique semi-dry Swedish deli sausage: Cognacsmedwurst/Konjacsmedvurst.   As implied by the name, this sausage is flavored with French cognac.  You can replace the cognac with frankly any alcohol you like; I have seen medwurst-style sausages flavored with scotch, aquavit, and even absinthe, but the cognac goes really well with the simple spice mix, especially the ginger.   This is a very common ready-to-eat sausage found in grocery stores and delis.  It is pretty much the Swedish equivalent to American summer sausage, and is eaten in a similar fashion: charcuterie boards, buffet spreads, holidays and gatherings, or just on a sandwich. The name medwurst is probably a loanword from German mettwurst, although the sausage has little in common with mettwurst, aside from sometimes having a softer texture.   There are other Swedish sausages in this style of semi-dry cold-smoked deli sausages: lökkorv (onion s...

Hello sausage lovers, After visiting Germany and Sweden in the fall of 2023, I began to experience an immense desire to move to Sweden.  Doing so would require me to find a job in Sweden in order to obtain a work visa and be able to live there legally for more than 90 days.  Being somewhat half-fluent in Swedish, familiar with the food and culture, and working in the field of cybersecurity, this seems like a realistic possibility. In the interim, my sister Chelsea floated the idea of a Q1 trip to Sweden with her and my 3-year-old nephew, John.  In my current position at work, I have a great deal of flexibility and can take weeklong vacations with fairly short notice, and decided to go with her to be her food guide and translator.  She took care of finding the best flights and renting an Airbnb, and I just paid her my share, which was great for me. About a month away from the trip, my Swedish paternal grandfather's health began declining and he was in and out of the h...