Gubbröra

The story

Gubbröra translates as "old man's mix," and the ScandiCuisine guide to Swedish food lists it as a common starter at both Easter and Midsummer. It is a cold chop of boiled eggs, onion, herbs and Swedish ansjovis, which are not Mediterranean anchovies but sprats. The Local, Sweden's English-language news site, says the dish exists to show off those sprats and warns that ordinary anchovies will not taste the same. The name took a long time to settle. The Swedish Spoon food site quotes a reader of the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet who in 1923 collected thirteen regional names for the mixture and later added more; the dish has gone by some thirty names, and gubbröra itself seems to come from Norrbotten in the far north. The same 1923 letter called it a familiar smörgåsbord dish, welcome whether or not a snaps followed. Cold and warm versions both exist; this is the cold one, spread on dark rye or crispbread and set near the pickled herring and egg halves. It can be mixed a day ahead, and one can of sprats with four eggs covers a starter course for four to six people.