Julskinka

The story

The Swedish Christmas table, the julbord, is built around a single ham — the julskinka — which is first boiled, then coated with a mixture of mustard, egg yolk, and breadcrumbs and briefly baked to give it a golden crust. It is not a dish served just once: the whole family counts on the leftovers lasting for days, in sandwiches (julskinksmörgås) that for many Swedes are almost a more important part of Christmas than the dinner itself. Preparation traditionally starts days ahead, since the ham is first simmered for a long time over low heat, and the coating and baking come only at the end. In some families the broth the ham cooked in becomes the base for the next day's meal — nothing is thrown away. The glaze varies by region: some add Dijon mustard, others the local Swedish mustard, which is sweeter and milder. For descendants of Swedish emigrants in America, who may have learned to make Christmas ham from the recipe on a label or from a grandmother, this is the story of a dish that is as much about the days after Christmas as about the holiday itself.