Some Swedish delicacies, such as lutefisk (dried cod treated with lye), attract comments that are less than flattering. And when I say less than flattering, I mean downright slanderous. "Reminiscent of the afterbirth of a dog, or the world's largest chunk of phlegm," is one immortal line delivered by none other than U.S. author Garrison Keillor.
Frankly, it's the kind of remark that no self-respecting nation wants attached to its food — and I say that with the sincerity of a long-suffering Brit.
Outside of Sweden, Swedish cooking seems to be largely ignored. There is, of course, the cursory reference to creamy meatballs and pickled herring, but a lazier man than I might be inclined to conclude that Swedish cuisine is rather like its best-known furniture brand — utilitarian, unremarkable and of questionable quality.