The Danes and the Swedes have fought over Halmstad for centuries and although today it's part of Sweden, you can still find clear evidence in the local gastronomy that it was once Danish. Tareq explores the contrast between the busy summer scene at the beach and the quiet rural country life, meeting Jörgen Persson: award winning table tennis player and visiting a village famous for its cheese.
Tareq visits the unspoilt nature of Luleå, home to the beautiful Tree Hotel: a collection of treehouses built by an award winning architect. Following the river further up into the mountains he reaches the land where, for centuries, the sami people kept their reindeer herds. Their culture is still very much alive in this sub arctic region.
Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden has recently been discovered as an exciting destination by both international travel journalists and food bloggers.Tareq samples island life on the island of Styrso and tracks down an old army barracks which is has been converted into a wold class cheese factory.
The fertile soil of the Danish Lakelands produces some of the finest ingredients that you can find. Tareq has a go at an old cooking technique from New Zealand called Hangi - using heated rocks buried in a pit oven. He also meets two young entrepreneurs who provide him with some the best farmed kelp in the world.
Tareq is visiting Åre, Sweden's largest ski resort. This area is well known for its local ingredients, boasting the highest number of organic food producers per capita in Sweden.The fresh water, clean air and closeness to the warm waters of the gulf stream create unique and superb conditions for growing excellent food. Tareq gets to sample Suovas: a type of reindeer meat typical to this area.
Known as the royal retreat or the riviera of Denmark, North Zealand has been a playground of the rich and famous since the fifteenth century. Tareq learns how this beautiful north eastern part of Denmark has attracted many painters with it's beautiful light and also discovers how it's beaches are a perfect place to go foraging for wild berries and herbs.
Situated in the beautiful region of Uppland in the middle of Sweden, Uppsala is the city of knowledge: home to the oldest university in Scandinavia. It's a wonderful agricultural area surrounded by fertile flatlands where the river Fyris flows through the landscape.Tareq discovers the historical treasures of Uppsala and its thriving culinary life.
North Jutland has a rich and fascinating culinary history. The unique conditions have created equally unique products. Tareq meets local food entrepreneurs who have learned to adapt to this ever- changing environment, producing and harvesting amazing foods and putting this region on the culinary map.
Located in the middle of Sweden, Värmland is home to many of Sweden's most famous authors, engineers, and inventors including Alfred Nobel. Tareq will be finding out how the ingenuity and imagination they possessed is also reflected in the local food. He gets his hands on a very rare bird to cook and also takes time out to float down a tranquil river on a wooden raft.