A bite of old Stockholm

After the success of my culinary Djurgården walk, I've received tons of questions: When will the next food walk be? Will you do something similar again? And now I can finally answer: Yes!

This time, I'm bringing with me both the experiences from Stockholm – and from Tokyo. Because there's something special about walking, discovering, and tasting at the same time. Letting both history and food speak to our senses. It's a trend that's spreading all over the world – and now it's coming to Södermalm in a new guise.

A few years ago, I went on a food walk in Tokyo. We started in a narrow alley that was once called Piss Alley – today a little more poetically renamed Memory Lane. In the past, there were simply no toilets in the area. Today they exist – and significantly more small restaurants. There was something very charming about wandering there in the evening light, with scents from grills and noodle soups winding out from every nook. We sat down on simple stools, tasted one thing after another – and chatted with people from all over the world. We managed thirteen different small dishes in three hours. Something for everyone. Unexpected. Delicious. Instagram-friendly, yes – but also heartfelt and fun.

That made me wonder: Why not do something similar here at home – but in our own history? What happens if we let the stories about old Stockholm, about Per Anders Fogelström's characters and environments, mix with the flavors of the past? Bread, cheese, lingonberries – maybe something warm in a sunny park. Nothing advanced, nothing fancy. Just simple. Honest. With a taste of bygone times.

And so the idea for: A bite of old Stockholm was born. A partially new version of one of my most beloved city walks, Fogelström's poor figures - now with flavors along the way.

During the walk, you'll follow along through environments where Henning, Lotten, Tummen and Matilda – from Fogelström's novel world – could have moved. We talk about class, struggle, everyday life and dreams. But we do it with both ears and palate open. We stop, taste, smell. Try to understand how life could feel – for real.

No, there won't be 13 dishes. But it will be enough to satisfy both heart and curiosity.

It's exciting how food walks have taken their place in travel. People no longer just want to "see" a city – they want to experience it through taste. In Barcelona, Delhi, Istanbul, New York and Tokyo... everywhere you see them: groups of expectant people, ready to taste their way through the neighborhoods. There's something about that shared eating that opens up. And that at the same time gives a new perspective on the place you are in.

I think many long for something more than facts – they want to get to know a city. Experiencing and remembering a place through food is an incredibly effective way to travel and create memories.

I'm curious:
Have you ever been on a food walk? Maybe in Italy, Vietnam, or somewhere in Sweden?
Do you remember any dish from your childhood that you think more people should taste?
Or have you ever experienced a scent that could take you back to a particular moment?

Please write a comment – or even better: join the walk and share your stories there!

"A bite of old Stockholm" premieres in June, in a small group of max 10 people. Together we walk in the footsteps of the working class, taste the everyday life of the past and let Stockholm speak – with more senses than one.

Welcome to discover history with taste!

/Stefan – the green guide