Swedish Nubbe

The Swedish medicinal tincture in disguise.

The Swedish Nubbe has had a central role in most Swedish celebrations since the dawn of time, who hasn’t heard of the wild celebrations of the Vikings?! If would be easy to write off the whole Swedish nation as a bunch of Vodka diviners BUT please do not!

The Historic Referendum

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The Swedish nubbe is based in a herbal medicinal tradition and was a fundamental way to stay alive. Indeed in 1922 there was a referendum to ban the sale and use of alcoholic beverages. One of the best known posters from this referendum talks about the need for the Swedish Nubbe when eating crayfish, which is one of those foods that has its very own festival in Sweden.

Herring and celebrations

Another food that crave the Nubbe is herring. Swedes eat herring at all the big celebrations of the year, Christmas, Easter and Midsummer. This is where my theory comes in. At all these celebrations the amount of food consumed is, well lets just say ginormous. Pickled herring is not the kindest to the digestive system so problems with stomach and heart are common. Christmas eve is actually one of the most common times of the year to suffer a fatal heart attack. The heart attack is often brought about by over eating of rich foods and stress.

Swedish Nubbe

Fear not! We have a few days to go til Christmas eve and are just in time to create some old fashioned remedies! So what do the Nubbe contain? It contains different herbs and spices that in different ways will make you feel better. Originally most recipes contain herbs and spices especially good for the digestive system but some focus on improving the mood, relieve stress and help the heart to function as it should.

Christmas Nubbe

I have made a selection of 4 Nubbe recipes that are especially formulated for the Christmas period. Enjoy these as some of the last minute preparations for the holiday season! I choose to use Absolut Vodka, a well known Swedish high quality brand. It gives the beverage a good taste and the quality is reliable. It has an alcohol content of 40% which is a good level to extract all the goodies out of the spices. If you use another brand please check alcohol content, this is especially important when extracting seeds, nuts and fresh berries (their water content will dilute the alcohol further.

Lucia nubbe

• 250ml Absolut Vodka
• 0,5g Saffron
• 2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup

Mix all the ingredients in a lovely 250ml bottle. I leave the Saffron in this Nubbe as I find it beautiful and i just adore the taste. If you prefer you can remove the Saffron.

Saffron was used as an aphrodisiac and mood lightener, it is also used in some cultures as a treasured gift to the Gods. This extremely expensive spice, the stamen of a Crocus flower is a symbol of divine power, hence do for example Buddhist monks wear robes in the colour of Saffron.

Very Berrylicious

• 1dl of dried Bilberries (Vaccinium Myrtillus) or Blueberries
• ½dl of dried Rosehips
• 1tablespoon of Maple Syrup
• 250ml Absolut Vodka

Mix the Bilberries, Rosehips, Maple Syrup and 1 dl of Vodka in a jar. leave to set for 1-2 days. Strain the mix and pour the liquid into a nice 250ml bottle, fill with rest of Vodka.

Bilberries are the original super-food, they are filled with antioxidants and other healing compounds. They have been used for diarrhoea, as an antibacterial, for an irritable bowel, for improved vision and the list goes on and on and on. Rosehips contains amongst others a lot of vitamin C and has recently gained a very good reputation for patients with rheumatism. This Nubbe is simply a tonic that fits well in with both Christmas and New years celebrations.

Starstruck

• 2 Star Anise
• One small stick of Cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of Fennel
• 1 tablespoon of Cardamom
• 2 cloves (no more)
• 250 ml of Absolut Vodka

Put all the herbs in a jar and fill up with 100 ml of Vodka. You may wish to add a tablespoon of Maple Syrup but I prefer this Nubbe without sweetener as the Spices are sweet in themselves. Strain after 1-2 days, bottle and fill up with remaining Vodka.

These spices all focus on the stomach. Fennel and Cardamom are great Carminatives and disperses wind which can be affecting the heart in a bad way. Star anise is a digestive and Cinnamon acts calming to the digestive system. Cinnamon has also antimicrobial effect. Along with being a carminative, Cloves are also antibacterial. An old household remedy for aching teeth was to chew Cloves as they do have a local anaesthetic action.

Lime deluxe

• Peel from 1 Lime
• 1 Lemongrass
• 2 Kaffir Lime Leaves
• ½ tablespoon of honey
• 250 ml Absolut Vodka

Mix the Lime, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaves and honey with 100 ml of Vodka in a jar. Leave for 2 days, strain and fill up with rest of Vodka.

The ingredients of this Nubbe are a little more Oriental and can frequently be found in Indian cooking, most likely for the same reasons. They ass a modern touch to the traditional Nubbe and feels fresh.

Lemongrass has been used to relieve anxiety, lower cholesterol and relieve bloating. Lime is said to help weight loss which is a good one after the over eating at the traditional celebrations. It has also been linked to reduced risk of heart disease, digestive aid and improvement of skin. Kaffir Lime Leaves has been used for detox, improved digestion and reduction of stress.

Enjoy medicinally!!

Alcohol should not be consumed in big quantities, one or two small Nubbes is enough for a large dinner.

If you are using prescription medication always drink less alcohol. The Swedish Nubbe can have health benefits but are not intended to be a replacement for your medication. Always consult a doctor if needed.

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