Biff à la Lindström is a Swedish dish made from onion, potato, red beet, capers, and ground beef, which is made into patties and fried.[1]
Origin
editAlthough the name Lindström sounds Swedish, the inclusion of beets and capers makes it likely that the dish originates in Russia. A common story is that the dish was invented by a Finnish soldier Henrik Lindström (1831–1910), who was born and raised in Saint Petersburg.[2] He supposedly visited Hotel Witt in Kalmar on 4 May 1862, where he wanted to treat his friends to a meal he used to eat in Russia.[2] He ordered the ingredients needed from the kitchen, and the guests were instructed by Lindström on how to make the patties.[2] The patties were then brought back to the kitchen, where they were fried, and then served.[2] The dish was promptly added to the hotel's menu. The dish remains on the hotel's menu.[2]
Another story attributes the dish to Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm, the chef that accompanied both Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen on their missions to the poles and through the Northwest Passage.[3] In his memoirs, Lindström wrote about the dish "Biff à la Lindstrøm" that it was made from bear meat and served in all the Grand hotels in Northern Europe. There is also a Swedish "Biff à la Lindstrøm" made from minced beef interspersed with beetroot. The polar chef Lindstrøm also made this dish, and said he had received the recipe from a Swedish housekeeper. However, he was not the originator of the dish many now associate with him.
References
edit- ^ Diehl, Kari Schoening (2012). The Everything Nordic Cookbook. Everything Books. p. 200. ISBN 978-1440531866.
- ^ a b c d e Goldstein, D.; Wettainen, S. (2015). Fire and Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking. Ten Speed Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-60774-610-2. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm (1866-1939) - FramMuseum.no". frammuseum.no. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
