Artic cuisine
KIRUNA, Sweden: Forget Philadelphia: In the far north of Sweden, locals and tourists alike chow down on Arctic cheesesteaks, their hoagie rolls piled high with moose and reindeer meat. Last week, thousands of visitors descended upon Kiruna to watch as the historic Kiruna Church moved 3 miles east as part of the town’s relocation. The journey was necessary because the world’s largest underground iron-ore mine is threatening to swallow the town. Hundreds of those spectators dined at Stejk Street Food, including Don and Anita Haymes, tourists from the United Kingdom. They’ve stopped by Stejk Street Food three years running during their trips to northern Sweden. This year, the couple dined on reindeer meat cooked and served by employees wearing shirts that proclaimed Philly cheesesteaks.
Real cheesesteaks are typically made with thinly sliced beef, cheese and onions, cheesesteaks are Philadelphia’s religion. There’s an art form to ordering (’wit’ or ‘wit-out’ onions) and an unspoken rule that Cheez Whiz, a gooey processed cheese advertised as having a mild cheddar taste, is irreplaceable. In Kiruna, Bohman and his wife, sought to design a dish to whet the appetite of visitors to Swedish Lapland as well as local miners who needed a meal to keep them full through their long shifts. The couple decided to make their own sandwich modeled off the Philly cheesesteak but with the locally harvested meats of moose and reindeer. The latter is an homage to the area’s long tradition of reindeer herding by the Sami Indigenous people. The hardest part, Bohman said, was sourcing the famous hoagie roll — a big, soft bun that’s everywhere in Philadelphia but nearly nowhere in Sweden. They now get them delivered once a week from a bakery hundreds of miles away. Since opening, the menu has expanded to burgers, salads and French fries topped with moose or reindeer (or both) for those who don’t relish sticking their face into an enormous sub.
Each week, the business goes through 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of ground moose and 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of specialty smoked reindeer for about 500 cheesesteaks and 500 meat-and-fries orders. But Bohman admits that the unusual meat doesn’t come cheap. While a Philly cheesesteak runs a diner between $16 and $18 a regular-size Arctic cheesesteak costs $26. The Haymeses, the British couple, said it’s worth it. “In England, we have game, like deer and venison and pheasant, partridge, but it’s not gamey like that,” Don Haymes said. “So it hasn’t got that really strong flavor. So I think it’s nice, and more people probably like it for that.” Anna Capoccia, an Italian tourist, said her reindeer and moose sub tasted sweeter — and better — than a beef-filled Philly cheesesteak, which she ate.
Is Philly Finer?
In Philadelphia, there was a tavern that was frequented by our Founding Fathers. It was closed because of the government shutdown. It opened in 1773. In fact, this iconic watering hole was once the scene of a legendary brawl between Benjamin Franklin and Chuck Shumer.
To this day, the boy that used to bully me at school still takes my lunch money. On the plus side, he makes great Subway sandwiches.
Yesterday, I found myself next to a Hollywood celebrity at a grocery store. Both of us were staring at the cream cheese section.
I was …..watching Philadelphia with Tom Hanks.
I refuse to make my own sandwich. I rely on sub contractors.
August 29th Birthdays
1987 – Lea Michele, 1991 – Nicola Anderson, 1972 – Caral Gugino, 1915 – Ingrid Bergman
1958 – Michael Jackson, 1959 – Chris Hadfield, 1941 – Robin Leach, 1967 – Neil Gorsuch