What to Eat in Malmö: A Food Guide to Sweden’s Southern City

Malmö sits on Sweden’s southern coast, facing the Öresund, with a maritime climate that’s milder than much of the country. Winters are damp and breezy, summers light-filled, shaping a cuisine that values preserved seafood, fresh dairy, and early-season vegetables.

Daily eating habits reflect both tradition and migration. Locals embrace fika with pastries as readily as hearty home-style meals, while markets highlight Skåne’s fertile farms. Street food thrives alongside classic Swedish holiday tables, making Malmö a concise snapshot of modern Swedish eating.

Malmö is widely known in Sweden for falafel, a street food that took root with migration from the Middle East and North Africa in the late twentieth century. Dried chickpeas are soaked and ground with onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, and coriander, sometimes lifted with baking powder, then formed into balls or patties and deep-fried until crisp. The result is a crunchy exterior that yields to a moist, herbaceous interior, aromatic with warm spices and a gentle nuttiness. Locals typically eat falafel rulle-style in a thin flatbread or in pita, stuffed with shredded cabbage, tomato, cucumber, pickled vegetables, and a choice of sauces such as tahini, chili, or garlicky yogurt. It’s a reliable lunch or late-night option, prized for affordability and speed, and a clear marker of Malmö’s multicultural palate that coexists with longstanding Swedish traditions.

Every November, Skåne marks Mårten Gås, a St. Martin’s Day feast with deep roots in southern Sweden, and Malmö participates enthusiastically. The traditional dinner starts with svartsoppa, a spiced goose-blood soup simmered with stock, apples, prunes, syrup, vinegar, and warming spices like cloves and ginger, producing a velvety broth that’s sweet, tangy, and faintly iron-rich. Roast goose follows, typically filled with apples and prunes, basted to render the fat, and served with pan gravy, red cabbage, and potatoes; the meat is rich and slightly gamey, the skin lacquered and crisp. Historically, goose fat and offal were important resources before winter, and the date aligned with slaughter time and the end of agrarian accounts. Dessert often includes a regional cake, underscoring the celebratory nature of the meal. Today, the dinner is enjoyed in Malmö homes and dining halls around November 10, preserving a seasonal ritual even as modern diets evolve.

Äggakaka is a classic Scanian skillet dish that splits the difference between an omelet and a thick pancake, built for farm workdays and still beloved for weeknight meals. A batter of eggs, milk, flour, and salt is whisked until smooth, then poured into a heavy pan with plenty of butter and cooked slowly to set, flipped once to finish. The center stays custardy and tender while the outside browns to a delicate crust; the flavor is buttery, eggy, and lightly wheaty. It is plated with crisp-fried, salted pork or smoked bacon (fläsk) and a spoon of tart lingonberries, whose acidity cuts the richness and adds a foresty perfume. Some cooks fold in chives or serve it alongside a green salad, but the essential trio—egg cake, pork, lingon—remains constant. In Malmö, people eat it for lunch or dinner, especially when the weather turns cool and a filling, straightforward dish suits the table.

This dish anchors Swedish midsummer gatherings and is especially satisfying in Skåne, where early, thin-skinned new potatoes arrive thanks to the mild coastal climate. Matjessill is young herring cured in a sweet-salty brine seasoned with spices such as allspice, cloves, and sometimes cinnamon, producing supple fillets with a gentle sweetness and clean brininess. The plate comes together simply: warm new potatoes glistening with butter, slices of matjessill, a dollop of gräddfil (cultured sour cream), snipped chives, and often a slice of kavring, the region’s slightly sweet, dense rye bread. Each bite layers silky fish, creamy dairy, herbal freshness, and earthy potatoes. Though midsummer is the iconic setting, Malmö residents enjoy variations at Easter and throughout summer. The combination showcases Sweden’s preservation know-how alongside seasonal produce, making it a clear expression of the local calendar and the Öresund’s long herring tradition.

Spettekaka, a hallmark dessert of Skåne with EU-protected regional status, is made from eggs, sugar, and potato starch piped in thin ribbons onto a rotating spit. As it turns over gentle heat, layers dry and set into a pale, lace-like cylinder that’s crisp outside and fragile within, breaking into airy shards. The flavor is distinctly sweet with a clean egg note and a whisper of vanilla; the texture recalls meringue but is denser and more brittle. Traditionally served at weddings, holidays, and celebratory dinners, it often caps a Mårten Gås meal or accompanies strong coffee. In Malmö, families purchase it in various sizes or share slices with berries and whipped cream to add moisture. Because it keeps well in dry conditions, spettekaka has long been suited to festive tables and travel, and its dramatic form makes it instantly recognizable as a southern Swedish specialty.

Malmö’s table blends coastal Swedish traditions with the flavors of global migration, anchored by seasonal produce from fertile Skåne and a mild, maritime climate. From festive goose dinners to everyday falafel, the city rewards curiosity and context. Explore more regional food guides and plan weather-smart trips with Sunheron.com’s tools to match meals to seasons.