Swedish Hot Dogs Look Nothing Like The Franks We're Used To
The appeal of a hot dog, or some variation of it, is pretty much universal. Humankind seems to have an affinity for cheap salty sausages that snap when you bite into them. The toppings vary widely depending on where you are, from a squirt of mustard with sauerkraut in Manhattan to Peru, where the hot dogs are chopped up and served on a pile of french fries in lieu of a bun. And then there's Sweden, where the frankfurters come bun-less, and aren't so much topped with condiments as much as they are topped with everything but the kitchen sink. If it's a bun you want, check out Sweden-based IKEA's vegan hot dogs.
Swedish tunnbrödsrulle is a popular late night street food, a dish that Anthony Bourdain once called "the finest and best thing I've ever had in my life." A tunnbrödsrulle can be any sandwich that comes wrapped in a tunnbröd (a sort of large flatbread), but the most noted one in the Scandinavian country consists of two hot dogs, mayonnaise, mashed potatoes, fried and raw onions, and mayo-coated shrimp salad, all served in a buttered tunnbröd. Nothing about it resembles the classic American dog except the wieners that are hidden in the mix. And while a standard hot dog is noted for being a one-handed snack you can eat while walking down the street, you'll probably need a fork to get through this Swedish dish.
Where did the tunnbrödsrulle come from?
Credit for creating the "deluxe" tunnbrödsrulle goes to Elov "Loffe" Bråtfors, who owned and operated a snack food stand in Sweden from 1962 to 2015. He sold casual eats like hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and mashed potatoes. The first tunnbrödsrulle he created was arguably a bit closer in resemblance to the hot dogs Americans are familiar with; Bråtfors dressed the flatbread-wrapped wiener with fried onions, Swedish mustard, ketchup, Bostongurka (a type of cucumber relish), plus mashed potatoes. It didn't contain mayonnaise or shrimp salad, but it still set the pace for what would become one of Sweden's most famous dishes.
The tunnbrödsrulle is so iconic in its native country that you can find some version of it practically anywhere you go in Sweden, from food trucks to food stands to convenience stores, some of which make their own, in-house. You can go all out like Bourdain did, and order yours with the gamut of toppings, but if it's ketchup and Swedish mustard you want, you can get that, too. It seems the staples of the dish are the flatbread, hot dog, mashed potatoes, and onions, with the rest of the toppings being up to the hungry customer (although many will tell you the shrimp salad is a must).
If you can't find it, make it
There may be some spots around America where you can find tunnbrödsrulle (most likely Scandinavian eateries), but for the most part the dish isn't well known here. This dish is just one reason America needs a great national hot dog chain, one that includes the Swedish staple. Outside of booking a ticket to Stockholm, you can try your hand at making a fully-loaded tunnbrödsrulle in your own kitchen. If you can't get your hands on tunnbröd at a local store, you can order it online or just substitute a large tortilla for the wrap. Use whatever kind of hot dog or sausage you favor, and as far as the mashed potatoes go, you can go for homemade (here's the best way to make them), store bought, or boxed (which even the Swedes are partial to).
The shrimp salad doesn't need to be fancy; it can be as simple as mixing some cooked, chilled shrimp with mayonnaise and some seasonings. Assemble everything together in your wrap, along with onions and whatever other condiments you desire. Grab a really big napkin, plus a bib, because this is one large snack and the probability of some spillage is high. Eating it late at night is completely optional, but a fork probably isn't.