Written by Jazmin
22 Dec 2025
I’ve always been super curious about trying the special Christmas products Sweden has during this time of the year. Every time I go grocery shopping, I see so many festive things, and I thought it would be a fun idea to share my honest opinion with you!
But to make this fair, because we all have very different palates, I didn’t do this alone. Two Icelandic friends helped me try all the products, so you’ll get a Nordic perspective and a Peruvian one. Very different cultures: one quite similar to Sweden, and one completely different. The big question is… could we agree on something? 👀
🍪 Gingerbread cookies
These cookies are a must-have for Christmas in all Nordic countries. As my Icelandic friends explained to me, gingerbread cookies are the most Christmassy product for them, and they absolutely love them.
So of course, we tried two different brands. My friends rated both of them 9/10 without hesitation. For me, it was a different story 😅 I had never tried ginger in cookies before, and in one of the brands the flavor was very strong. I didn’t dislike it, but I wouldn’t buy a whole box just for myself. I gave it a 6/10, and I apologize in the name of all Nordics already 🙏 It’s just not what I’m used to!
The second brand had less ginger and a milder flavor, which I liked much more. That one got an 8/10 from me. Conclusion: it’s definitely a matter of getting used to the flavor.
🥤 Julmust
This is the Christmas drink in Sweden. I’ve even seen that its sales go higher than Coca-Cola during December 😱 So of course, I had to try it again. And I say again because I already gave it a chance last year… and couldn’t finish a bottle.
My friends had tried it before too, and surprise, they also couldn’t finish one bottle either. But since we believe in second opportunities, we tried it once more. One of them said something that perfectly summarizes our experience:
“I don’t understand what it tastes like. It’s just a confusing flavor.”
Exactly that 😆 It wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad… we were just confused. It’s like a soda, but very sweet. We honestly couldn’t rate it. Maybe you can help us, what would you rate Julmust? 🤔
🍖 Christmas ham
There’s a special ham that’s served at almost every Christmas dinner here, and you start seeing it everywhere: in grocery stores and even in café sandwiches. I always go to Espresso House, and that’s where I discovered a Christmas sandwich made with this ham and mustard, and it’s delicious.
So we recreated the Espresso House sandwich at home, and honestly… it was the star of the night 🌟 We gave it a 9/10. On its own, the ham can be a bit dry, but combined with mustard and good bread, it’s amazing. I 100% recommend this one!
🧁 Gifflar Saffran
In Sweden, saffron is very popular during Christmas. We even found a Christmas version of Gifflar, the iconic mini cinnamon rolls, this time made with saffron.
My two friends, like any true Nordic people, love the original Gifflar and rate it an 8.5. In my case, the regular version has too much cinnamon for my taste, so I’d give it a 6.
Plot twist: I loved the saffron version 😍 It was sweeter, and it reminded me of some breads I used to eat in Peru, so I rated it an 8. My friends couldn’t believe it, they didn’t like it at all, and rated it 4 and 5. I guess this is what you call cultural differences.
🍓 Juleskum
I kept seeing these marshmallows everywhere, so of course we had to try them. The original flavor is strawberry, but every Christmas, they release a limited edition, and this year it was orange caramel.
We tried both, and the main thing we noticed was how hard they are to chew 😬 The flavors were okay, but nothing special. We rated them between 4 and 5. One of my friends slightly preferred the limited edition, but since the majority wins, we agreed the strawberry one was better.
In the end, we actually had more similar opinions than I expected, and I’m honestly impressed. The cultural differences weren’t that strong after all! Maybe Christmas flavors really do bring people together. So… would you try all of these? Or have you already done it? 👀
Tell us your ratings in the comments! 🎄✨
