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Tunnbrödsrulle

A massive Swedish late-night wrap loading hotdogs, mashed potatoes, and cold shrimp salad into a single flatbread.

Flag of SwedenOrigin: Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden
Tunnbrödsrulle illustrated hot dog icon

Origin region: Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden

The anatomy

Vessel
Soft Tunnbröd (Swedish Flatbread)
Sausage
Wienerkorv or Grillkorv
Region
Stockholm County
Ingredients

The Tunnbrödsrulle is Sweden's definitive late-night street food solution, born in the roadside grill kiosks of Stockholm. It dispenses with the traditional bun in favor of a soft, flexible Swedish flatbread, which is then loaded with an uncommonly dense combination of warm mashed potatoes, grilled or boiled sausages, and cold shrimp salad. The result is a heavy, structurally demanding cylinder that manages to be hot, cold, sweet, and savory all at once. It is not designed for neatness, and you will need two hands to manage it. To prepare it, lay your flatbread out and spread a thick bed of warm, seasoned mashed potatoes down the center. Place your sausages on the potato bed, drizzle with ketchup and sweet Swedish mustard, then scoop a generous portion of cold shrimp salad and shredded lettuce alongside. Top with a heavy hand of crispy fried onions and raw diced onions before rolling the flatbread tightly into a wrap.

Method

  1. 1Mash boiled potatoes with butter, milk, and white pepper until smooth and hold warm.
  2. 2Grill or simmer your wienerkorv sausages until heated through.
  3. 3In a small bowl, combine chopped cooked cold-water shrimp, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, fresh dill, salt, and pepper to make the räksallad.
  4. 4Lay a sheet of soft tunnbröd flat on a workspace over a square of aluminum foil or paper.
  5. 5Spread a thick portion of warm mashed potatoes down the center of the flatbread, leaving a 2 inch border.
  6. 6Place two warm sausages lengthwise on top of the mashed potato bed.
  7. 7Drizzle ketchup and sweet Swedish mustard directly over the sausages.
  8. 8Spoon a generous mound of the cold shrimp salad beside the sausages and add a handful of shredded lettuce.
  9. 9Sprinkle crispy fried onions and finely diced raw onions over the entire filling assembly.
  10. 10Fold the bottom edge of the tunnbröd up, roll the sides tightly to create a heavy cylinder, and wrap the bottom half in the foil to secure it.

Sources

Controversies

The Mash War: Real mashed potatoes versus instant powdered mash (pulvermos).

Our take: The purists in the Tunnbrödsrullens Vänner Facebook group claim instant mash is gas station slop, but they are fighting a losing battle against history. Cheap, industrial pulvermos has a smooth, lump-free uniformity that matches the street-side, late-night reality of the dish. If you are standing outside a kiosk at 3:00 AM, you do not want artisanal potato lumps.

The Räksallad Polarization: Whether cold shrimp salad belongs on a warm hotdog, and the inventor's denial.

Our take: Elov Loffe Bråtfors, the man who invented the wrap in 1963, openly rejected shrimp salad in favor of Bostongurka relish. He was right to be skeptical, as mixing cold-water bay shrimp mayonnaise with warm pork fat and mustard sounds like a recipe for a culinary disaster. Yet, the modern Swedish street landscape has decided otherwise, making the seafood addition the very soul of the wrap.

The Bourdain Paradox: Whether the wrap is a street food masterpiece or a disgusting visual mess.

Our take: Anthony Bourdain called it both the most disgusting thing ever and the finest thing he had ever had. That is the correct framing. It is an absurd pile of conflicting temperatures, textures, and fats. It shouldn't work, yet it is the ultimate late-night comfort food.