Today, we're heading to Gothenburg, Sweden, a city where sea and land come together to shape a dynamic food culture. Known for its exceptional seafood and vibrant restaurant scene, Gothenburg blends tradition with innovation. From creative vegetarian dishes to foraged ingredients, the city's culinary landscape is continually evolving to address modern sustainability challenges. Gothenburg is leading the way in building a resilient, local food system for the future. To explore all these topics, we're joined today by our guest, Sophie Mansaris. PR Manager of Gastronomy at Göteborg Co. and Martin Berg, Planning Officer in the City of Gothenburg.  

Jessica: Hi Sofie, hi Martin.  

Sofie: Hi, really nice to be here.  

Martin: Hello, I'm so glad to be here.  

 Jessica: Great to have you here at the table with us today for this episode of Cities at the Table, and we can't wait to hear more about Gothenburg. To start, could you tell us a little bit more about each of your roles in the city?  

Sofie: Yes, my name is Sofie Mansaris, and I work for the Gothenburg Tourist Board with food tourism, but also with PR and communications.  

Martin: My name is Martin Berg. I work as a development officer at Stadsnära Odlingar Urban Farming within the city of Gothenburg. And my role is to create conditions that enable citizens in Gothenburg to farm more, but also to increase food production on the farmland that the municipality owns.  

Jessica: Can you tell us your connection or relationship with food? Maybe share a story about a remarkable culinary experience you've had in Gothenburg.  

Sofie: Yeah, so in my case, I really love to eat good food, but unfortunately, I don't know how to cook well. But one of the most remarkable food experiences I had in Gothenburg was definitely when you're out in the archipelago and eating really fresh seafood from the fishing boat. So this is actually something you can book even as a visitor. Or you could just do like a picnic and have fresh seafood, maybe oysters or crayfish, watching the sunset. And that's really a nice experience.  

Jessica: Wow, that sounds like a great experience. And Martin, can you share your connection or special relationship with food?  

Martin: As every other person on this planet, I have a connection to food, but I actually think I'm a pretty good cook myself. It might not be so, but yeah, which means that I often feel that the best meals are the ones that I eat at home. That might sound a bit biased, you know, but for me, cooking is a way of staying close to the ingredients and their origins. And the most remarkable food experience I've had in Gothenburg is not necessarily about fine dining, but about well-prepared food in interesting places and environments shared with both new and old acquaintances. And those moments where food becomes more than a meal. So it's about building community, I think.  

Jessica: Can you tell us a little bit more about Gothenburg? You've shared your personal experiences, but what about someone who doesn't know anything about it? Where is it? How big is it? What's the atmosphere? Let us know more.  

Martin: Gothenburg is situated on the best coast of Sweden, the west coast of Sweden. And it's Sweden's second biggest city with the biggest port of Scandinavia. And it was founded in 1621 to focus on sea trade, fishing, and also to protect Sweden from its neighbours, the Danish and the Norwegian people.  

Jessica: And Sofie, what would you say makes your city unique? What's something we shouldn't miss if we come to visit?  

Sofie: I think Gothenburg is like a hidden gem in Sweden and Scandinavia in general. Not many people know about it outside of Sweden. Normally, everyone wants to visit the capitals like Stockholm or Oslo since they are more well-known. But in Gothenburg, you will find a similar Scandinavian experience, but with fewer crowds and also actually better prices for restaurants and hotels, etc. What we see that visitors appreciate the most in Gothenburg is actually the locals living here. And just strolling around the city, maybe drinking a local coffee from the local roastery, eating a cinnamon bun, checking out the many vintage boutiques, or stopping for a local craft beer. This is the perfect way to explore the city because it's very walkable. And I think you should also visit our archipelago. You can actually reach it by public transport in just one hour. And the fact that many people don't know is that Sweden is the country in the whole world with the most islands. And just outside of Gothenburg, you will find about 2000 islands that you can explore and eat the freshest seafood and fish in all of Sweden.  

Jessica: Now that we've talked about what makes your city unique, why would you say Gothenburg is a food capital? What should we taste if we visit? You've talked about seafood. What else? What are your local ingredients, the everyday dishes, and beverages?  

Sofie: Gothenburg is the capital of fish and seafood in Sweden. Around like 90% of all local fish and seafood that is served all over Sweden is sold in the big fish auction in the Gothenburg harbour. The very typical things you will find here are crayfish, crabs, oysters, lobster, and shrimp. And you'll also find a lot of different fish types like cod, herring, and haddock. And when it comes to drinks, Gothenburg is also considered to be the beer capital of Sweden, with around 40 different craft breweries in and around the city. So it's a good place if you like both seafood and beer.  

Jessica: Speaking about seafood and that Gothenburg's the gateway to the sea, and seafood is a lifestyle for you. Can you tell us a little bit more about the blue food? What does that mean? What is it to you? What is it to the city?  

Sofie: Yes. So nowadays we talk more about the concept of blue food, where we also include seaweed, algae, and tunicates, for example. And seaweed is increasingly recognised as a true superfood. It's packed with minerals, vitamins, and natural umami, while having one of the lowest climate footprints in the entire food system. So it requires no farmland or fertilisers, and it even absorbs carbon dioxide as it grows. For chefs, seaweed offers new Swedish ingredients with a distinctive ocean character. So it's a good product that we rediscovered, you could say, in the kitchen. And actually, today, West Sweden is considered the country's strongest region for seaweed. And this is because there are several reasons for this. We have a unique marine environment that very salty sea with currents. So it's a good condition for these species to grow.  

Jessica: We've heard about this before through the food capitals and what we've learned from Gothenburg, but I'd love to hear more about it: The Gothenburg Royale. What does that? Why has it been chosen to be the city's new signature dish? Can you tell us more about that whole process and how you included the community in it?  

Sofie: The Gothenburg meal with the Gothenburg Royale was created to reflect the city's culinary identity and its vision for the future. We have some famous dishes of Gothenburg, but they are not so 100% sustainable. So we wanted to try to add something to the local food scene that would be focused on the local ingredients that we have, but also very sustainable for the future. To find a new signature dish for the city, we did an open competition where we invited anyone who wanted to submit a recipe. So it could be both local people and visitors. And an expert jury of chefs, cooking students, food journalists, diet professionals, and more then selected the winning recipe on the big stage during the Gothenburg Culture Festival 2025. So it was really interesting to see all the creative recipes that people sent in, and the positive reaction they had. And a big discussion as well among the locals, like, why should we do a new one? Aren't the old ones good enough? But as I mentioned, we wanted to add something new as well to the table.  

Jessica: And can you tell us a little bit more about what's in the Gothenburg Royale in terms of ingredients and why it was chosen as the winner?  

Sofie: So it's actually an open sandwich on a very local bread from the archipelago called Hönökaka. And then on top of that... We have this creamy seafood mixture with local crab and local mussels. And both crab and mussels are very sustainable types of seafood that we have plenty of in the sea outside of Gothenburg. And then we also have a special type of cheese inside this called Wrångebäck cheese. That's a very nice and traditional food. Comes from the oldest cheese factory in Sweden. And then we also have inside, of course, some sea lettuce and sugar kelp from the sea. To give it this umami flavor, but also all the nutrients.  

Jessica: And does it taste good?  

Sofie: Yes, this dish is excellent. It's really nice. It's something special. It's typical for Scandinavian countries to have these cold, open sandwiches. So it's a very interesting dish. And what we are trying now, so all of this competition and the project were developed during 2025. And now, in 2026, we plan to get this new dish out in several restaurants so that you can try it if you come here. And it's already in one restaurant, and we have meetings with more restaurants to really get it out there. So that's our goal for 2026.  

Jessica: That's really inspiring, Sofie. And I think a lot of our other food capitals are inspired and interested in this idea of creating a new signature dish for their cities. What would be some tips, or what would you tell another city to make sure they're doing or thinking about when they want to recreate or create a new food for their local identity?  

Sofie: Well, I think of two things. One would be to try to think up outside of the box, how can you combine obviously the traditional ingredients and what's typical for your city or region, but also to challenge and really think how can we make a new dish that would last for a long time and new generations when we have to think more about sustainability, even though it might not have been popular before. We have to be brave and try new things as well. And the second one is... really involve the locals in this, because obviously we have several, all city have really good chefs who could easily create a new recipe that would be delicious, but I think it's really interesting if you let the people in the city come with ideas or do some voting or really participate to make the dish part of the local community.  

Jessica: Absolutely. That's so important. Thank you, Sofie. So, Martin, Gothenburg is a frontrunner in sustainability, as we've heard before and as you've told us. How is Gothenburg using food as a tool for sustainable development?  

Martin: In Gothenburg, we use food as a multifunctional tool for working with sustainable urban development. Because food touches so many issues. It's like social inclusion, it's biodiversity, it's livable and viable cities. It's economy, creating jobs, but also preparedness for the future, and increasing our local self-sufficiency as well. In Gothenburg, we look at food across the whole system, from land access and production to public meals and social inclusion. So food allows us to connect many policy areas that are often handled separately. And that's a big thing because we need to work more on the silos. So I think food is one of those topics that you can do that with. At the same time, food is a very concrete way to engage citizens in sustainability. Everyone eats, as you know, and everyone can relate to it.  

Jessica: Absolutely. That's so true. Do you have a project in particular or a very specific example you can share with us of what Gothenburg is doing on this topic?  

Martin: Gothenburg is doing a lot of things. But one thing that I really want to highlight is city farming, where we develop different sites like model farms where we show citizens in Gothenburg how to farm or how to farm together. But we also have sites that we use as educational sites for new commercial farmers in collaboration with agricultural schools. We work with schools, and the children, with their teacher, come and harvest food, and then they bring it back to the school and prepare it. And we are developing that more and more. And we also have test beds where you can lease a bit of land so you can try and develop your own business model around selling food. Some of these farmers, they also become full-time farmers.  

Jessica: That's incredibly important, as we know that we need to try to promote farming for the next generations. Can you share maybe a success story of one of these test beds or a business that's grown out of that?  

Martin: We had a family coming from Syria in 2016, and they started on one of our test beds, 500 square meters. And we could then be able to give them a bigger lease because Gothenburg owns 3,000 hectares of farmland. They were given that kind of lease, and now they have like 20 hectares. And they have a big business around local food production.  

Jessica: That’s a very inspiring example. What would you say, we're here with the food capitals, we're all cities, what is the role of cities in the food system?  

Martin: Yeah, cities play a much more powerful role in the food system than it's often recognized, I think. So even if cities don't produce all their food, they strongly influence how food is produced, distributed, and consumed. Cities control key levels like land use planning, public procurement, public meals regulations, and investment priorities. It's a big market, urban areas for food. So when these are aligned, cities can create real demand for sustainable local food and lower the barriers for local food producers. And cities can also be a connector, connecting rural and urban qualities, and not just being a place where you consume something. It can also be a place for production. So it's like all in one, I think.  

Jessica: Martin, after all of this, we're talking about the present, we're talking about the future proof and improving our cities and our farms. What should be on the table in 10 years’ time? What's the future of food looking like for Gothenburg?  

Martin: So from my perspective, in 10 years’ time, what's on the table should reflect where and how the food was produced, not just what it is. So I hope we see more locally produced food, locally produced vegetables grown close to the city, because that makes sense. So, using regenerative methods and a stronger connection between urban eaters and the landscape that feeds them, seasonal eating should feel natural again, not restrictive, but inspiring. And I also think that the table should be more inclusive, and that's a very big part of it. Food systems shouldn't only serve those who can afford premium choices. A resilient future means making good, sustainable food accessible through public meals, schools, and local markets. And finally, I hope food will be a space for care and responsibility, less waste, more respect for resources, and a deeper understanding that every meal is part of a larger system.  

Jessica: And Sofie, from your perspective, what should be on the table in 10 years' time? What does the future of food look like for Gothenburg?  

Sofie: I think we will see more blue food on the plates, such as kelp or seaweed. And I really hope we can still eat meat, but it would be more locally produced, quality meat instead of the mass imported meat we see today going around everywhere, changing places. So yeah, this is my hope.  

Jessica: With this whole conversation, we've talked about how other cities are inspiring you, how Gothenburg is inspiring cities. Why is it important for you, for your department, for Gothenburg itself to be a part of the Food Capitals Network?  

Sofie: Well, Gothenburg was actually one of the founding members of the network already back in 2007. And this is, I think, because Gothenburg has always had a claim to be open to the world as a city decision. So this is one way to learn and collaborate with other cities. focusing on food and gastronomy. And one example was last year's annual meeting in Lyon. That was very inspiring to me because we had the chance to discuss topics with colleagues from all around the world, and new angles to apply to different projects. And I could share the Gothenburg meal story with a lot of people and have very good feedback that I could work on directly after. That was a really good meeting.  

Martin: Being part of The Food Capitals Network is important because cities face many of the same food system challenges, even if the context differs. So we don't need to reinvent everything ourselves. We can learn faster by learning together.  

Sofie: Food has the superpower to create true happiness that doesn't have to cost a lot. That's how I see it. Like, for example, if you take the first bite of a home-baked cookie you really love, or if you have been outside and you're really cold and you have the chance to get a cup of hot coffee or tea, that's something that creates a sense of belonging and happiness, and you don't have to be rich or a millionaire to do it. So I think that's the most beautiful thing about food for me.  

Martin: Food has the superpower to connect people to place, to nature, to culture, and to each other, I think.  

Jessica: Well, thank you so much, Sophie and Martin, for joining us at the table today. It was great to learn more about Gothenburg, and we hope to be there soon.  

Sofie: Thank you so much. It was really nice to be here. And we welcome, of course, everyone to come here and discover the food scene in Gothenburg.  

Martin: And I agree. Thank you so much. À bientôt.