I don’t even know if we can call this a recipe to be honest. Just two ingredients and a little bit of time is all that’s needed. The lingonberries (a small, tart Nordic berry, cranberry’s cousin) have a lovely tangy flavor, moderated by the sweet sugar, it’s almost as if a pickle and a jam had a love child.
In Sweden, we eat this wonderful condiment with everything from meatballs to pancakes, and a lot in between. It is different from most other jams you have tried, more grown up, with less sweetness, which is why it suits so many different types of food. If you can get your hands on raw lingonberries, this is really something you should try, it is amazing.
From my cookbook NORTH – Scandinavianish Cooking.
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Lingonberry Jam: Two Ingredients, No Cooking
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Description
A raw, two-ingredient lingonberry jam. No cooking and no canning, just berries and sugar left to sit until the sugar dissolves into a syrup.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen lingonberries
- 3/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Place fresh or frozen lingonberries in a medium-sized bowl. Add the sugar and stir gently to coat the berries.
- Leave the mixture at room temperature, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved and a syrupy texture forms.
- If you use fresh berries, this takes about 60 minutes, longer with frozen berries as they will thaw during the process.
- Once the sugar is fully dissolved, transfer the mixture to a jar and refrigerate. The jam will keep for up to one week.
Notes
- Use a wide dish rather than a jar if you have one. More surface area means the sugar dissolves faster.
- Fresh berries take about an hour to turn syrupy. Frozen berries take longer, since they release water as they thaw.
- This is a short-life, refrigerator-only jam with no canning step, so plan to use it within the week.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Recipes
- Cuisine: Swedish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 43
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Protein: 0 g
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this cooked at all?
No. Nothing is heated. The berries and sugar sit together at room temperature and the sugar dissolves on its own into a syrup, which is why this keeps the fresh, sharp taste of the raw fruit.
Can I use frozen lingonberries?
Yes. Fresh berries take about 60 minutes for the sugar to dissolve fully. Frozen take longer, because they thaw as they go.
How long does it keep?
Refrigerated in a jar, up to one week. This is a fresh jam rather than a preserved one — there is no cooking and no canning step.
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I know these are not cooked, but if I do cook them will they hold longer?
Lingonsylt is soo good with pancakes!!!
I had these on a trip to sweden last summer, with meatballs. they were delicious, a very unique jam indeed. didnt know they were not cooked!