Globetrotter’s guide to the world’s larder

Only a few weeks ago we were thinking of Rudolph and his friends so it may seem heartless to consider a plate of renskav. But in northern Sweden, this ancient dish, made by salting then cold-smoking reindeer, still brings tears to the eyes of hardy Scandinavian hunters, who would cut it thinly then cook it in a pan — as with bacon — out in the open air.

Originally, renskav was prepared in a kåta, a primitive smokehouse made using the hide of the reindeer and wood from birch trees stripped of their bark, in a process that took two days. Learning of its existence led me to the great and varied topic of Swedish game eating.

It is a country that is remarkable for the variety of wild species sustainably hunted for food, where cooking and eating it is taken for granted, perhaps more so than in Britain.