The Scandinavian Way of Eating Is Simpler Than You Think

There’s a version of eating well that has nothing to do with optimization. No tracking, no rules, no guilt—just good ingredients, cooked simply and shared with people you love. That’s what drew me to Scandinavian Everyday, the new cookbook from chef Nichole Accettola, who spent 15 years living in Denmark before bringing that way of eating back to San Francisco, where she now runs the beloved Kantine.

The Nordic diet—the framework at the heart of the book—sounds deceptively simple: whole grains, seasonal produce, fish, dairy, and very little of the processed stuff. But what makes it feel so aligned with the way I want to live isn’t the food list. It’s the philosophy underneath it. The idea that a meal is worth slowing down for. That dinnertime can stretch to an hour. That breakfast on a weekday can be just buttered bread and good coffee, and that’s enough to still feel like a celebration.

Below, I’m sharing an excerpt from the book—Nichole’s introduction to the Nordic diet and her deeply personal essay on porridge—followed by a recipe for her Sweet 3-Grain Porridge with Pear, Date-Walnut Butter, and Crispy Buckwheat. Consider it your invitation to make something worth lingering over this weekend.

The following is excerpted from Scandinavian Everyday by Nichole Accettola, published by Ten Speed Press.

The Nordic Diet

Have you ever been on a trip somewhere far away and fallen in love with the foods eaten there or the way that people eat together? I simply adore immersing myself in other places, and frankly, those experiences are some of the best souvenirs I’ve brought back with me. They enrich my life, put my own way of living in perspective, and sometimes inspire change in our food habits after we’ve returned home. I’ll never forget the look on my kids’ faces when I suggested we extend dinnertime to at least an hour for more relaxation and conversation (and the idea of serving a salad course after the main meal was equally unpopular).

Little did I know when I first moved to Denmark that, within a few years, New Nordic cuisine—an approach to cooking that prioritizes local, sustainable, and seasonal ingredients prepared in innovative ways—would emerge, transforming Scandinavia into the culinary hub it is today. This movement not only elevated Nordic cooking globally but also gave rise to the Nordic diet. And while the word “diet” often signals weight loss, this diet is about something else entirely—choosing to eat well with foods rooted in the region’s traditions, and shaped with an ecological bent.

While I don’t follow the Nordic diet strictly, the general principles are always top of mind for me. Rooted in principles similar to the Mediterranean diet, the Nordic diet emphasizes plant-based eating supplemented by other whole foods. The way to eat is broken down into a simple framework:

Eat most often:

• Plant-based staples: vegetables, fruits, berries, legumes, and potatoes
• Grains and seeds: whole grains like buckwheat, millet, and barley, as well as nuts and seeds
• Seafood and dairy: fish, seafood, low-fat dairy products, and eggs
• Fats and flavorings: canola oil, herbs, and spices

Eat in moderation:

• Cheese, cultured dairy products like yogurt, and game meats

Eat rarely:

• Other red meats and animal fats

Avoid or eat very rarely:

• Foods with added sugar, processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined fast foods, and artificial additives

The beauty of the Nordic diet lies in its simplicity and its focus on seasonality. Food that’s in season and grown close to where you live isn’t just more sustainable—it tastes better. Indeed, the diet highlights Nordic food traditions derived from century-long practices of harvesting from the earth, the sea, and the forest. Many of those ingredients were preserved to last through the frigidly cold winter months; therefore, techniques such as smoking, curing, and drying have shaped the region’s cuisine.

The recipes in this book are inspired by the Nordic approach to food but meant to be adapted in other parts of the world, where lingonberries and lovage are impossible to find. With the principles of the Nordic diet as your guide, you can create nourishing, seasonally driven meals with ingredients that are in sync with your area.

Eating well is vital to staying healthy, but it’s just one part of the equation. In Scandinavia, nourishing food combined with a sound work–life balance, social involvement in a community, and a strong connection to nature are key to holistic well-being and fundamental aspects of the Nordic diet.

Bowl Me Over

On weekdays in Scandinavia, breakfast is normally simple and quick. A cup of coffee or tea, a few slices of buttered bread topped with meat or cheese, or a bowl of yogurt. And for those who prefer going to the local bakery, a BMO (bolle med ost, or buttered bun with sliced cheese) on the way to work is a perfect grab-and-go item.

And then there are the weekends. When I lived in Copenhagen, my family and I would often take advantage of the leisurely mornings and make porridge for breakfast at least once during the weekend.

When I was growing up in Ohio, porridge was synonymous with sugary instant oatmeal from a pouch. For some others I know, the word porridge conjures images of thick, pasty gruel that seems more suited to hanging wallpaper than for eating. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In my opinion, porridge just doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

When my partner and I became parents, we began making simple porridges using wholesome grains and toppings, which felt perfectly fitting as our children’s first foods. As our kids grew, so did our fondness for porridge—most often enjoyed as a family, eventually becoming a set weekend tradition with a big, steaming pot for everyone to enjoy.

Around 2010, a porridge renaissance began stirring in Scandinavia, and luckily, I was living there at the time. I remember the buzz around the opening of the first “porridge bar,” called Grød, in Copenhagen—suddenly, people were standing in long lines just to get their hands on a bowl of it.

This may be the shortest chapter in the book, but possibly the one with the most potential. Once you start making these bowls, you might feel more inclined to riff on a porridge yourself—tweaking and improvising to create something uniquely yours. It’s bound to change your mind completely about what porridge can be.

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“Scandinavian Everyday” Copyright © 2026 by Nichole Accettola. Food photographs copyright © 2026 by Molly DeCoudreau. Lifestyle photographs copyright © 2026 by Mikkel Vang. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.