KALLES

The British have their Marmite, and we have our caviar—two distinct flavors that not everyone immediately appreciates. Both might take some getting used to. However, few things are as iconic in Swedish cuisine as lightly smoked cod roe, enjoyed on sandwiches, eggs, or mixed into sauces.  

The story of Swedish caviar began when a traveling salesman sold a recipe for lightly smoked caviar—made from salted cod roe and oil—to the company Abba for 1,000 SEK, a significant sum in 1954.  

Initially, the caviar was sold in stores in plain, unmarked tubes, yet sales exceeded expectations. To reach a broader audience, Abba sought help from an advertising agency. They proposed adding a cheerful boy’s image to the packaging and giving it a playful name.  

Christian Ameln, Abba's director, had a blonde son named Carl, whose face was chosen for the tube. And so, Kalles Kaviar was born. In 1955, one million tubes were sold, and by 2005, Swedes were consuming roughly 2.6 million kilos of caviar annually.