stuvade

Stuvad is a Swedish culinary term derived from the verb stuva, meaning to cook slowly in a small amount of liquid, often with a thickening agent. As an adjective, stuvad describes dishes where ingredients are gently simmered and bound with a creamy sauce, typically based on milk or cream and thickened with flour or a roux. The result is a soft, saucy dish with a smooth texture rather than a dry sauté.

Common uses include stuvad makaroner, a traditional home dish of pasta in a creamy sauce, sometimes with bits of ham or sausage. Other examples are stuvad spenat (creamed spinach) and stuvad grönsaker, where vegetables are folded into a light, thickened sauce. The approach is characteristic of Swedish comfort cooking and often features dairy products such as butter, milk or cream.

Preparation methods vary, but typically involve softening aromatics in butter, adding flour to form a roux, pouring in milk or cream, and simmering until thickened before folding in the main ingredients. Seasoning is usually simple—salt, pepper, and sometimes herbs.

In cultural context, stuvad describes both a cooking technique and a family-friendly category of dishes that emphasize a creamy texture and gentle cooking. The term is common in cookbooks, menus, and everyday kitchen parlance, and it forms a recognizable part of the Swedish culinary vocabulary.