The Staple Boomer Party Food People Still Love Today

The baby boomers, commonly known as "boomers", are by some measure the most prosperous generation that ever lived, reaping the benefits of the postwar world order and accumulating over $80 trillion in wealth (via the Federal Reserve). And what's the point of having all that money if you don't enjoy the things that make life worth it — like some delicious Swedish meatballs? Boomers may have popularized them in America, but it's a dish with an appeal that crosses generations.

Maybe you serve your Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam, like they do in Sweden (or at IKEA, whose own meatballs have become as iconic as their vaguely Swedish-sounding furniture names). Maybe you smother them in a dense, creamy gravy perfect for preparing in a slow cooker. You can even serve them over some yummy noodles or comforting pillows of mashed potatoes. Whatever you choose, you're bound to have a good time, and you're bound to make a cocktail party, potluck, or any other social eating event very happy indeed.

If you're wondering why Sweden is so closely associated with meatballs, well, it's a dish they've had around for a while. Although Sweden's Twitter account once declared (then retracted) that the dish originated in Turkey and was brought to Sweden by King Karl XII after his exile to the Ottoman Empire, the dish actually has an antecedent in something called köttbullar, appearing in text as early as the 17th century. As for Swedish meatballs as we know them, they were codified by a Swedish chef (no, not the Muppet) named Tore Wretman.

Stateside interest in Swedish meatballs came in part during the 1950s and '60s, when there was a big burst of interest in the Nordic countries. (Really, the dawn of globalization meant there was an increased interest in all sorts of foreign cultures, hence exotica and tiki bars like mai tai inventor Trader Vic's, but we're talking specifically about Nordic countries here.) Scandinavian design and furniture began to represent the height of modern sophistication, and America celebrated the end of war rationing with big, decadent smorgasbords. (One smorgasbord restaurant, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is America's largest buffet.) 

Swedish meatballs, then, were a perfect hors d'oeuvre for a chic cocktail party — they were trendy, tasty, and entirely toothpickable. Technically, we suppose this wasn't the doing of the boomers, who were children or teenagers at this point in time, but it certainly left an impression on them. Now, of course, they're a Boomer meal to satisfy the whole family.