10th december – a dynamic date

It all started with dynamite and ends up with the most spectacular banquet in the world.
Frist a little about Mr Alfred Nobel, Mr Dynamite – born 1833 in Stockholm and died in Italy 1896, he became 63 years old. His last will be signed in Paris the year before his death and the assets were at his death; $186 million. In 2007 the Nobel foundation’s assets were $560 million. More interesting reading at Nobelprize.org

Every prize winner gets $1.4 million today on 10th December at Stockholm Concert Hall – the prizes are handed out by our king, Karl XVI Gustaf. Awarded for outstanding contributions to physics, chemistry, literature, peace, physiology or medicine. The peace prize ceremony will be held in Oslo, Norway on 11th December.

Image provided by and thanks to lansforsakringar.se

There is also a prize in memory of Alfred Nobel in Economic Sciences that is given by Svenska Riksbanken (The Swedish National Bank). The first prize award was in 1901 and one of the first prizes went to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen for his discovery of X-ray. In Sweden, we still call X-ray for “röntgen”

©swedenabroad.se

The 2019 Nobel Prize winners are;

Physics 
James Pebbles, who gets one half ”for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos”
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz get the other half “for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.”

Chemistry
John Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino
“for the development of lithium-ion batteries”. Through their work, they have created the right conditions for a wireless and fossil-fuel-free society,
and so brought the greatest benefit to humankind.

Medicine
William G. Kaelin Jr, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe, and Gregg L. Semenza
“for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.”
They identified molecular machinery that regulates the activity of genes
in response to varying levels of oxygen.

Literature for 2018 and 2019
Olga Tokarczuk –
“for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.”
Peter Handke –
“for an influential work, that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience.”

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2019
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer
“for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.”

Peace Prize – Abiy Ahmed Ali
” “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.”

The winners and their guests are in Stockholm for a week and they have a very intense dance program. Something every day up to the main event today.

The first Award Ceremony 1901 – © The Nobel Foundation

Total yearly cost for the Nobel Prize:
The four categories are:
• Nobel Prize: SEK 45 million/ $7.2 million/£3.6 million/€4.2 million
• Compensation to the price groups: SEK 27.1 million/$2.8 million/£2.2 million/€2.5 million
• Administration and more: SEK 15.1 million/$1.6 million/£1.2 million/€1.4 million
• Nobel week in Stockholm and Oslo: SEK 15.3 million/$1.6 million/£1.24 million/€1.45 million
The Nobel banquet: 1300 guests
The envelope fee is SEK 3,900/$410/£314/€370 per person.

©nobelprize.org

So now to what follows after the prize ceremony – the Nobel Banquet, a 3-course sit-down meal for 1350 guests – in the Blue Hall of Stockholm Town Hall. I dare to call it – the most well-organized meals in the world, plus the biggest.

©SvD.se

All 1300 guest, that includes the whole Swedish Royal Family get served at the same time and the food has to be carried down a massive staircase. This is last year’s dessert parade – Music by Mikael Karlsson Orchestration by Michael P. Atkinson and Mikael Karlsson The Royal Swedish Orchestra, conducted by James Grossmith. A MUST WATCH!!!!

The tables are set with specially designed porcelain, crystal glasses, and cutlery – everything has 18-carat gold in the décor. Anyone that can afford and want to, can buy the pieces from the manufacturers. The flowers are all a gift from Italy but arranged by the royal florist. As chefs and waiters – anyone can apply for being at service at this special evening. The picking process is tough, there are also staff invited. Every waiter has to be able to do silver service for 8 guests at the time.

© Foto: Stockholmsstad. Ulf Börjesson.

2011 – was the executive chef a woman – with a brigade of 49 chef’s, Malin Söderström – mostly new invite for every year. One executive chef, Johnny Johansson has been running 10 Nobel banquets in total. The breakdown of all the other staff is; 220 waiters, 70 wine waiters, 18 kitchen porters and 10 maître de. 10000 pieces of cutlery will be used.

©sydsvenskan.minibladet.se

The table set up is all Swedish design and manufacturing – of course: all websites in English. Beautiful stuff to look at. Have a look around you won’t regret it.
Rörstrand  – porcelain
Orrefors  – glasses
Gense – cutlery

All designed for the 90’s anniversary of the Nobel Prize and used for the first time in 1991.

The Menu – are always written in French with translation in English and Swedish, somebody told me that the 2 translations are on the back of the menu card.

Nobel Banquet
Menu 1909 ©wikipedia.org

The menu has always been kept a secret until the first dish is served.

©Victor Fremling

This year Sebastian Gibrand, award-winning chef and former team captain for the Swedish Chef Country Team stands for this year’s Nobel Menu. Silver medalist in the world’s most prestigious competition – Bocuse d’Or. Sebastian is only 29 years old but he has a solid chef background.

©Emil Andersson

He has competed in the junior chef national team for 2 years and in the senior national team for 4 years. In the senior national team, he was also the team captain.
When he does not invest in the European Championships or the World Cup, he runs his own consultancy, Gibrand’s Gastronomy. Prior to starting his own, he worked at two of Sweden’s best restaurants – Oaxen krog & slip and Studio Franzén.

©bookatable.se

The dessert that will round off this year’s dinner will be created by the pastry chef Daniel Roos, for the seventh consecutive year.

This is last year’s menu for Nobel Banquet.

©ellematovin.se

MENU 2018

Omble chevalier au four, bouillon de langoustines sur petits oignons à l’aneth, œufs de truite fumés, spaghettis de pommes de terre et sauce crème de cresson

Céléri-rave rôti, crème de girolles et beurre de champignons, rutabaga crème aux feuilles de laurier, paleron au four longue cuisson, croûte panko à la moelle, jus de veau fumé et terrine de poireaux pommes de terre

Déclinaison de pommes Frida de l’Österlen caramélisées, sorbet aux pommes, crème à la vanille, caramel et émiettée croquante

VINS

Champagne Taittinger Brut Millésimé 2013

Gérard Bertrand Cigalus Rouge 2016

Ruppertsberger Riesling Auslese 2014

Café & Mélange de Thé Musée Nobel

Grönstedts VO

Facile Punsch

Eau Minérale Stenkulla Brunn

Stadshusrestauranger en collaboration avec
le Chef Tom Sjöstedt ainsi que le Chef Pâtissier Daniel Roos

©ellematovin.se

Translation (English):

Lightly baked Arctic char with crayfish broth, dill seed-infused onion, lightly smoked trout roe, crispy potato, and watercress foam

***

Baked celeriac with chanterelle cream and mushroom butter, swede with bay leaf cream,
and slow-roasted beef chuck with a bone marrow crust, smoked veal jus, and potato and leek terrine

***

Medley of apples, with caramelized Frida apples from Österlen, apple sorbet, vanilla custard, caramel sauce, and oat crumbs

Wines

Champagne Taittinger Brut Millésimé 2013

Gérard Bertrand Cigalus Rouge 2016

Ruppertsberger Riesling Auslese 2014

Coffee & Nobel Museum Tea Blend

Grönstedts VO

Facile Punsch

Stenkulla Brunn Mineral Water

Stadshusrestauranger in collaboration with
Chef Tom Sjöstedt as well as Pastry Chef Daniel Roos

Translation (Swedish):

Lättbakad röding med kräftbuljong i krondillslök, lättrökt forellrom, krispig potatis och krasseskum

***

Bakad rotselleri med kantarellkräm och svampsmör, kålrot med lagerbladskräm och långbakad högrev, oxmärgcrust, rökt kalvsky samt potatis- och purjolöksterrin

***

Äppelharmoni med karamelliserade Fridaäpplen från Österlen, äppelsorbet, vaniljkräm, kolasås och havresmulor

©sydsvenskan

The Nobel Prize is also about the Swedish Royal Ladies gowns, hairstyles, and magnificent jewelry – here our royal ladies, Princess Sofia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Queen Sylvia, from 2018.

©galamagazine.se

After the dinner is there up to dance in the Golden Hall and the guest has to give an extra yes to their invitation if they want to attend the ball … In 2011 50% said yes and was dancing the night away.
The dress code for the evening is; formal – so kilt and Kimono is welcome, but not a tuxedo. Enjoy your evening.

©svenskdam

And tomorrow evening our King Karl XVI Gustaf is holding a dinner for all prize winners and their guests.

“I think I’m going to get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things,
if they gave it out fairly, which they don’t,”
President Donald Trump

© Nobel Media AB 2018. Photo: Dan Lepp