Kalles Kaviar
 Kalles kaviar on an egg sandwich. | |
| Type | Sandwich spread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Sweden |
| Created by | Abba Seafood |
| Invented | 1954 |
| Main ingredients | Smoked sugared and salted cod and pollock roe, sugar, canola oil, potato flakes, tomato puree, salt, potassium sorbate, ascorbic acid |
| Variations |
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Kalles, previously known as Kalles Kaviar, is a Swedish brand of smörgåskaviar, a type of sandwich spread made from roe.
It is manufactured by Abba Seafood.[2] Kalles Kaviar is mainly made of smoked, sugared and salted cod and pollock roe, sugar, canola oil and potato flakes.[3] The brand dates its introduction to 1954, although advertisements using the name appeared in Swedish newspapers as early as 1946.[4] The product soon became considered a classic product in the Swedish market and is internationally recognised as a Swedish product.
The tube label has maintained nearly the same design from the beginning. It was suggested to then-CEO Christian Ameln by the advertiser Claes Mörner that the CEO's son Carl should be the one depicted on the new product, as they had already agreed that it should be a boy and they'd by now named the mascot Kalle, a common nickname used for men and boys named Carl (Karl) and a popular name during the 1950s.[5]
The tube is made of aluminium rather than plastic because the product does not keep well in contact with air. A plastic tube draws air back in as its contents are squeezed out, while an aluminium one collapses and holds its shape.[6]
In 2011, IKEA replaced Kalles with its own brand of roe spread, and later restored it to its shelves.
In the 21st century, the Swedish smörgåskaviar market has fractured, with each supermarket chain promoting its own brand.[7]
Product name
Having kaviar (English: caviar) in the product name has at times been controversial as it can supposedly be confused with other caviar types, such as Russian caviar.
Although the original product was called Kalles Kaviar in Sweden, it was changed to Kalles in the 21st century. In Finland the name is translated to Kallen Mätitahna which means Kalle's roe paste as the word kaviar was only allowed to be used when referring to sturgeon roe.[8]
References
- ↑ "Kalles Produkter" [Kalles Products]. Kalles (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ↑ "Abba Seafood AB". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- ↑ "Kalles Original" [Kalles Original]. kalles.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ↑ "Arkivet" [News Archive] (in Swedish). Sweden: Svenska Dagbladet. 1946-02-21. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ↑ "Hur mycket vet du om mig?" [How much do you know about me?]. kalles.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ↑ "Kallekunskap" [Kalle Knowledge]. kalles.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ↑ "I år fyller Kalles kaviar 50 år så Sydsvenskan passade på att testa den klassiska kaviaren och jämföra den med alla nya märken som lanserats". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). 2004-06-01.
- ↑ Laurin, Mats (2006-12-02). "Kalles kaviar är norsk och snart inte kaviar" [Kalles Kaviar is Norwegian and soon no longer kaviar]. nt.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2025-06-07.