The first rule of enjoying a julbord - a Swedish Christmas smorgasbord - is to start with a big plate.

"The big meal is on Christmas Eve. Friends and relatives come to the house, and we used to eat about 6 in the evening," said Cardiff resident Birgitta Seal, who was born and raised on the southern tip of the Swedish peninsula, in Malmo. "You help yourself from the table that is filled with plates and dishes."

The typical Swedish Christmas Eve table is loaded with delicacies such as pickled herring, beet salads, cold poached salmon, crispbreads with butter and white cheese, as well as baked vegetables and an omelet with creamed mushrooms, asparagus and peas.

There is also a traditional potato gratin dish called Jansson's Temptation and, of course, Swedish meatballs served with a brown sauce and a side of lingonberry jam.

And according to the Swedish Institute, which issues a small brochure on the art of eating a smorgasbord, it is customary to continue with as many as four fresh plates for one meal, and to "choose a little of what you fancy from among the dishes."

Marvelous meatballs

Perhaps the best-known Swedish specialty is Swedish meatballs; a Swedish julbord would not be complete without them. The Norwegians, the Danes and the Finns make their own versions, but Americans are probably most familiar with the Swedish variety.

Mild-flavored and miniature, they are typically made with a combination of meats such as beef, pork or veal, and bread crumbs.

These aren't the bland sinkers in mushroom gravy that some of us were served as children. Swedish meatballs are somewhat similar to Italian meatballs except for the lack of garlic and Parmesan cheese and the addition of a pinch of nutmeg and allspice.

They can also be served as a main course with egg noodles or mashed potatoes, but not typically for Christmas, where they are served as a hot appetizer.

Also to be found on a Swedish Christmas Eve table are slabs of rye crispbread with a side of white cheese such as Jarlsberg or the Swedish cheese Prastost.

Here in Cardiff, though, Seal often serves a Monterey Jack cheese and purchases her crispbread, made by Leksands, from Ikea.

She said she likes to tear off a large piece of the rye crispbread and completely cover it with thin strips of white cheese, sometimes shaking red or yellow paprika on top for color. Another option is to top the bread with a salmon roe paste called Kalles Kaviar.

Try the Temptation

For Seal and many other Swedes, no Swedish Christmas Eve table would be complete without the potato gratin dish called Jansson's Temptation.

There are many stories about how the dish got its name. One says it was named after Erik Janson, a 19th-century religious zealot who founded a colony called Bishop Hill in Illinois and was so tempted by the dish he threw out his principles to eat some.

Another account says it was named after Pelle Janzon, a Swedish opera singer. And yet another says it was named after a Swedish film of the same name.

The dish, made up of julienned potatoes and anchovies topped with bread crumbs and cream, cooked until brown and bubbly, is always a hit.

And should anyone still have room in their stomachs after the third or fourth visit to the table, the Swedes don't neglect dessert. Most well-known is a rice pudding with a meringue topping and an almond hidden within. Several games are associated with the pudding, and in one, whoever gets the almond has to invent a rhyme, often hinting at a gift.

"We have many cakes, like you have pound cake," said Seal. "And cookies, like gingersnaps, that we cut out in the shape of a moose, because there are a lot of moose in Sweden."

Duck soup

For Seal, and many other Swedes, these gingersnaps and Donald Duck are her most vivid Christmas memory. "At the 15th hour, at 3 o'clock on Christmas Eve, the whole family sat down to watch Donald Duck," she recalled with a smile.

In fact, millions of Swedish families make it a tradition to sit down and watch the Donald Duck Christmas program on Swedish television. They call it "Kalle Anka" or "Donald Duck," even though it is really the "Walt Disney Christmas Show," because Donald is the most popular Disney cartoon in Sweden. The show contains clips from classic Disney films, such as "Robin Hood" and "The Jungle Book," and is one of the highest rated Swedish television programs, with most Swedes able to recite much of the show by heart.

Perhaps because their part of the world is wrapped in Arctic darkness for months on end, the Swedes seem to have discovered how to bring light and warmth to winter. The festivities begin more than three weeks before Christmas, when families light the first of four candles for Advent followed by the feast of St. Lucia on Dec. 13, when a girl with a crown of white lighted candles knocks on the door to symbolize the dispelling of winter darkness.

But the height of the holiday is the evening celebration on Dec. 24, with "Donald Duck" (with Swedish subtitles) and the smorgasbord to follow.

These Swedish recipes are from Birgitta Seal of Cardiff.

Swedish Meatballs

11 ounces ground beef

3 1/2 tablespoons bread crumbs

3 1/2 ounces water

1 tablespoon grated onion

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Butter or margarine for frying

Put the breadcrumbs into a bowl and add water. Let bread crumbs absorb water. Then add the rest of the ingredients and work the mixture until it has a smooth, elastic texture. Roll small meatballs and fry them until golden brown over moderate heat.

Jansson's Temptation

8 medium sized potatoes

1 big onion

1 can (4 1/2 oz) anchovy fillets, drained (save liquid)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/2 cup cream

6 1/2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin sticks. Chop the onion coarsely. Put half of the potatoes into a buttered ovenproof dish. Add the onion, then the anchovy fillets. Set the anchovy liquid aside. Add the rest of the potatoes, cover with bread crumbs and add the butter in small pats. Pour the reserved anchovy liquid and half of the cream over the mixture. Put the dish in a medium oven at 425 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. After a half hour, pour over the rest of the cream. Serve.

Crispbread

1 cup milk

1 ounce yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pounded fennel

1 1/4 cup flour

8 1/2 ounces coarse rye flour

Crumble yeast into a mixing bowl. Warm the milk to 98 degrees, or warm to the finger. Stir some of the yeast into the milk and then pour on the rest of the milk, seasonings and flour, but save just under 1/2 cup of the coarse flour for shaping the bread.

Knead the dough for a while, then roll it to a length suitable for dividing into 10 pieces. Shape into round buns and allow them to rise for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out each bun into rounds about 8 inches in diameter with an ordinary rolling pin at first, then with a patterned one. Roll pattern on both sides. Put rounds on a greased baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.

- Contact staff writer Ruth Marvin Webster at (760) 740-3527 or rwebster@nctimes.com.