Malmö

Across the öresunds Bridge from the Danish capital of Copenhagen you'll find Malmö, the third largest city in Sweden. Malmö is a rapidly changing city and over the past 30 years it's grown by over 30 percent to more than 300 000 inhabitants. It's a young city with half of its population under 35, and 40 percent of the inhabitants are immigrants. The mix of cultures has truly made its mark on the city and today the most common fast food in Malmö is falafel.   Falafel first made its appearance in Malmö in the mid 1980s when Ahmad Iskandarani opened his falafel stand. It was (and still is) situated under an overpass, on a small road called von Rosens väg in the Rosengård neighbourhood, and it was named Falafel N.1. He used a recipe passed down by his father Sadou Iskandarani, who ran two falafel stands in Lebanon, before the civil war forced the family to immigrate to Sweden.   Welcome to Malmö - The capital of falafel Over the years more falafel restaurants popped up around the city, several of them run by brothers. And when Ahmad Iskandarani got good reviews, his brothers started renaming their stands. Today there are ten restaurants and stands that carry the name Falafel N.1 in one way or another. All the restaurants are independent but they use the same recipe, have a framed photograph of the now late Sadou, the godfather of falafel, and the cocky slogan ‘best in test’ – an epithet that they have carried since 1998, when Iskandarani’s falafel was named the best in Malmö by a local paper.   Falafel is to Malmö what pizza is to Italy. It is served in schools, there is a company that makes soap from its frying oil, and even one of the hamburger chains have started carrying a local specialty – the falafel burger. Everyone in Malmö has their favourite falafel restaurant, but you can’t really go wrong. All the falafel is made fresh and it’s just a matter of finding what you like among the more than 60 restaurants spread across the city.   The Orient House of Falafel N.1 is run by Youssif Iskandarani, one of the seven sons of Sadou Iskandarani, who today dominate the falafel market in Malmö. At The Orient House, they make around 1800 falafel balls each day.   In 2008 Youssif Iskandarani took the family falafel recipe to new heights by releasing it as frozen falafel balls, which are now sold in grocery stores. The product was the result of three years of research and product development assisted by food scientists from Lund University and with help from the Skane Food Innovation Network.   To Malmö   By plane   In most cases getting to Malmö by air means flying to Copenhagen in Denmark, and then taking the train over the Öresunds bridge. The train takes approximately 20 minutes and is actually faster than taking the shuttle bus from Malmö Airport (28 kilometres to the east of Malmö). Remember to buy tickets before boarding the train.   Direct flights to Copenhagen are available from a range of international airports. From the Middle East you can catch direct flights from the following cities: Agadir, Antalya, Aqaba, Beirut, Cairo, Doha, Dubai, Hurghada, Marrakech, Istanbul, Doha, Casablanca, and Sharm el Sheikh. And if you don’t mind a layover, most European airports offer flights to Copenhagen.   By train   Malmö prides itself on having a green profile and getting there by train should therefore be considered. The train ride takes just under 70 hours from Istanbul. For the best overview on this environmentally friendly means of transportation, Deutsche Bahn is the place to start your research. For more information on domestic Swedish and Danish trains, point your web browsers to www.sj.se and www.dsb.dk   For regional trains and getting to and from Copenhagen Airport visit www.skanetrafiken.se   Getting around   Malmö is a flat city and is therefore perfect for walking or biking. Distances are short and bicycle paths are extensive. If you have your mind set to sample all the falafel restaurants, it is wise to rent a bike. Bicycle Maps are available at the tourist office. If one gets tired, Malmö has a well functioning public transportation system with buses that will take you wherever you need to go. And of course there are always taxis. Most companies offer fixed rates for travels within Malmö. For information on bike rentals and taxi companies visit www.malmotown.com.  

Photography: Olle Enqvist