Grevinna Eleonora Margareta Wachtmeister af Mälsåker

At the table

Salt-heavy diet and high beer consumption

Ordinary people ate a diet based on salt-preserved foods such as herring, meat, and pork, often supplemented by bread, porridge, peas, and butter. Because the food was heavily salted, they drank large quantities of diluted beer, sometimes exceeding five liters per person daily.

What people wore

Strict fashion laws for commoners

During the 1600s, Swedish commoners were strictly forbidden from using silk fabrics or other exclusive materials in public, with violators facing fines or imprisonment on bread and water.

Getting around

Winter Sled Travel

Travel was significantly faster and more common in winter, as people used sleds to travel across frozen lakes and rivers. In some coastal regions, travelers could cover 7 to 9 mil (approximately 70 to 90 kilometers) in a single day.

What it cost

Price of bread and meat in Ångermanland

In Ångermanland, a single loaf of bread was valued at 2 öre, while 1 liter of meat cost 24 öre.

Music

Instruments in late 17th-century Sweden

Poetic records from the late 17th century indicate that popular instruments included the violin, lute, dulcimer, and regal, while folk instruments included the nyckelharpa and horn.

Daily life

Living in small, dark, shared wooden homes

Rural homes were often small, dimly lit, unpainted wooden houses with turf roofs, where one main room served as living, sleeping, and cooking space for the whole family and sometimes their livestock during winter.