Ante guided us up to his favourite lookout through the forest and over creeks. He has been here many times before, you can tell. The frozen grass made a crackling sound under our boots while we hiked towards the sunlight, that was just starting to reach the treetops. Once we reached the breathtaking viewpoint we were greeted by the stillness, silence and the warming morning sun. Our everyday worries melted away as fast as the morning frost. Ante threw off his backpack, unpacked the Trangia stove and started to prepare breakfast for himself and fellow hunting colleague Olivia. The moose meat simmered and sizzled in the pan and smelled deliciously of the hunter’s mix spice. The meat was served on wheat tortillas with lettuce, onion, tomato, capsicum, cheese and aioli and hot sauce. A more luxurious hunter’s breakfast, topped off with a hot cup of camp coffee.

A passion for the outdoors is long and well ingrained in the Swedish culture, especially in Jämtland, Swedens Mecca for outdoor actives. The region is sparsely populated due to its subarctic climate, rugged mountain passes and wild forests. For over 8000 years, people of this region have relied on hunting for survival, a cultural heritage that’s been passed down generations, and still widely practiced today. 

At Trangia, and many other workplaces in Northern Sweden, people schedule time off work during the hunting season. Ante and Olivia are two of many hunters at Trangia, who spend a week or two every year in the forest with their hunting team. Moments they describe with feelings of complete wellbeing and stillness of mind. Being one with nature and completely exposed to the forces of nature is humbling, and a great reminder to look after it.  

“To be completely exposed to the forces of nature is humbling”

To obtain a hunting license in Sweden, species knowledge and game conservation is essential. It’s a hunter’s responsibility to help protect the biodiversity of the forest and ensure the number of animals maintain at a healthy level. The local county relies on information from the hunting community to set the hunting quota each year. 

Hunters are in many ways stewards of the forests in the same reciprocal manner as our indigenous people always have been. They are the ones to call on when there is a need to search for sick or injured animals, but they also support feed during harsh winters, place out salt stones and plant wild fields. Our human activities have disrupted nature on so many levels that it now requires strong human intervention. The social aspect of hunting is the largest and most important, then comes the responsibility and lastly the meat – which hunters pretty much live on all year. In nature, everything is about give and take. The meat is the smallest part and most animals are not shot. It feels good to know where the food comes from, and to have hunted the animal yourself, says Ante.

At Trangia, Ante works in production and is one of very few people who can change the tools in the machines and prepare for the next product to be manufactured. He is a person who can fix anything and who always lends a helping hand. As a part time firefighter, he has also taken on the fire safety responsibilities. The friends at work is what gets him up in the morning, he says. Olivia agrees, but also highly values the stability Trangia offers, especially after being a seasonal worker in Åre for many years. Olivia also works in production, but with the manufacturing of coffee kettles and spirit burners. She is also a person who sees and includes everyone. Ante and Olivia are just two of many invaluable coworkers at Trangia who every day enable more people to get outside.

“The friends at work, is what gets you up in the morning”

Ante and Olivas wild game wrap 

Servings: 2
Preparation: 10 min
Cooking: 10 min

INGREDIENTS 

500 g wild game meat (moose meat) 
2 tbsp hunters spice mix  
4 flour tortillas
Lettuce
1 tomato
1 onion
1/2 capsicum
Cheese, aioli and hot sauce of your choice for topping

METHOD

Prepare at home:

1) Dice the meat and place in a watertight container.
2) Wash and cut the lettuce, tomato, union and capsicum into smaller pieces. 
3) Grate the cheese and store in a small bag or container.  

Outside:

1) Sear the meat in a frying pan until completly cooked.
2) Flavour the meat with hunters spice mix.  
3) Place the cooked meat on the wheat tortilla and top with lettuce, tomato, onion, capsicum, cheese, aioli and hot sauce of your choice.

Enjoy the wrap and feel free to share your #trangia_moment with us!