The Swedish table revolves around husmanskost, the simple and nourishing everyday home cooking, and the smörgåsbord — the great cold table where crispbreads, pickled fish, cheeses, and butter are laid out for each person to compose their own open-faced sandwiches (smörgås). Between meals comes fika, a coffee break accompanied by a sweet treat. For Hilma af Klint, who was drawn to anthroposophy, this structure became sober: whole grains, Nordic vegetables, fish, dairy, and very little meat, as much out of spiritual discipline as taste.

Rye is the backbone of the Nordic table and, even more so, of the anthroposophic frugality that af Klint cultivated: whole grain, little refined, almost ascetic. It is found in both crispbread (knäckebröd) and dark bread, the foundation of nearly every meal.