Nestled in central Sweden, on the northern shores of the lake Siljan, there’s a small village called Orsa. Four letters, though this landscape leaves little to be desired. It’s 1995 and an enthusiastic foodie is experimenting with ingredients in his kitchen. Until then, a hamburger had been synonymous for the Swedish folks with a patty of ground meat, tucked between two halves of a bun. However, this groundbreaker and tasteblazer, Torbjörn, has completely different ingredients lined up on his kitchen counter. Crunchy mung beans, brown rice and garlic. Lemony, ground coriander and fenugreek — oh yes, those are both herbs. Pure ingredients, but let’s be honest. They’re not the ones you usually find on the grill. Torbjörn decides to go for a bold move: he’ll try creating a burger. The Orsa Burger. With handwritten labels, in the most modest of editions, he starts selling his creation in the bustling market hall in the village. One of the customers are the Johanssons. Sit tight and you’ll soon figure out why this particular family is so important.

Because as it happens, the small handmade burger makes a lasting impression. Insanely good, people fall head over heels for Torbjörn’s creation. Not least the daughter in the Johansson family, Caroline, who finds it hard to believe that the main ingredient in the burger is spelled mung bean. At the time, best known for being the odd sprout found in a small see through plastic box on the vegetable shelf in the stores — a fairly anonymous bean in Sweden, if we may say so. But from that last bite of the first Orsa Burger, a new tradition was established by the Johanssons: every time Caroline was home for a visit from Stockholm, her parents had to stock up with a burger. Or preferably four.