Experience a world of flavors in Järva

And while people may have left their home countries behind them, their food culture is something that made the journey. Here is a part of Stockholm where meatballs and lingonberry jam play second fiddle to samosas, falafels, and all things in-between.

One of the area's most well-known restaurants is Vanak, a Persian restaurant about a two-minute walk from Akalla’s bus and subway station. Located on the ground floor of a very non-descript apartment block, the interior transports you to an oriental palace, just as much as the saffron-infused rice or the fragrant herbs added to each dish. For those not fancying a full meal, another two minutes down the road you'll find the offshoot pastry shop Vanak Konditori for sweet delicacies from the region.

The variety on offer around these neighborhoods will surprise even those expecting diversity. While I could point you in the direction of Lavin in Kista for Kurdish cuisine, or Husby’s Anatolia Kolgrill for Turkish-style kebabs, there is the option here to have a taste sensation without trekking around each neighborhood.

Kista Galleria, one of the largest shopping malls in Stockholm also features the city's biggest food court. Here you'll find a taste for everyone, and while the biggest queues are often at Mangal (kebabs and pide, a Turkish pizza-ish dish) my personal favorite is the Vietnamese place in the far back corner where rich soups are freshly prepared.

If you visit with a toddler as I often do (my son, if you must know) you may end up at the food court overlooking the bus station and watching the flow of traffic moving in and out of one of northern Stockholm’s main traffic hubs. Nestled within that bus station is the New Mamma Africa restaurant, offering Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine. Food from east Africa focuses on deep, powerful stews with plenty of spice coupled with the acidic injera bread that calms the palette. The food is best experienced when one eats authentically, using the teff-flour injera to scoop up the stew into a bite-size portion.

I tend to use injera as an alternative to bread for dipping in sauces, and it's becoming increasingly easy to get a hold off in the local supermarkets. You'll find it stored in the fridge sections and generally in bags over +1kg (about 2,2 lbs), however, the Akalla Orient Gross supermarket has tortilla-size packs ideal for picnics.

Two other supermarkets need special mention here for their wide variety of world foods. Kista Grossen, located just outside the aforementioned Galleria, specializes in foods from across the globe but notably a wide range of foods from India. This is where we always get our spices from, and also where you'll find the city's best selection of pick ’n’ mix candy.

Across Järvafältet, in Tensta, is the other noteworthy supermarket, Matvärlden (literally meaning "The food world"). Where Kista Grossen walked, Matvärlden ran with aisles upon aisles dedicated to products from different regions. From Armenian to Argentinian and even the occasional biscuit from my British home. Highly recommended are the burek slices and baklava you can get at the counter by the shop's entrance.

Also in Tensta, you'll find what is arguably the best Indian food in Stockholm at Punjabi Masala. It's the type of unassuming restaurant that surprises you with a taste sensation, especially with spice levels not catering to the Swedish palate.

And finally to conclude this food journey I should mention a project that goes beyond food. Rinkeby is one subway stop away from Tensta and the home of Yalla Rinkeby, an organization that aims to help provide foreign-born women a chance to gain employment through the catering business. They have grown hugely since forming in 2016 to do tons of mass catering events, but their café is still their pride and joy. Check their Instagram for information on their daily lunch specials. These often include vegetables grown in local allotments, even if the recipes themselves have traveled across land and sea to get here.