GatheringsNovember
Mårten Gås
Skåne's November goose night: black soup, roast goose and apple cake at a country inn, eaten the old way.
Skåne's goose night
Mårtensafton, St Martin's Eve, falls on 10 November, and in Skåne it means goose. The old country inns, the gästgivaregårdar, set their tables for it, and families who cook it at home have done it the same way for generations.
The menu comes in a fixed order. Black soup first, small and hot. Then roast goose with red cabbage and apples. Then skånsk äppelkaka, Skåne's apple cake, to finish. It is a long, slow, happy dinner, and it suits a dark, wet November evening better than any other.
Hardly anyone outside the south of Sweden has heard of it, which is most of the reason to go. We find you the right inn and the right evening, and you book your table with them directly.
Black soup first, apple cake last
Svartsoppa, black soup, is the course everyone asks about. It is made from goose blood, with wine, cognac, vinegar, a little syrup and warm spices: cloves, ginger, allspice. It tastes closer to gingerbread than to anything you are bracing yourself for.
The night is named for Martin of Tours. The legend says he hid in a goose shed to avoid being made a bishop, and the geese gave him away by honking. Goose has been eaten for him in Sweden since at least the 1500s, and in Skåne the custom outlived the rest of the country: after the land reforms of the 1800s, southern geese could still graze the stubble fields and wet meadows.
Apples run through the whole evening, with the goose and in the cake at the end, and Skåne is Sweden's apple country, with orchards around Kivik on the east coast. In 2026, St Martin's Eve is a Tuesday. Many inns serve goose on more than one evening around it, and the well-known ones fill early.
Before you ask
Mårten Gås: common questions
Anything not answered here, ask us directly — we'd rather you did.
What is Mårten Gås?
Mårten Gås, Martin's goose, is Skåne's goose dinner for St Martin's Eve. It comes in a fixed order: black soup first, then roast goose with red cabbage and apples, and Skåne's apple cake to finish. Country inns across the south serve it every November.
When is Mårten Gås celebrated?
Mårtensafton, St Martin's Eve, is 10 November, the evening before St Martin's Day. In 2026 it falls on a Tuesday. Many inns serve their goose dinners on more than one evening around the date, so your visit does not have to fall on the day itself.
What is svartsoppa, the black soup?
A soup made from goose blood, with wine, cognac, vinegar, a little syrup and warm spices such as cloves, ginger and allspice. It tastes closer to gingerbread than most people expect, and it is served first, before the goose.
Why do Swedes eat goose on St Martin's Day?
The night is named for Martin of Tours. The legend says he hid in a goose shed to avoid being made a bishop, and the geese gave him away. Goose has been eaten for him in Sweden since at least the 1500s, and in Skåne the custom lasted where it faded elsewhere.
Where can I eat Mårten Gås in Skåne?
At the old country inns, the gästgivaregårdar, which hold goose dinners in towns and villages across the province, from the plains to Österlen. We suggest the one that suits your party and your dates, and you book your table with them directly.