The history of food in Scandinavia, particularly that of the ingredients in the potato dumplings, is just as relevant as the study of etymology to elucidating the genealogy of the pitepalt, kroppkaka, and rasepball. The potato dumpling of Scandinavia at its birth was probably quite different from what the recipes depict today. Over a hundred years ago, beef, pork, and butter were luxury items in Scandinavia that were too expensive to be eaten regularly by the commoners⁵. This explains why many early potato dumplings in Scandinavia and Germany did not have filling. With respect to the early potato dumplings that were sometimes filled, they were frequently stuffed with the leftover food from the whole week⁵. Consequently, the use of the kroppkaka traditionally was associated with frugality and poverty⁵. Part of this historic food minimalism that the kroppkaka reflects may be the result of Lutheran religious influence, which would have specifically condemned gluttony³. The focus on food conservation is even present in the kroppkaka recipe from the historic “Prinnsessornas Kokbok” (The Princesses Cookbook of Sweden), which instructs one to cut up and brown the leftover dumplings in butter for later consumption⁸. Today, the ingredients for the potato dumplings are inexpensive and ubiquitous throughout Scandinavia, and the dumplings are much less associated with poverty⁵.
        It is reasonable to assume that the introduction of the potato to Scandinavia logically preceded the emergence of the potato dumplings. In the mid-1700s, Swedish soldiers stationed in Prussia first observed the widespread potato cultivation that had been orchestrated by Frederick the Great⁹. The potato was first brought to Sweden in 1725 by Jonas Alsromer, and it reached Norway shortly after in 1758¹⁸. The Scandinavians quickly realized the potential of the potato as a more efficient grain substitute, and an official edict in 1764 actively and successfully promoted potato cultivation in Sweden¹⁸. Consequently, potato flour and boiled potatoes became highly popular in throughout the 19th century in Scandinavia and quickly replaced porridge, which had been the staple of the impoverished “bonde” (peasant) and “reksthegn” (farm laboring) Swedes since the Middle Ages^4,16. Norway observed an equally dramatic agricultural shift, as by 1896, up to 315 pounds of potato were consumed per person each year in Norway compared to just 48 pounds per person each year in Paris4. Although the specific dates are unknown, the potato dumplings in Scandinavia likely emerged during the early 1800’s in the midst of this northern potato-surge.
        There were other, non-agricultural changes throughout this era that might have facilitated the spread of the pitepalt, kroppkaka, and rasepball throughout Scandinavia. The Industrial revolution induced gastronomical diffusion and food access throughout Scandinavia via railroads and cookbooks (the first of these in the mid-1700s were known to have contained a strong German influence, which may provide an explanation for the German-Scandinavian potato dumpling link)⁴. The regional distinction in Scandinavia between northern foods (milk, barley, beef) and southern foods (beer, rye, pork, fish) finally began to break down⁴.