Smörgåsbord (Swedish: [ˈsmœrɡɔsˌbuːɖ]) is a type of Scandinavian meal, originating in Sweden, served buffet-style with multiple hot and cold dishes of various foods on a table.
Smörgåsbord became internationally known, spelled smorgasbord, at the 1939 New York World's Fair when it was offered at the Swedish Pavilion's "Three Crowns Restaurant." It is typically a celebratory meal and guests can help themselves from a range of dishes laid out for their choice. In a restaurant, the term refers to a buffet-style table laid out with many small dishes from which, for a fixed amount of money, one is allowed to choose as many as one wishes.
In Northern Europe, the term varies between 'cold table' and 'buffet': In Norway it is called koldtbord or kaldtbord and in Denmark det kolde bord (literally the cold table); in Germany kaltes Buffet (literally cold buffet); in Iceland it is called hlaðborð (farmyard/courtyard buffet), in Estonia it is called külmlaud (cold table) or rootsi laud (Swedish table), in Finland voileipäpöytä (butter-bread/sandwich table) or ruotsalainen seisova pöytä (Swedish standing table/buffet). In Eastern Europe, each language has a term that literally means Swedish table: zviedru galds in Latvia (however aukstais galds - the cold table is also a popular name), švediškas stalas in Lithuania, шведский стол (shvedskiy stol) in Russia, szwedzki stół in Poland, шведський стіл (shvedskyi stil) in Ukraine, švédský stůl in the Czech Republic, švédsky stôl in Slovakia, svédasztal in Hungary, шведски сто / švedski sto in Serbia, švedski stol in Croatia, švedski stol / švedski sto in Bosnia-Herzegovina and шведска маса (shvedska masa) in Bulgaria. Similarly, in Japan バイキング / ヴァイキング (baikingu / vaikingu, i.e. "Viking") is a popular name used.