There was more in the same vein, but I don't want to overburden you. These delicacies were served in mini-portions on a wooden platter in Trollhatten, Sweden - a sort of Scandinavian tapas.
What do they have to do with motoring? Not a lot, really, except that they're a culinary representation of a car launch - an introductory taste of a more substantial dish. On this occasion, the motoring morsel being served up for the assembled Press to savour was the new Saab 9-3 SportWagon, and it proved to be as tasty as many of the titbits on that platter.
The launch afforded about five hours driving time in a single day, and I was able to run the rule over a 1.9-litre diesel with manual transmission and a 2.8-litre, V6 petrol-powered automatic, both turbocharged.
From Gothenburg airport I drove the five-door sporting estate out into the country, to Trollhatten, home of Saab, for a preview of a new museum dedicated to this distinctive marque. That's where the platter popped up, after a tour of the exhibits, from a replica of the very first Saab to the company's latest design exercises.
The Sportwagen is true to the manufacturer's design ethos - there's a certain "Saabness" about its lines that immediately tells you it couldn't have come from any other maker. And, for my money, it looks even better than the sleek 9-3 saloon, and tops, style-wise at least, the Audi A4 Avant, BMW Touring, Jaguar X-Type and Mercedes C-Class which it sets out to rival.
Competitiors
As with these competitors, this Saab estate is more about looks than outright load capacity, and with a striking wedge-like profile and low-set stance the SportWagon has to be counted a design success.
The inside story is satisfying, too. The top-of-the-range models I drove were leather trimmed and gadget-laden. Saab interiors, the dashboard layout particularly, tend to evoke the company's aircraft-building heritage and the latest variant is no exception. From figure-hugging seats to the arc of the instrument panel, there's almost a feeling of being a pilot rather than a mere driver.
Among the gadgetry there's a "profiler", fitted as standard, which allows a range of functions to be pre-set to the driver's personal preference, governing the likes of climate control, heated seats, and windscreen wipers.
The load-carrying element of what is, nominally, an estate car has features including an under-floor stowage area and quick-fold 60/40 split rear seat back with a ski-hatch. With a wide-opening tailgate and low floor, the Saab makes loading easy and there's a decent amount of space, but the car is no out-and-out load-lugger.
Performance and handling are enjoyable, although truly hard, foot-to-the-floor acceleration in the V6 brings about some torque-steer, probably inevitable given the amount of power being transmitted via front-wheel drive, but it is easily checked.
I preferred the smooth-revving turbo diesel engine variant I tested, with its bags of usable torque, and I expect the two available diesels (both 1.9-litre, giving 120 or 150bhp) to be the engines of choice when the car goes on sale in the UK next month.
Fit and finish, both inside and out, were top notch and the car feels solid and refined, but just that little bit different. That taste of Saabness - like the Scandinavian platter - left me wanting more.
