From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
Also gravadlax, gravlaks. Raw salmon fillets cured with salt, sugar, pepper and fresh dill, sometimes flavored with additions, such as crushed juniper berries, gin, cognac or aquavit. The name comes from the Swedish grava, meaning "to bury", and lax, meaning "salmon", which alludes to the original method of curing gravlax underground. While the fish is never cooked over heat, the salt-sugar mixture chemically "cooks" and preserves the fish. Gravlax is usually served in paper-thin slices on dark, grainy rye bread with a dill-mustard sauce, either as an appetizer or as an open-faced sandwich. It's a typical component of the Swedish smorgasbord. See also lox.
