Maybe it’s not known, admired and popular. Maybe you don’t write bulky cookbook volumes about her. Maybe it doesn’t shine (yet) in the salons. But it is certainly intriguing and nutritious. It would be a sin not to mention her, which is why we want to fix this oversight as soon as possible. It’s time to check what Norwegian cuisine can surprise you with! (We hope you will forgive us :))
To survive …
It is not without reason that the best dishes are the result of poverty. It usually forces us to look for creative and economical solutions. If you judge the culinary only from this perspective, most likely the Norwegians would have no equal. Poverty has always been there. Food shortages, a harsh climate that prevents agriculture from spreading its wings, the need for hunting or distant fishing trips – the Norwegian imagination handled all this in an amazingly amazing way. All methods of food preservation have been mastered to perfection , which is passed down from generation to generation like family treasures. Meat and fish are dried (tørking) , smoked (røyking) , or prepared with a suitable salt mix. One of the most popular products of this type in the Norwegian menu is stockfish ( tørrfisk ), i.e. sun-dried fish (most often cod), which has also found its application in Croatian or Spanish cuisine. In addition, there is also a dried and salted version of the fish, which in Norway is called klippfisk .
Once we’re at the gifts of the sea, it should be said …
Norway’s cuisine of fish stands …
It is they who associate with this Scandinavian country the most. Who doesn’t know the famous salmon ? The Norwegians can do practically anything with it (maybe except for dessert – although there will probably be a few daredevils who could do this). It is served in “several” ways: fried, cooked (served with sour cream), grilled, smoked, marinated, as tartare, in fish soup, with noodles and … (here we were breathless). Cod is also a popular species, from which the fiskeboller is made, which is a type of meatballs served with a local white sauce.
There is also fish pudding ( fiskepudding ), which you can eat as a main course or as a snack: cold with bread. Fried cutlets ( fiskekaker ) are also quite often served, but the real delicacy is the Berge fish soup ( bergensk fiskesuppe ). Of course, the ingredients for it are best to buy at the famous fish market in Bergen.
Norwegian cuisine also offers very popular shrimp and molluscs in summer. Lobsters are also very popular, but restrictions on fishing, size and seasonality reduce their consumption – in addition, buying them is a really expensive expense. It is impossible not to mention crabs, whose fishing is one of the most important attractions Norway tourist. They are usually cooked or fried in a large pan. You can also eat them in the company of bread, mayonnaise and a slice of lemon.
But not only!
If you are looking for meat specialties that will not be “obvious” then Norway will be a real paradise for you! It is here that you will have the opportunity to taste the meat of seal, whale, reindeer or deer. The local lamb is considered one of the best in the world . This is not surprising. The meat is exceptionally mild and juicy thanks to distant pastures, which are a real treasury of proteins and nutrients.
One of the biggest delicacies is får-i-kål , which is sheep’s meat cooked with pieces of cabbage seasoned with salt and pepper – usually served with potatoes. Fenalår is a protected name for another Norwegian specialty: a leg of lamb subjected to a slow drying process. It is prepared in accordance with the tradition of allowing meat to dry in the fresh mountain air so that it can be used in the winter. Pinnekjøtt are lamb or mutton ribs, cured in brine or sea salt. They are extremely popular in Western Norway during Christmas.
frankfurters are a phenomenon. There are several types and it seems that they serve the Norwegians to supplement the demand for meat (contain at least 50%). They are eaten with practically everything (with pancakes, bread, potatoes), in any form (grilling, baking, cooking) and at any time of the day. Sausage PHASE!
Every day, you also eat minced pork kjøttkaker and leaner carbonader . A rarity is spectacle . Dried and salted sausages, often smoked. Among the more well-known are the already mentioned fenalår, and also spekeskinke (pork ham) or various types of salami (from reindeer or elk).
Norway’s culinary landscape could not do without cheese . In recent years, this branch of production has gained a lot in the eyes of not only Norwegians, increasingly boldly in the international arena. Currently, from the south of Norway up to the Finnmark region in the north, you can find more than 150 companies dealing in the sale of cheese on a small (for now) scale. Norwegians are trying to produce a whole range of species, and the most popular are: Jarlsberg (mild, nutty flavor and firm structure); Gjetost (goat cheese, with a firm texture and a sweet taste, caramel colored); Nokkelost (made from skimmed milk, heavily spiced); Pultost (made from whey, caramelized, with a sweet taste and smell).
Finally, something for readers with strong nerves … Norwegian cuisine has a few dishes up its sleeve that only the hottest seekers of extreme culinary experiences will be tempted by. What do you associate the word smalahove with? It sounds similar to the name of sweet marshmallows – but nothing to do with it. Smalahove is a free translation “sheep’s head” and at the same time a Norwegian delicacy, at the sight of which you may experience slight dizziness. Not just heads. The head and legs of a sheep are soaked in a salt brine, then hung and dried. Before serving, they are cooked in water or steamed, and then served with potato dumplings. Smalahove is similar to Icelandic svið . As a curiosity, we’ll add that orbital meat is considered the tastiest. So – enjoy your meal! 🙂 
P.S. Don’t be surprised by the lack of mention of sweets. We left the desserts and other sweets for another material 🙂 Believe me – the cuisine of Norway in this aspect could also compete with the world leaders.
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