Norway was once considered a provincial country and, to some extent, envied other countries that could afford a variety of culinary experiments. Norwegian cuisine is quite distinctive and unique, as it was formed in the conditions of the country’s inaccessibility and harsh climatic conditions. Let’s see what interesting Norwegian cuisine is, what dishes are worth trying and bring from the trip.
Features of national Norwegian dishes
It can be said that Norway made a culinary revolution, thanks to which today local residents are proud of their national culinary traditions. Of course, the main diet of Norwegians is fish and seafood dishes. However, be prepared for the fact that the taste of herring in Norway is unusually sweet.
The attitude to food in the country is simple – it is a way to get energy. However, special attention is paid to the quality and composition of the products, often not paying attention to culinary delights. Norway is one of the few countries, and perhaps the only one where oatmeal with sour cream is served as a delicacy on the festive table.
The culinary revolution has occurred, first of all, thanks to the rapid economic growth in Norway and the welfare of its inhabitants. Environmentally friendly products began to use an absolute advantage.
The essence of the Norwegian national cuisine in the features of agriculture. All pastures for grazing goats and sheep are removed from cities and are located in ecologically clean areas. Climatic conditions and a sufficiently low temperature make it possible to grow products without the use of pesticides. Farms operate in accordance with strict laws that govern livestock. And, of course, the pride of the Norwegians – the sea and the ocean, washing the country’s shores and rich in fish and seafood.
Food festivals are regularly held in the country, where you can appreciate the whole palette of tastes of different regions of Norway. The most popular festivals:
- Glamate;
- Gusto;
- Trendeshk.
Good to know! In stores, most of the products of local production, especially cheese, dairy products, pastries and meat. Beer is produced in local breweries.
Meat dishes
What is eaten in Norway? First of all, it is lamb, as this type of meat is recognized as one of the best in the world. The meat is tender, and the dishes from it are juicy. Animals eat a mixture of wild herbs and drink only clean water, due to this the meat is obtained exclusively high quality.
It is important! The main principle of environmentally friendly livestock farming is the use of all carcasses without waste in cooking.
Popular meat dishes of Norwegian cuisine:
- Fenalor – dried lamb leg;
- Pinching – lamb ribs cooked in brine, this is a festive dish that is traditionally served at Christmas;
- Smalakhov – a sheep’s head.
Norwegian game
If you come to Norway, be sure to try the game characteristic of this area.
- Moose. In a Scandinavian country, moose meat can be cooked absolutely amazingly.
- Reindeer. The number of these animals is 250 thousand. Venison is considered dietary and incredibly tasty meat.
- Deer. The number of deer in local forests exceeds the number of local people, it is not surprising that venison is prepared in a variety of ways.
- Partridge. Hunters try to catch these birds, as the bird’s breast is very tender, and other parts have a taste characteristic of game.
Fish and Seafood Dishes
Norwegian national cuisine is impossible to imagine without fish dishes.
Trade in fish and seafood was carried out by Norwegian merchants in the 12th century. Today, Norway is considered the second country in the world in the export of fish products. The water in Norway is particularly clean and fresh, thanks to this the fish acquires special taste.
On a note! If you want to try the national dishes of the best fish, it is better to visit the fish market or restaurant in the coastal city of the country. In many cities, you can catch fish yourself.
National dishes of Norway from fish:
- Törrfisk – dried-on tees, this dish is best tasted in the northern regions of the country, for example, on the Lofoten Islands;
- Rackfisk is a fermented trout. Only courageous tourists can try the dish, who will not be scared away by the strong, peculiar smell of fish stored in barrels for 3 to 6 months. In fact, rakfisk is a Norwegian dish of rotten fish, but if we say that the fish is fermented, then it will be easier to try.
- Möller – a national dish of assorted boiled cod, caviar and liver;
- In the southern regions of Norway, crabs and mussels are excellently cooked.
Norwegian cheeses
It is likely that some varieties of cheese will soon become popular worldwide. In Norway, there are a lot of cheese productions where a product is prepared that can satisfy the tastes of the most demanding gourmets. The secret of the quality of Norwegian cheese is quality milk and the special nature of Norway.
The most popular and exotic cheese in Norwegian cuisine is brunost. It has a nice brownish yellow tint. This is caramelized cheese made from whey. It tastes like slightly salty boiled condensed milk. It is often served for dessert.
Norwegian producers prepare all kinds of cheese, popular in the world. Some manufacturers are experimenting with the recipe and offer new, original varieties of cheese.
Norwegian desserts
Traditionally, when asked what to try in Norway from food, they recommend baking. A variety of muffins, casseroles, pies stuffed with berries and fruits. Also used are cinnamon, honey, vanilla.
The most common dessert in Norwegian cuisine is svélet pancakes with various fillings and wafer rolls filled with vanilla cream.
The traditional festive sweet dish is rice cream, it is loved by adults and children. Each house has its own secret recipe for its preparation. According to the traditional recipe, it is necessary to boil rice, mix with almonds, add cream, sugar to taste and beat thoroughly. The dish is watered with berry jam.
Another dessert for the holiday is a nut cake. There is no flour in his recipe, but the calorie content of this dish can easily be compared with the calorie content of a full dinner of several dishes. The basis of the dessert is nuts, chopped cookies, sugar, eggs and cream.
Traditional drinks
A favorite drink is coffee, but no less than Norwegians love herbal tinctures, milk drinks. They also make apple drinks flavored with honey.
As for alcoholic beverages, the most popular are beer, whiskey, gin, and liquors. If we talk about an alcoholic drink that is characteristic exclusively for Norway, this is ligne-aquavit. In translation, the name means living water. This is moonshine made from potatoes with spices. The main feature is that moonshine is placed in oak barrels and transported from the southern hemisphere to the northern, then back to the southern. During this time, moonshine absorbs oak aroma, acquires a special taste and a yellowish tint. Information on the ship that transported the drink must be put on the label for the bottle. Use it slightly warm.
What products to bring from Norway
- Brunost cheese is a national goat milk product with a very interesting sweetish-salty taste. Real gourmets eat it with cookies and jam. Jam can be replaced with caviar or honey. The first time the taste of cheese seems very exotic and strange, but then it will become a favorite dish in the diet.
- A fish. In Norway, you just need to buy fresh fish – cod, salmon or trout, you can choose smoked and necessarily sauces.
- Fish soup. An original product of Norwegian cuisine, which, when properly prepared, is in no way inferior to a luxurious restaurant dish. This is an ordinary soup in a pack, it is diluted with milk or cream is added, you can season the dish with peas and leeks.
- Caviar in tubes. Of course, you can buy regular caviar, but agree that eating it from a tube is much more interesting. In appearance, it resembles a pink paste, the taste is fishy, slightly salty. Very tasty – spread caviar on bread and put on top a slice of regular, hard cheese.
Five dishes to try
The peculiarity of Norwegian cuisine in its seasonality is that some dishes are prepared in the spring, and some are designed for the cold season. For example, the main New Year’s dish is frozen pizza, for residents of Norway it is a dish, like Olivier salad for us.
- Forikol – in translation means a sheep in cabbage. This is a puff dish in which layers of cabbage and meat are laid out, seasoned with black pepper. Forikol served with potatoes. The dish acquires a rich taste on the second day after cooking.
- Lutefisk – literal translation – fish in alkali. First, cod is soaked in alkali, then in clean water and then baked. After this treatment, the fish resembles jelly, served as a side dish with potatoes, pea puree and bacon. Traditionally, it’s washed down with potato vodka.
- Whale meat. It is worth trying in different variations – dried, fried. But for this you need to visit Stavanger or Bergen.
- Kicks. These are salted and dried lamb ribs. They are served along with sausages, boiled potatoes. Another Christmas dish.
- Ribbe. This is pork with sauerkraut, potatoes, meatballs and sauce. This dish is traditionally served for Christmas.
Norwegian cuisine is original and original, undoubtedly deserving close culinary attention, as it is based on healthy and high-quality products.
How tasty Norwegian food is for a person who is used to Slavic dishes – watch the video.
