Talk about Norwegian cuisine

Today, let's discuss the most beautiful country in Northern Europe—Norway. Located in the northwest of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Norway borders Sweden to the east, Finland and Russia to the northeast, Denmark to the south, and the Norwegian Sea to the west. It includes territories such as Svalbard (Spitsbergen), Bouvet Island (a Norwegian nature reserve), and Jan Mayen Island .

One-third of Norway lies within the Arctic Circle, earning it the nickname "Land of the Midnight Sun." Norway is also the only Scandinavian country bordering the Arctic Ocean, experiencing two months of perpetual daylight each summer, earning it the nickname "the kingdom where the sun never sets."

In today's fast-paced and stressful life, takeout and semi-finished products are rampant, and eating well has become a luxury. In order to resist this fast-food culture, Italian food columnist and social activist Carlo Petrini launched the Slow Food Movement in the 1980s . Adhering to the principles of Good, Clean and Fair , it encourages people to patiently enjoy carefully prepared food in a relaxed environment.

The slow-paced Norwegians are big fans of the slow food movement. They arrange a " slow food meal " lasting several hours at least once a week , cooking the fresh ingredients themselves and then leisurely enjoying the time with the delicious food.

The traditional Breakfast is around 7:00, lunch at 11:30, dinner between 4 and 5:00, and dinner around 8:00 .

A Norwegian breakfast typically consists of a sandwich with a variety of cold cuts, jam, cheese, or marmalade. Most Norwegians start their mornings with coffee, and some also have a glass of milk or juice. Yogurt, eggs, oatmeal, cereals, and crackers are also popular. Meat and fish, such as salami, ham, smoked salmon, and pickled herring, are also common. Muesli (pictured below) is also common.

Norwegians like to pack their lunch in a bag, which they call a "matpakke," literally meaning packed food. The classic centerpiece of this lunch is an open sandwich: a slice of brown goat cheese, a piece of salmon or shrimp, and two slices of whole-wheat toast. It's simple, healthy, and delicious.

Mapak traditionally uses unprocessed whole-grain bread, which is dark in color, coarse in texture, and slightly salty, blended with various whole grains such as oats, buckwheat, rye, and sunflower seeds. The filling is cheese slices, and Norwegians favor Brunost, a brown cheese made from cream and goat's milk. It has a low melting point and melts at room temperature, making it easy to burn. Liver pâté is also an option.

Dinner is the most heartwarming meal of the day for Norwegians, typically consisting of a hot dish and salad or boiled vegetables, with bread or boiled potatoes as a staple. Even with just one hot dish, quick entrees like meatballs, fried fish, and pasta are often the go-to choice during busy weekday afternoons. On weekends, families often spend an hour or even hours preparing a large meal, with the whole family gathering around the table to enjoy a warm and relaxing evening.

Dinner is similar to breakfast, often consisting primarily of bread. Some people only have a glass of juice or milk after 8:00 PM. In other words, it's also a simple meal. Most people go to the gym after their afternoon meal, so they need to replenish their calories after returning home. Or some people tend to eat smaller, more frequent meals, and when the time comes, they need a late-night snack.

Here are some Norwegian specialties that you can try DIY at home.

1. Lamb and Cabbage StewSheepish

Late autumn has arrived. When people start to eat steaming hot pot mutton, Norwegians, who are about to face a long winter, also start to eat mutton. Lamb stew with cabbage is a Norwegian national dish.

Material:

1500 grams of lamb

2000g cabbage

800 grams of potatoes

2 teaspoons fine salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 tablespoon flour

practice:

1. Take a large pot, add a layer of cabbage, a few pieces of meat, sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and flour, spread them layer by layer, and finally add about 500 ml of water

2. Bring to a boil over high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, until the bones are tender and the meat is rotten, then add the potato cubes

3. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.

2. Norwegian Fish Soup Fiskesuppe

For Norwegians, fish is a national totem. Fishing is not only a source of income but also a part of their culture. The long tradition of fishing has given rise to a "sailor's dialect" in Norwegian that speaks directly to the sea. They believe that if the sea hears this dialect, it will not let the fishermen return empty-handed. Another national specialty, equally enduring and renowned as the "sailor's dialect," is their beloved and essential appetizer: cream fish soup.

Material:

A. Fish bone broth

1000g fish bones (flounder)

2 onions

3 carrots

1 green onion

2 laurel leaves

10 black peppercorns

Half a spoon of fennel

300ml white wine

B. Cream of fish soup

500ml fish bone broth

1000 grams of mussels

100ml white wine

600g fish fillet (salmon, flounder, cod)

2 carrots

1 cucumber

1 celery, leaves removed

A small amount of green onion

200 ml milk

300 ml cream

100g butter

Half a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

2. Method:

1. Lightly sauté the chopped vegetables in vegetable oil, add the fish bones and white wine, simmer for 2 minutes, pour in water to cover the fish bones; cook for 15 minutes, skim off the foam; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, avoiding boiling; remove and strain the broth when it is reduced to 1/3

2. Wash the mussels carefully, add white wine and cook for half a minute (until they open); boil the fish soup over medium heat, add cold milk and cream and boil again; filter the soup into another pot and add butter after 10 minutes.

3. Stir the soup and add salt, pepper and lemon juice according to your taste

4. Cut the fish fillet into 2cm pieces and slowly put them into the pot. Turn off the heat after 3 minutes. Chop the carrots, celery, green onions and cucumbers.

5. Place the fish and mussels on the bottom of a bowl or plate, pour the hot soup over them, sprinkle in the vegetables, and thicken the soup with flour or starch according to your taste.

3. Apple Cake Eplekake

Material:

400g low-gluten flour

150g sugar

4g baking powder

200g butter

2 eggs

Cinnamon powder to taste

A little lemon juice

A little powdered sugar

5 apples

practice:

1. Cut the butter into small pieces and soften it at room temperature

2. Add sugar and mix evenly with a spatula

3. Beat with a whisk at high speed for about 5 minutes. If the room temperature is low, you can add warm water.

4. After beating until fluffy, add the egg liquid in batches, beating it each time before adding the next batch

5. This is the butter and egg mixture after being beaten evenly

6. Sift low flour and baking powder into the butter mixture

7. Mix well and divide into two doughs, one with 2/3 weight and the other with 1/3 weight.

8. Roll out 2/3 of the dough and place it in a 10-inch heart-shaped mold.

9. Peel the apples and cut them into small pieces. Sprinkle lemon juice on them to prevent oxidation.

10. Put the apple pieces into the pie base and sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon powder.

11. Roll the remaining 1/3 of the dough into long round strips.

12. Place the strips on the cake in an alternating pattern

13. Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees for 50 minutes

14. When the time is up, take it out and let it cool slightly

15. Easily demould the apple cake

Tips:

This cake is best eaten while warm and can be eaten with whipped cream or ice cream.

4. Waffle

Compared with the waffles in the United States and Belgium, Norwegian waffles are unique. The heart-shaped appearance is full of healing style. From street vendors to Michelin restaurants, waffles are everywhere, paired with brown cheese or rich sour cream and jam., take a bite, it’s the Norwegian waffle time~

Material:

2 eggs

500 ml milk

60g butter

300g flour

60 grams of sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

A pinch of cardamom

practice:

1. Melt the butter

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and cardamom powder in a mixing bowl, add milk and butter, beat in eggs, then mix all ingredients until no dry powder is seen, sieve

3. Heat the waffle maker to a warm temperature and brush a layer of butter on the upper and lower baking trays.

4 Scoop appropriate amount of waffle batter into the waffle iron baking tray

5 Cover and fry until golden brown

5. Kvæfjordkake

Kvæfjordkake is Norway's national cake, known locally as verdens beste, meaning "the best cake in the world." This unique cake consists of two parts: a bottom layer of butter cake and an upper layer of meringue covered with almond slices. The cake filling is a mixture of custard and whipped cream, giving it a flavor and texture different from that of a cream cake.

Material:

A. Sponge Cake Base

56g unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)

48g granulated sugar

36g egg yolks (about 2)

2g vanilla extract

30g milk

75g low-gluten flour

3g baking powder

B. Meringue

60g protein

108g granulated sugar

20g almond slices

C. Chantilly Cream

鮮奶油 150g

7g powdered sugar

practice:

1. Apply some oil to the baking pan (you can also dip it in some cake batter), line it with baking paper, and make sure it fits snugly on the baking pan.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder first, and stir thoroughly after sifting so that the baking powder can be evenly distributed.

3. Mix the softened butter and sugar together and beat at medium speed for about 3 minutes until fluffy and white.

4. Add egg yolks in batches and mix well. Then add vanilla extract and mix well. 5. Pour in milk and mix thoroughly.

6. Add the sifted flour and baking powder, mix slowly at low speed, then use a spatula to cut and mix, the mixed batter will be a little thick

7. Fill the pan with batter, filling it up to the edge as much as possible while keeping it square. The batter is a bit sticky, so be patient and spread it out. The batter will be very thin, but don't worry, it will expand a little during baking.

8. In another bowl, pour in room temperature egg whites and beat at medium speed for one minute. Then add sugar in three batches, beating for 30 seconds each time. After all the sugar is added, beat at medium-high speed until smooth and firm peaks are formed. We beat for about six minutes, and finally beat at the lowest speed for half a minute.

9. Use a spatula to gently spread the meringue evenly over the batter and evenly spread almond slices on top.

10. Preheat oven to 170°C and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the meringue is dry and light golden brown.

11. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 20 minutes before removing the baking pan. Do not remove the baking paper. Let it cool completely before removing the baking paper.

12. While waiting for cooling, you can whip the fresh cream filling first

13. After the cake has cooled, cover it with a piece of baking paper and turn the cake upside down, being careful not to break the meringue. Tear off the baking paper at the bottom of the cake, cover it with new baking paper, and then turn the cake over again.

14. Cut the cake in half, take one piece and place it meringue side down, then spread the cream on the sponge cake side and gently place the remaining half on top with the meringue side up, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the cream to set. Alternatively, you can refrigerate overnight for a better flavor.

6. Norwegian Sandkaker

This cookie, which translates to "sand cake," has nothing to do with sand. It's a shortbread baked in a tart-like mold and is usually eaten with jelly or jam.

Material:

80g butter

80 grams of sugar

1 egg

250g flour (regular or cake flour)

80g almonds

practice:

A. Cookie dough

1. Cut the butter into small pieces and let it soften naturally

2. Add 80 grams of sugar and beat with a whisk

3. Add the egg liquid little by little in several times , stirring evenly each time until the egg liquid and butter are completely blended

4. This is the state after adding the egg liquid

5. Sift in flour and almond powder (almond powder can be made by crushing almonds into powder)

6. Use a rubber spatula to mix well. If there is no dry powder , you can grab it into a ball.

7.Put in fresh-keeping bag

8. Pinch it into long strips and put it in the refrigerator to wake up for 12-24 hours . If time is tight, at least

9. On the second day, take out the long strips and divide them into 2 to 6 equal parts , about 20 grams each.

10. Brush a thin layer of cooking oil on the tower mold , take a small portion and put it into the mold, put some oil on your hands and press the dough into the mold, and do all the steps in sequence.

11. Use a small fork to poke some holes to prevent the bottom from bulging , but there will be small holes

12. Put it into the oven preheated to 180 degrees together with the mold , bake for about 18 minutes, put it on the rack to cool down and then demould it.

7. Norwegian Fishcakes

Catching and cooking fish cakes is an indispensable part of Norwegian food culture. Seafood and flour are mixed together to make fish cakes, which can also be called fish cakes. Locals like to do it themselves, so they are never vague about the ingredients. They are baked and eaten right away, just like cakes just out of the oven. The taste is super fragrant and this is the purest and ultimate taste of food.

8. Norwegian Meatballs Kjottkaker

Material:

A. Meatballs

180ml milk

15ml full-fat plain yogurt

3 slices of sourdough white bread

Remove the crispy part

15 ml vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5g allspice powder

1 gram of ginger powder

1 gram ground nutmeg

450g mutton filling

450g veal mince

1 large egg yolk

5 grams of coarse salt

1 gram black pepper

B. Gravy

1100 ml beef broth

80ml brandy

340g fresh cream

85g shredded Norwegian goat cheese

10g unsweetened cocoa powder

Mashed potatoes as needed

appropriate amount of kohlrabi

Instructions:
1. Prepare the meatballs. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the milk and yogurt. Press the bread into the pan until submerged. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until soaked.
2. Heat the oil in a medium-sized frying pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat for about 8 minutes until softened. Add the allspice, ginger, and nutmeg and sauté for another minute.
3. In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb and ground beef with the bread mixture, onion, and egg yolk. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir well. Shape into 80 round meatballs, approximately 15 grams each.
4. Preheat a baking sheet, grease the baking sheet, and bake the meatballs in batches over medium heat, turning them over until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes per batch. 5.
Make the gravy. In a large, deep pot, boil the beef broth over high heat for 10 minutes, leaving only 480 ml. Pour in the brandy and boil for another 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, goat cheese, and cocoa powder, then simmer.
6. Add the roasted meatballs to the soup and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the meatballs are cooked and the soup is slightly thickened. Serve with mashed potatoes and kohlrabi.

9. Tynnlefse, a Norwegian soft flatbread

Lefse is a local Norwegian soft pancake, typically made with wheat flour, potatoes, milk, and butter, but it's not limited to a single recipe. Tynnlefse, a Norwegian soft pancake, has a unique aroma thanks to the addition of brown sugar and cinnamon. When introducing lefse to outsiders, the phrase "a flatbread that can be wrapped around anything" is often used. They can be enjoyed on their own as a breakfast staple, or paired with jam, butter, honey, or even sausage or lutefisk. As the saying goes, "Everything can be lefse!"

Material:

500g wheat flour

2 potatoes

250ml milk

1 small piece of butter

A pinch of cinnamon powder

brown sugar

practice:

1. Prepare wheat flour, potatoes, milk, butter, cinnamon and brown sugar

2. Mix the ingredients, stir with warm water into flocs and then knead into dough

3. Apply butter, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes

4. Take out the dough that has been rested, roll it into long strips, press it into small round cakes with tools, and brush a layer of butter on the surface of the round cakes.

5. Heat the pan, put the dough into it, and when the dough bulges out, you can take it out of the pan.

10. Norwegian Pancakes

Norwegian pancakes (Pannekake in Norwegian) are similar to our omelets, but the egg batter recipe is slightly different, resulting in a different texture. They're also eaten differently. Norwegians serve them with sugar, blueberries, or blueberry jam, often for weekend lunch or dinner. Our omelets, on the other hand, are typically served with side dishes, porridge, noodles, and more, and are primarily eaten for breakfast.

Materials :

2 eggs

125g flour

250ml milk

1 pinch of salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

practice:

1. Pour 2 eggs, 250ml milk, 125g flour, 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt into a bowl

2. Stir until there are no particles. Do not over-beat. Let it stand for half an hour or longer to allow the ingredients to fully blend.

3. Heat the non-stick pan and apply a thin layer of oil

4. Pour a spoonful of batter into the pot and shake it all over the pot; turn it over when the sides curl up

5. Fry the other side until golden brown, and the pancake is done.

6. Fry all of them in turn, stack them on a plate, and cover with a piece of cloth to prevent them from drying out.

7. The most common and traditional way to eat it in Norway: Spread blueberry jam on it. You can also add blueberry granules and sugar directly and roll it up.

11. Cloudberry Cream Cake Multekrem

Multekrem is often a staple on Norwegian Christmas tables. It's a traditional Norwegian dessert made by mixing cloudberries with fresh cream and serving it with crispy egg rolls or pancakes. Norwegians have many ways of cooking venison, the most common of which is stewing it. This dish requires the addition of lingonberries to enhance the flavor of the venison. Berries can also be made into various pies, such as blueberry pie, strawberry pie, etc. The juice of the berries is integrated into the puff pastry under high-temperature baking, giving the sweet and slightly sour taste a richer layering.

There's a lot more to traditional Norwegian cuisine than just the dishes we've shared above. A favorite reindeer dish in fall and winter is a hearty stew called finnbiff, in which the meat is finely shaved and then browned in a pot with bacon and mushrooms. Water, meat, and vegetables are poured into the pot to make a broth , and finally, chopped juniper berries, sour cream, thyme, milk, and dark chocolate are added to the mixture. The end result is rich, flavorful, and not at all chewy.

Norway's most popular brown cheese is Gudbrandsdalsost. It's made from whey, milk, or cream. The brown color comes from the milk sugars that are heated during production. It's also known as whey cheese and is usually eaten on sandwiches or crispbread.

Norway's unique geographical location, where the cold Arctic waters meet the warm Gulf Stream, creates a waterscape with ideal currents and temperatures. A network of islands and fjords creates a long, narrow coastline. This exceptional location and natural environment create excellent conditions for farming high-quality salmon year-round.

Norway is also renowned for its smoked salmon, fresh cod, herring, and shrimp. Meats include lamb, veal, and beef, with moose and reindeer also common. Norwegian home cooking includes meatballs and lamb stew in the fall and partridge in the winter.

Mentioning the Norwegian forest always reminds people of the gloomy and cold world described by Haruki Murakami, but the Norwegian forest in summer is full of vitality and bright and romantic colors.

Ripe berries, golden and plump cloudberries, dark purple aronia berries, anthocyanin-laden blueberries and bright red strawberries. In autumn, the berries in the forest fall one after another, forming a "berry explosion". Berries sprout and grow from trees and bushes, and even in the cracks of the road. Their figures can be seen, layer upon layer, like a colorful carpet.

In addition to the common berries, there are actually many other berries, such as cranberries, red currants, black currants, Morello cherries, etc., which will pop up like mushrooms throughout August and September...

In summer and autumn, the Norwegian forests transform into a vast berry buffet, overflowing with fresh, unpolluted wild berries. Many Norwegians pride themselves on cooking with ingredients they've picked themselves, and simply heading out into the forest with a bamboo basket to pick them is a delightful leisure activity.

Food & Cooking