Posts Tagged Norwegian specialities
Brown cheese (Brunost)
Posted by admin in Food and drink on January 20, 2010
Also called geitost (literally goat cheese) or Gudbrandsdalost (as a lot of it is made in the Gudbrandsdal, Norway’s largest valley).
The cheese is made with a mix of whey* from cow’s milk and goat’s milk (sometimes goat’s milk only). This mixture is left to boil for several hours until all the water has evaporated. The cheese has a distinctive caramel taste, and is quite sweet, which probably explains its popularity with children.
It comes in various shades, ranging from light to dark, and the darker the cheese, the stronger the flavour. You can buy it in a block (it will keep longer) or pre-sliced (easier for picnics and the likes). TINE is the main producer of brown cheese in Norway, although smaller regional producers also make their own.
* Whey is a watery-looking, protein-rich by-product of cheese-making that is usually discarded.
Norwegian Christmas drinks
Posted by admin in Food and drink on December 25, 2009
- Gløgg: The Norwegian take on mulled wine. You mix the sirupy mixture with hot red wine, and add chopped almonds and raisins. My personal favourite, it gets me in the Christmas mood instantly.
- Juleøl: There are two kinds of Christmas beers, which are basically spiced beers brewed specifically for the Christmas season. The strong ones are only available from the Vinmonopolet, while the weaker variety can be found in stores everywhere. Most Norwegian breweries make several Christmas beers every year, ranging from non-alcoholic to strong. Of the beers available from the Vinmonopolet, julebukk is usually the strongest variety.
- Aquavit: The spirit of choice for Christmas (and many other special occasions) in Norway. See former entry on this blog.
- Home-brewed juleøl: A disappearing tradition, but an important one in the old days, when each family would brew its own non-alcoholic beer in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Some Norwegians uphold the custom to this day.
- Julebrus: Fizzy soft drink, red in colour and with a very artificial taste, slightly reminiscent of raspberry. Popular with children.
- Julmust: Imported from Sweden, and consumed by some Norwegians as an alternative to cola in the festive season.
Pepperkake recipe
Posted by admin in Food and drink on December 21, 2009
Pepperkaker are Norwegian Christmas biscuits. Tradition dictates that each housewife should bake no fewer than seven different kinds for Christmas, although in practice most people nowadays bake one sort, and buy the rest. Here is a fool-proof recipe that even novice bakers can successfully pull off. An ideal one to try with the little ones.
You will need:
660g flour, 220g thick dark syrup, 220g sugar, 220g butter, 2 eggs, 1ts cinnamon, 1ts cloves, 1ts ginger, 1/4ts pepper, 1ts baking soda
Melt the butter and add the sirup while stirring. Mix this with the whisked eggs, sugar and spices, then sieve in the flour and baking soda. Your dough should rest in a cold place for a few hours, or overnight if possible.
Roll out the dough. Use shapes to cut your biscuits, and remember to make a hole in them if you are planning on hanging some of them.
Cook at 210°C for 8-10 minutes, or a little bit less if the dough is thin and your biscuits small.
A Norwegian Christmas speciality: Pinnekjøtt
Posted by admin in Food and drink, Photos and videos on December 15, 2009
Pinnekjøtt Recipe
Posted by admin in Food and drink on December 15, 2009
Pinnekjøtt is a traditional Norwegian dish that’s very popular at Christmas. It consists of salted, dried and sometimes smoked mutton or lamb ribs which are rehydrated and then steamed, usually over birch twigs (pinne). You can buy pinnekjøtt fresh or frozen. Prices vary from about 150kr to 300kr a kilo, and the more expensive the meat, the leaner (and better) it’s likely to be.
How to prepare pinnekjøtt:
(Allow 400g of meat per person).
- Place the ribs in cold water overnight.
- In a big casserole, leave a wire rack or birch twigs (always remove the bark) at the bottom and fill with water so that the water covers the twigs and reaches just below the meat.
- Let it steam on medium heat for about 2-3 hours, or until the meat begins to come loose from the bone. You might need to keep topping up with water as you don’t want it to run dry.
- Serve with boiled potatoes and mashed swede.
- The drinks of choice to accompany this dish are, as more often than not with Norwegian Christmas dishes, beer and aquavit. Cheers, or rather Skål!
Kransekake (Norwegian almond ring cake)
Posted by admin in Food and drink, Photos and videos on December 7, 2009
A popular Norwegian Christmas dessert: Kransekake
Posted by admin in Food and drink on December 7, 2009
The hugely popular Norwegian almond ring cake is not actually only a Christmas cake, as it’s also eaten at weddings, on 17th May (Norway’s Constitution Day) and other special occasions. The traditional version is made up of 18 rings (krans means wreath in Norwegian), layered on top of each other to form a conical pyramid towering over the dessert table. A set of special metallic forms are used to make the cake rings. It is then common to add icing sugar or glazing, and decorate the cake with tiny Norwegian flags. Many Norwegians bake their own cake (recipes in English are readily available on the internet), or you can buy one from most bakeries (order a few days beforehand). The main ingredients in the kransekake are almonds, sugar and egg whites – interestingly no flour is used. The best kransekake? It should be hard on the outside, while soft and chewy inside.
Top 5: Norwegian Christmas dishes
Posted by admin in Food and drink on December 1, 2009
What about forgetting the turkey this year, and trying something a bit more exciting? Like a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner for example 
There are lots of different Christmas dishes to choose from here in Norway. Here are my favourites:
- Ribbe: Roasted pork belly, usually served with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes, Christmas sausage, meat balls and gravy. Easy to prepare and not too expensive – little wonder it’s such a popular option.
- Pinnekjøtt: Dried and smoked lamb/mutton cutlets traditionally cooked over birch twigs or pinne (hence the name), and served with mashed swede and boiled potatoes. Originally from the western coast, but now eaten all over Norway.
- Lutefisk: Cod treated in lye and served with bacon bits, green peas, butter sauce and (no point for guessing!) boiled potatoes. The fish acquires a jelly-like texture (the more pronounced the longer you cook it), so some find the appearance rather off-putting, but it’s gorgeous stuff. Be brave and try it once!
- Multekrem: Multe (cloudberry) is the queen of Norwegian berries, with a pronounced boggy taste (little wonder when you think it grows in… yes, bogs). Because it’s quite rare and difficult to harvest, it’s pricier than other berries. Multekrem is whipped cream with cloudberries, and is often the dessert of choice for special occasions – including Christmas dinner.
- Pepperkake: You will see these dark waffer-thin biscuits everywhere if you visit Norway this time of year. The closest equivalent is gingerbread biscuits, although pepperkaker are slightly different. Here in Østfold the tradition is to have 7 different kinds of biscuits for Christmas (all home-baked it goes without saying), and pepperkake is one of them. I think I might cheat and buy the ready-made ones, but ssshhh… don’t tell anyone.
I’ve already posted a few Christmas recipes on this blog, and will be adding more in the coming weeks, so watch this space… Beer (lager or Christmas beer) and aquavit are the drinks of choice with the above dishes. Watch the video above to learn more about aquavit, Norway’s national tipple. Cheers!