National cuisine of Norway. What is the national cuisine, traditional dishes and food in Norway? Norwegian cuisine recipes

Food in Norway is not very different from European food, the boundaries are gradually blurring, and everything is becoming more or less international. We travel a lot to different countries and cities and bring with us new recipes and cooking methods.

So, here are a few examples of typical Norwegian dishes that are worth trying, as well as a few recipes that you will definitely want to try during your trip.

If you are staying in a Norwegian hotel, you will have a traditional Norwegian breakfast in the morning. The best breakfast in the world, in my opinion, if it is also a high-class hotel.

Try cheese or Brunust (brown cheese), high quality milk and don't forget the fragrant bread.

Norwegians love smoked meat - “spekemat” (salt, dried meat) and all types of marmalade from fruit to berry; they believe their strawberries are the best. Did we mention coffee? Norwegians love coffee. Everyone except the Finns consider them to be avid coffee drinkers. This is probably because it is so tasty...

Take a close look at these dishes. So, let's go!

Svele

If you've ever taken a ferry ride through Norway's winding Westfjords, you've probably already tasted this delicious pastry called sväle.

These are a kind of pancakes that Norwegians eat with sugar and butter; some prefer the sweet brown cheese Brunust.

There are many wonders in Norway that are worth trying. Most dishes are fish, but the main one, of course, remains svele.

Bacalhao

As many of you know, fish and seafood are the basis of Norwegian cuisine. For centuries, Norwegians have been fishing. They know a lot about both fresh and dried fish.

The Norwegian Sea is home to the world's finest cod, which is used to make bacalhau, so we're confident you'll love this traditional dish.

Fishcakes

And next in line are traditional Norwegian cutlets. They have always been and still remain one of the favorite dishes on the coast. Tasty, simple and inexpensive. This is the most common dish.

Real Norwegian housewives look forward to February and March, the time when fish flock from the ocean to the fjords. These days the fish go to spawn and local fishermen catch a lot of high quality fish every year.

These fish cakes can't compare to the ones you buy at the supermarket. This is fresh, homemade, high quality food!

Grilled Stockfish

Grilled dried fish is already practically one of the most delicious and exclusive dishes that you will be served in a Norwegian restaurant. Of course, I'm not going to call it a traditional Norwegian dish, since grilling has only recently become fashionable here.

Undoubtedly, it can be served either boiled or fried, but having tasted both types, I give primacy to fried fish.

In recent years, a real revolution has quietly taken place in Norwegian restaurants and in ordinary home kitchens - mainly thanks to the appearance of local organic products on the shelves. Of course, this is largely due to the growing prosperity of the population as a whole and the general desire to spend more money on quality products. But a newfound pride in Norwegian culinary traditions also played an important role.

In terms of nutrition, those growing up in Norway in the 70s and 80s had a pretty bleak childhood. The same dishes were prepared day after day (at least that’s how many people remembered it). Therefore, many Norwegians went on holiday to Italy and France, precisely to enjoy their amazing food. Norwegian cuisine is very different, but could we achieve the same sense of self-worth?

The first thing we had to do was to determine what the essence of Norwegian cuisine was. The answer to this question lay in features of Norwegian agriculture. Sheep and goats graze in remote pastures. And the clean environment and cold climate make it possible to grow fruits, vegetables and berries without the use of pesticides. Milk, cheeses and meats are produced on small farms, in disease-free conditions and in accordance with strict animal husbandry laws and regulations. And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the long coastline and sea, rich in fish and seafood.

Norwegians have worked hard to restore national pride at all levels of the food industry, and this work has produced significant results. Local products are increasingly taking up space on supermarket shelves, while new small producers of cheeses, honey, baked goods and organic meats are regularly popping up across the country. Not to mention the microbreweries that are experimenting with beer recipes. And since Norway is one of the three countries that consume the most coffee, it is not at all surprising that we strive to come up with the best roast in the world.

You can get acquainted with the traditions of different regions and plunge into the palette of tastes at one of the gastronomic festivals: Gladmat in Stavanger, Smak in Tromsë and Trøndersk matfestival in Trondheim.

In the same time Norwegian chefs have managed to gain a good reputation on the world stage, having received, in particular, several prizes in the prestigious international culinary competition Bocuse d’Or. In 2016, Maaemo became the first Norwegian restaurant to receive three Michelin stars. This restaurant was also named one of the best in the world in the World's 50 Best Restaurants category.

Finally a decent dinner was served. Please join us!

Norwegian cuisine is famous for its fish dishes and seafood, the pride of which is Kamchatka crab. And although most of the dishes of Norwegian cuisine will seem familiar and home-like, some of the traditional Norwegian dishes can only be enjoyed by true gourmets.

Fans of gastronomic tourism will certainly find many unexpected dishes, including smoked lamb's head or fermented trout.

Local ingredients

The main ingredient of Norwegian cuisine is fish; Norwegian salmon, dried cod and trout are very popular. Norwegian fish is of excellent quality and unsurpassed taste.

In Norway, meat is eaten much less often than fish; most often on the table in a Norwegian family you can find lamb, much less often beef and extremely rarely pork. The meat is often served with sweet and sour and berry sauces.

The most popular side dish in Norway is potatoes, followed by various cereals.

Dry bread or flatbreads are used as bread.

Despite the lack of a large number of vegetables in the diet, Norwegian cuisine is considered one of the healthiest in the world, and it’s not for nothing that the people of Scandinavia are famous for their longevity and good health.

The national Norwegian drink is Aquavit - a strong potato infusion with herbs. The most famous brand is "linier", which means equator. In order for the drink to be prepared correctly, it is transported in barrels to the southern hemisphere and back, crossing the equator, hence the name. It is customary to drink aquavit ice cold.

Many families prepare homemade beer; there are no leading beer brands in the country.

Norway is the second largest coffee drinking country in the world. Most Norwegians drink coffee without sugar or milk.

This harsh northern country cannot boast of having dollar millionaires, but at the same time it is considered the best for human life. As a tourist, it is best to go to, of course, in the summer. Still, the north... But the places here are simply magical. And the gourmet will experience a real adventure and receive an unforgettable gastronomic experience.

Food in Norway

Norwegian cuisine is the cuisine of fishermen and peasants. Its menu consists mainly of meat, fish, and milk.

Once upon a time, Norwegians were embarrassed by their provincialism and looked at the menus of other countries. And today the cuisine of Norway is called exotic. Old culinary traditions and recipes are rewritten in a new way with an emphasis on local organic products, game, seafood delicacies and, in principle, rarely found products, such as, for example, whale meat or cloudberry honey.

Food in Norway is not that cheap, but at the same time you can save money. Firstly, on drinking water, which you can safely drink from the tap (50 years ago it would have been strange to hear that you would have to buy simple drinking water in a store).

So, tap water in Norway is clean, you can safely drink it. In addition, in cities you can find shops with large counters filled with vegetables and fruits. They also sell oils, nuts, cookies and sweets, cereals, spices, fresh bread and other products. These stores are always crowded.

Well, if you want to eat with all your heart, cafes and restaurants are at your service: expensive ones with international dishes; exclusive grill bars; fish restaurants; cafe with home cooking - pies, pastries; self-service establishments, and, of course, fast food.

It is interesting that lunch in Norway begins at 11 am - the time when people snack on “multi-story” sandwiches with meat, lard, fish, offal, vegetables and other products. They eat such a sandwich, gradually removing one layer after another.

Throughout the year, Norway hosts several gastronomic festivals, where you can fully taste the culinary wonders of this climatically harsh but benevolent country.

Top 8 Norwegian dishes

Game and elk meat

Well-cooked elk meat is a real delicacy, similar to venison. Reindeer meat is lean and very tasty. Red deer meat is fried in the form of steaks and consumed dried, smoked, or dried. The breast of a young partridge tastes soft and tender. The legs and the rest have a gamey taste. Dry-cured musk ox leg may not be to everyone’s taste – this dish is not for everybody, but it’s worth a try.

Tatar is raw bear meat seasoned with onions and herbs. Tatar is also prepared from salmon and beef, eaten with chopped onions, pickles and raw yolk.

Norwegian lamb

The meat from sheep raised on remote pastures in Norway is juicy and tender. After slaughter, the whole carcass is used. Some delicacies are prepared from very unusual parts of the lamb. Fenalor is a dried leg of lamb, and pinnechet is ribs dried in brine or sea salt, which are popularly served at Christmas. Smalakhove is a specially prepared sheep's head.

Forikol is made from lamb. Take lamb and cabbage in equal quantities. A layer of cabbage, cut into large pieces, is placed on the bottom of the pan; lamb, cut into thick pieces with bones, is placed on it, sprinkled with salt and black pepper. This is how several layers are formed. Pour a little water and simmer for several hours. The result is a spicy and at the same time very tender and tasty dish, which is traditionally served with boiled potatoes in their jackets. This is a very important dish on the Norwegian menu; it must be prepared and eaten by the whole family on the last Thursday of September - the Forikol holiday.

Norwegian seafood

One of the traditional fish dishes is smoked salmon, which is also delicious baked in foil with leeks and carrots. Halibut is baked with fried apples and onions. Rakfisk, or fermented (rotten) trout, is a delicacy for the brave. The “mölle” dish consists of chopped boiled cod, liver and caviar. The delicious orange flesh of the sea urchin is consumed as a separate dish or added to soup, after which it acquires an amazing nutty and iodine taste. In Norway, despite declining popularity in other countries, whale meat is readily consumed. But still, the most common fish is cod; various dishes are prepared from it.

This is a traditional Christmas dish, a winter delicacy made from cod. Dried fish is soaked in a soda solution for three days, then soaked in water for several days. As a result, the cod meat turns into a white translucent jelly with a pungent aroma. It is then boiled or baked. Eat with bacon, potatoes, pea puree and mustard.

Hearty fish soup has long been a favorite food among Norwegians. The basis of the soup is a broth made from the bones and fins of sea fish; shrimp are also added. For satiety, add butter and cream to the prepared broth. A few minutes before the end of cooking, add pieces of salmon fillet. In different regions of the country, the famous fish soup is prepared according to its own recipes. In the west it is thicker, with potatoes and shellfish added. In the north, they pour more cream than usual. But everywhere and everywhere the main thing is a rich broth.

Norwegian cheeses

A wide variety of cheeses are made here from cow's and goat's milk and their products. Cheeses are salty and sweet at the same time: Geitost, Gammelost, Pultost, Camembert, Musost, etc., but Brunost always makes a special impression on guests of Norway.

Brunost is a soft brown goat's milk cheese with an unusual taste. It looks like solid condensed milk with a bright caramel taste, sourness, and a little salty. It is recommended to eat it for breakfast with rye crispbread. This cheese has become the hallmark of Norway in the eyes of foreigners.

Dessert

Kransekake is a popular cake, without which no wedding, birthday or even funeral can take place. The dough is prepared using almonds and egg whites, 13-18 rings are baked and stacked on top of each other.

Krumkake is a Norwegian crispy wafer cookie that can be eaten as a separate sweet, or with whipped cream and other fillings.

Norwegian cuisine is the culinary traditions of the Kingdom of Norway, which is located in the Northern part of Europe. Norway is a Scandinavian country. The current inhabitants of Norway are the descendants of the terrible and powerful Viking conqueror seafarers.

Mountains and rather harsh weather conditions (long winters and short summers) left their indelible imprint on the recipes of Norwegian cuisine. Their closest neighbors - Finland, Sweden and Russia - also had a hand in shaping the culinary preferences of Norwegians.

Currently, Norwegian cuisine is still the same traditional food of Norwegian Vikings, peasants and fishermen. The basis of the diet of the inhabitants of Norway at all times was fish, dairy products, meat and cereals. Moreover, in such a climate it is possible to grow only unpretentious grains, such as oats and barley.

Since ancient times, Norwegians have baked flatbreads from barley and oatmeal. This is traditional Norwegian bread. Lefse or Norwegian bread is more like lavash, but in taste and health benefits it is superior to Caucasian bread. Barley and oat cakes store well and have therefore been incredibly popular in Norway at all times.

Of course, with the invention of refrigerators, people were no longer so actively concerned about the safety of bread. It’s just that, just like hundreds of years ago, Norwegians still prefer their bread to any other. The main dish of Norwegian cuisine is herring. Once upon a time, residents of Norway consumed this fish up to 5 times a day.

There are several recipes for Norwegian cuisine that tell you how to properly cook herring in Norwegian style. Fish could be salted, dried, pickled and even fermented. During the Middle Ages, inventive Norwegian poor people came up with a method of preparing herring that allowed them to be stored for a long time.

The fish was first dried and only then dried. There was also a known dish called “lutefisk”, which is still popular in Norway to this day. Dried fish is soaked in an alkaline solution and in water, this is how the famous lutefisk is obtained.

Potatoes are considered the main side dish for Norwegians. However, there are also basic potato dishes in Norwegian cuisine. Another popular northern side dish is oat and barley porridge. Norway is famous for its smoked meats, mainly fish.

A nutritious and tasty delicacy, smoked salmon is considered the second national dish of Norwegian cuisine after herring. An interesting fish dish, “rakfisk,” is made from trout, which is subjected to a fermentation process, resulting in a world-famous delicacy.

The most favorite meat of Norwegians is lamb. Pork, beef and poultry are also eaten, but lamb dishes are considered the most delicious. On holidays, not a single Norwegian table is complete without stewed sheep's head "smalakhove" or stewed ham "fenalar". These dishes are served with the obligatory sweet and sour sauce, which includes juniper.

Northern peoples are famous for their good health. Apparently because their diet consists of balanced foods. Residents of Norway also often consume milk and dairy products. Norway's national dairy dish is "blunde" or whey, which is diluted with water.

Various types of cheeses and butter are widespread among Norwegians. The traditional Norwegian breakfast is the heartiest meal of the day and usually includes cereal porridge or meat dishes. At lunch in Norway it is customary to snack on smørrebrøds or, in our language, sandwiches. At 5-6 o'clock in the evening, Norwegians sit down to dinner.

And at about 9 pm the descendants of the Vikings like to snack on a pie and finish it off with a cup of coffee. And yes, we were not mistaken, Norwegians drink coffee in the evening. It is now the most popular soft drink in all of Norway. The second most popular beer is homemade beer, which every self-respecting Norwegian family makes for Christmas.

And another strong alcoholic drink, which is obtained from potatoes, is called aquavit. An interesting fact: before being sold, elite aquavit makes a long journey from Norway to Australia and back. During this time, the drink is mixed naturally and absorbs the aroma of wooden barrels.