International Cooking: Food from Norway

I have really enjoyed the Scandinavian cuisine I’ve tried so far, so I was excited to cook food from Norway this week! I got some great suggestions and recipe links from Klanko Cooking the World on Instagram, and there were also already some good posts on Reddit about Norwegian food, so I did not feel the need to make my own.

Norway is a country on the Scandinavian Peninsula of Northern Europe. Its territory also includes a few remote islands in the Arctic.

The region was occupied for thousands of years by hunting and fishing tribes that lived along the coast. Eventually, Indo-European farmers arrived, and they grew grain and raised livestock. The Viking Age began around the 8th century, and it was Viking explorers who discovered Iceland and later found North America, which they called ‘Vinland’.

For hundreds of years, the region was ruled by many small kingdoms, until they merged in 872 to form the Kingdom of Norway. In the 16th century, Norway joined Denmark to form Denmark-Norway, and during the 19th century it was in a union with Sweden.

Norway remained neutral during World War I, and in World War II until Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the country until the war ended.

Norway today is a prosperous country with reserves of key resources such as petroleum and natural gas. It takes care of its citizens, with universal health care and an extensive social security system. It also looks like a beautiful country, one I would love to visit one day!

What Do People Eat in Norway?

Traditional Norwegian cuisine is based on game and fish, and many dishes included foods that could be preserved during the long winters. Norwegians have a long history of finding ways to preserve foods through smoking, curing, and pickling.

Grains such as wheat and rye are common, either in porridge for breakfast or in various types of bread. Open-faced sandwiches are very popular, like the smørrebrød I made for Denmark (in Norway they are called ‘smørbrød’ instead).

Game meat such as moose, reindeer, mountain hare, duck, rock ptarmigan, and fowl are still widespread today, as are more common meats such as lamb, beef, chicken, and pork. Norwegian cuisine still includes a lot of fish, with some of its most popular exports being smoked salmon and stockfish (a certain variety of dried cod). Shellfish did not use to be very popular, since it was more work to catch and had less nutritional value than the abundant fish. However, nowadays, it is common.

Potatoes and other root vegetables are frequently used when it comes to vegetables, as are cabbage, onion, and leek.

Norway grows a wide range of berries, including cloudberries which are considered a delicacy. Berries are often used in desserts such as pies, cakes, and pastries.

What I Made

• Kringle med Makronfyll (Sweet Bread with Almond Filling)
• Torsk med Sandefjordsmør (Cod with Butter Sauce)
• Kjøttkaker with Kålrotstappe (Meatballs with Mashed Rutabaga and Potato)
• Fårikål (Lamb and Cabbage Soup)
• Grovbrød (Wholegrain Bread)
• Lapskaus (Beef and Vegetable Stew)
• Brunost and Jam on Toast
• Fiskeboller (Fish Balls)

Scroll down to read about other popular Norwegian dishes I didn’t make!

Kringle med Makronfyll (Sweet Bread with Almond Filling)

I started the week with this kringle, a sweet bread seasoned with cardamom. It can have a variety of fillings, but the recipe I used included an almond filling.

The dough here is like a brioche dough, something I have yet to master. I started by combining active dry yeast with warm milk and a little sugar. The recipe did not specify what kind of yeast to use, but since the directions said to ‘crumble it in’ and the amount seemed high, I assumed it was fresh yeast and substituted with a smaller amount of active dry yeast.

After letting the yeast sit for a few minutes, I added an egg yolk (instead of a whole egg as I halved the recipe), flour, salt, ground cardamom, and more sugar, and mixed it in my stand mixer for around 10 minutes. Then I added cubes of butter and let the machine knead it for about 15 minutes or so. I probably still didn’t knead it enough but my Kitchen Aid was getting pretty warm by this point so I decided it would have to do. This is probably why my brioche is never perfect!

I let the dough rest for an hour. Meanwhile, I made a paste by grinding up almonds with icing sugar and an egg white.

After the dough had rested, I formed it into the kringle (which apparently translates to ‘pretzel’ in English). To do this, I rolled the dough flat and spread the almond mixture over it. Then I rolled it up and joined the ends together to form a ring. The next part was tricky for me—I had to snip the dough at intervals to make a pattern. The photo in the recipe shows this better than I can explain it here.

I let the kringle rise for another 45 minutes or so, then brushed it with egg wash and baked it until it was done.

Once the kringle cooled, I was meant to decorate it with icing. The recipe didn’t include directions for this but I was going to give it a go. I mixed confectioner’s sugar and water, but it was too thin and I realized I was out of the sugar! I always put it in a plastic container so I used what remained there, but I thought I had a bag somewhere and I didn’t. So I just made do with what I had and coated my kringle with a glaze instead.

I had expected this to rise a bit more than it did in the oven, but it didn’t come out dense and it tasted really good, so I would call that a win! My husband and I had some, and then I took the leftover kringle to work and left it in the kitchen where it was consumed before lunchtime. I’d love to make this again and try other flavors, though I did really enjoy the almond.

The recipe I used is from Krem.no and is in Norwegian, though I was able to get by with Google Translate.

Torsk med Sandefjordsmør (Cod with Butter Sauce)

Cod is very common in Norway and is served in many ways, but pairing it with a butter sauce similar to beurre blanc is popular. I chose a recipe that also included peas, carrots, and baby potatoes.

I began by boiling white vinegar, sugar, and water and pouring the mixture over shaved carrots. I let the mixture cool a bit before putting it in the fridge until needed.

I tossed the baby potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and put them in the oven to bake for around 30 minutes.

Next, I cooked some peas in boiling water, then strained them and combined them with butter and Parmesan. I was supposed to puree the peas but I didn’t feel like getting out my stick blender so I left them whole. I finished them with a little salt and lemon juice.

I sprinkled the cod with salt, then pan-fried it until it was just cooked through.

Meanwhile, I made the butter sauce. I sautéed some finely shopped shallots in butter, then added heavy cream and let it reduce by half. Off heat, I whisked in cubes of cold butter and seasoned with lemon juice, white pepper, and salt. I finished with finely chopped parsley and chives.

I tried to make a pretty plate with all the components, and then after I took the photo I put more sauce on the potatoes. I actually used a little less butter than the recipe called for, because it was a lot, and this sauce was still amazingly good. I could eat this on anything anytime! The rest of the dish was great too.

This recipe is from Gladkokken and is also in Norwegian.

Kjøttkaker with Kålrotstappe (Meatballs with Mashed Rutabaga and Potato)

There are two separate dishes here—the kjøttkaker are meatballs with gravy and the kålrotstappe is a rutabaga and potato mash. I added some broccoli for color and so I had more vegetables.

Kjøttkaker

The countries in this part of Europe seem to enjoy meatballs! I made them for Denmark too and I know I will be making them for Sweden.

I made the meatballs by combining cornstarch, flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Then I whisked in milk and added ground beef. I mixed it first with a spoon and then with my hands until everything was well combined. I feel like I might have come across this method of adding flour to meatballs before but now I can’t remember where. Anyway, I was thinking this was pretty unique (at least for me) and I was interested to see what effect it might have on the meatballs.

I added the meatballs to a pan with butter and olive oil and flattened them slightly. Then I cooked them on both sides until done and set them aside.

Meanwhile, I worked on the gravy. I made a roux by melting butter, then stirring in flour and onion powder. Once the roux began to brown, I whisked in water and beef Better Than Bouillion. Once the gravy thickened and my meatballs were done, I added some of the drippings from the metaball pan. I stirred in a little heavy cream and seasoned with salt and pepper, and the gravy was done.

These meatballs tasted really good and I loved the gravy too! The meatballs get a softer texture from the flour/cornstarch mixture, which I enjoyed though my husband thought it was weird. He’s the world’s pickiest eater though so his opinion doesn’t really count for much here!

The recipe I used here is from The Country Basket.

Kålrotstappe

This is a rutabaga mash, which often includes potatoes and sometimes carrots too. I don’t think I’d ever eaten rutabaga (also known as swede depending on where you live) before this week and I definitely had not prepared it. I found it hard to choose a recipe and instead did not use one, since this is such a simple dish and I knew what was meant to be in it.

I cut up the rutabaga and potatoes and cooked them in boiling water. I knew the rutabaga would take longer to cook than the potatoes but I thought I was being clever by cutting it in smaller pieces. However, it still wasn’t quite soft enough by the time the potatoes were done. I cooked a little longer and then decided I had to stop so the potatoes weren’t too overcooked.

I mashed the vegetables, and thankfully the rutabaga did mash, but it still wasn’t as soft as I would have liked. I added cream and butter, as well as salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. I topped it with chives, which may or may not be traditional but I had the chives left over and thought they would be a nice touch.

Traditionally, kålrotstappe is served with meat dishes, so I decided to pair it with the kjøttkaker, which are often served with potatoes. I thought this was a great combination! The kålrotstappe was especially good with the gravy from the meatballs. I’d make this again, but I would probably boil the potato and rutabaga separately so they can both be cooked perfectly.

Fårikål (Lamb and Cabbage Soup)

This simple stew, traditionally made with just cabbage and lamb, is considered Norway’s national dish. The recipe I used is more modern and adds a few extra ingredients, while still staying close to the original version.

I started with a lamb shank, which I coated in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and then pan-fried in oil in my Dutch oven. I removed the lamb from the pot and added butter, shallots, and garlic. Next, I added water, star anise, and bay leaves, and let the pot simmer with the lid on for about 2 hours.

At this point, I strained the solids out of the soup and returned the liquid to the pot along with the lamb. I added cabbage slices, salt, and pepper, and let everything cook for about 20 minutes longer. The recipe said to cook for 90 minutes but I don’t like cabbage when it’s been cooked for that long.

I served my soup with boiled potatoes, which is common in Norway. I also took the lamb meat off the bone before serving to make the soup easier to eat. The broth was very flavorful from the long simmering but my cabbage pieces didn’t really stay together like those in the recipe photo. I probably did not cut it properly; I don’t cut up cabbage often so I am definitely not an expert! Regardless, this still tasted very good.

The recipe I used for this is from Gladkokken and is in Norwegian.

Grovbrød (Wholegrain Bread)

Grovbrød really refers to a category of wholegrain breads, which usually include a mix of flours and often contain seeds. The recipe I chose is made with white flour, whole wheat flour, rye flour, oats, and flax seeds. It was also supposed to have sunflower seeds but I did not have those and did not want to buy them just for this recipe so I left them out. I added a smaller amount of sesame seeds instead.

I warmed milk and water and added sugar and active dry yeast. I let it sit for 10 minutes or so, then added the remaining ingredients: vegetable oil, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, rye flour, oats, flax seeds, salt, and the sesame seeds I added. The recipe called for briefly blitzing the oats in the food processor first but I did not want to get it dirty and I’ve put whole rolled oats in bread before with no problems, so I skipped this step.

I kneaded the dough and then let it rise for almost 2 hours, since it’s pretty cold here right now.

I shaped the dough into a loaf and put it in a loaf tin, which I lined with parchment paper. Usually I don’t line the tin when making bread, but I decided to follow the recipe here in case this bread is particularly prone to sticking.

I let the dough rise for another hour or so, then brushed the loaf with egg wash and sprinkled over some oats before baking.

This did not rise in the oven as much as I had hoped, though I know it’s the kind of bread that is likely to be a bit dense anyway. I thought it tasted very good and I was pleased with the texture, plus, it’s pretty healthy as far as bread goes!

The recipe I used for this is from Skandi Baking.

Lapskaus (Beef and Vegetable Stew)

In Norway, lapskaus is a meat and vegetable stew. The vegetables and meat can vary, but beef and root vegetables seem to be the most common and that is what the recipe I followed calls for.

I cut up some chuck roast into cubes, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and browned them in butter in my Dutch oven. I removed the beef and added diced onion and leek. Once it was translucent, I stirred in a little flour and returned the beef to the pot along with some beef stock (made with beef Better Than Bouillion).

I cooked the beef for about an hour, then added potatoes, carrot, and parsnip. Then I just cooked until the vegetables and meat were tender.

I served this with a garnish of parsley and some grovbrød; it was very good! However, and I knew this before making this dish, I’m not sure I’m a fan of parsnip. I think it just has a weird flavor.

The recipe I followed is from NRK (I looked up what exactly this site is and it’s apparently the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation). I did change the order of ingredients a little since I wanted to sauté the leek, and I did not include the celery root or parsley root.

Brunost and Jam on Toast

Brunost or ‘brown cheese’ is made from whey, milk, and/or cream, and it’s not technically a proper cheese though it’s treated like one. It’s a little sweet because the milk sugars are caramelized after boiling. It can be made from cow or goat products; mine was made with a mixture.

It was suggested that I try it on fresh bread with butter and strawberry or raspberry jam. I only had apricot jam, so I put that on a piece of toasted grovbrød with butter and brunost. I thought it was a great combination!

The brunost tasted very slightly sweet, but it also had a little bit of a funky cheese flavor. I really liked it, which is just as well because the small cube I got online was pricey. On subsequent days I had it on toast with butter and a fried egg which was also delicious. I’ve seen that it can be used in stews so I might try that as well.

No recipe here since I didn’t actually make the brunost; it was just something I really wanted to try.

Fiskeboller (Fish Balls)

Fiskeboller literally means fish balls, and they are usually eaten with a thick white sauce, though I also saw a recipe for fish ball soup. They are typically made with cod, pollock, or haddock, and are pretty plain on their own. The recipe I chose included a thin curry sauce, which I turned into a thick curry-flavored bechamel sauce.

To make the fish balls, I processed chunks of cod in my food processor to make a paste. Then I added cornstarch, salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg and beat until well combined. I formed the fish paste into balls and set them aside.

I heated milk and a bit of curry powder in a skillet and added the fish balls. Once they were cooked, I removed them and made a roux from butter and flour in a saucepan. I strained the milk the fish had cooked in into the pan, whisking constantly to make a thick sauce. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and served it over the fish balls with a sprinkle of fresh dill.

I though these were quite good; the sauce itself was delicious, especially with the mashed potato I made on the side. However, my fish balls did not hold together well; I’m wondering if they might have benefited from a little more cornstarch since it felt like there was very little in the recipe. I’d be willing to try this again with more cornstarch.

This recipe is from My Hungry Traveler.

Other Popular Norwegian Dishes

• Hjortegryte – a stew typically made from reindeer meat; it often includes brunost as well.
• Kumla – potato dumplings, usually served with meat.
• Fikegrateng – a fish and macaroni au gratin-style casserole dish. I really wanted to make this one but could not fit it in!
• Lefse – a traditional flatbread made primarily with potatoes.
• Tilslørte bondepiker – a simple dessert made by layering cream, apples, and breadcrumbs.

Final Thoughts

This was an excellent week! Everything was great and it was hard to choose a favorite. I think I’ll go with the kjøttkaker or the kringle.

I’m taking a break now for about a month, since I’m moving at the end of December and I want to focus on using up some of the bits and pieces I have left over from previous countries. I also want to be able to pack up my kitchen as far in advance as possible so I will be sticking with simple dishes. I hope to be back cooking food from Oman the first or second week of January, depending on how things go.