Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Norwegian Cuisine
Norwegian food can be excellent. Abundant seafood, local specialities such
as reindeer, and a growing trend in cutting-edge cooking are undoubtedly the
highlights. The only problem (and it's a significant one) is that prices are pro-
hibitive, meaning that a full meal in a restaurant may become something of a
luxury item for all but those on expense accounts. As a result, you may end
up leaving Norway pretty uninspired by its food, which is such a shame con-
sidering what's on offer.
Food
Meat
Norway is that rare place where signature wildlife species also provide some of the coun-
try's most memorable meals.
Norwegians love their meat. Roast reindeer
(reinsdyrstek)
is something every nonveget-
arian visitor to Norway should try at least once; despite its cost (starting from around
Nkr275 and often much higher), you'll likely order it again as it's one of the tastier red
meats, and that's how it should be ordered - nice and red. In the far north, or if you're fortu-
nate enough to be invited to a Sami wedding, you'll also come across traditional reindeer
stew
(bidos)
. Another popular local meat is elk
(elg),
which comes in a variety of forms, in-
cluding as a steak or burger.
Other meat-based dishes that Norwegian chefs excel at preparing include
bankebiff
(slices/chunks of beef simmered in gravy),
dyrestek
(roast venison) and
lammebog
(shoulder of lamb). Not surprisingly given the Norwegian climate, meats are often cured,
one variety of which is
spekemat
(cured lamb, beef, pork or reindeer, often served with
scrambled eggs). Further dishes include
kjøttpålegg
(cold meat cuts),
fårikål
(lamb in cab-
bage stew),
syltelabb
(boiled, salt-cured pig's trotter),
lapskaus
(thick stew of diced meat,
potatoes, onions and other vegetables) and
pytt i panne
(eggs with diced potato and meat).
Surprisingly few Norwegian restaurants offer the kind of meals that Norwegians eat at
home, or at least used to when their mothers and grandmothers cooked for them. One such
