Oslo, Norway: Food & Drink

Food

Norwegian food is perhaps one of Scandinavia’s best kept secrets and even those on tight budgets can afford to eat like kings. Those with a bit more cash to splash about can eat meals of such sublime taste that you will wonder why the world isn’t peppered with Norwegian restaurants – which when you come to realise that the word ‘cake’ is actually an Old Norse word doesn’t seem so strange after all.

Personal experience suggests that the best bread in the world comes from Finland but Norway’s comes a credible second. To really understand Norwegian bread you should aim to try at least a slice of the following:

Frøloff – a round loaf with poppy seed
Tebriks – a very fine roll, flaky like a French croissant but not as buttery
Boller – a children’s favourite sweet roll
Rosinbolle – the same as boller, but with raisins in addition
Skolebrød – a classic: bigger than boller, with a yellow “egg” in the middle, spread with sugar frosting and sprinkled with coconut
Skillingsbolle – a speciality of Bergen, a big cinnamon roll
Flatbrød – not really a bread because it is not made with yeast, but is nevertheless named bread, and flat because it really is. It looks like a sheet of handmade paper… and is dry and doesn’t taste much. It is usually consumed for dinner.

As most decent hotels do a good breakfast buffet there is always ample opportunity to fill up on bread and home made preserves before you set off for a hard day’s sight-seeing.

Norwegian’s also make a big deal about their brown cheese. Interestingly enough this caramel tasting cheese is perfectly safe for those who suffer from even the most pronounced cheese allergy. Norwegian’s try to take some with them every time they leave the country.

Game has always been a central ingredient in Norwegian cooking. Elk dominates in most inland areas, with venison served more in western parts. Reindeer is the specialty in the north, even though this is otherwise available throughout the country. In my humble view reindeer is always a good option – it has a subtle gamey taste whilst wild bore is a much stronger taste best served with a berry sauce. Both dishes can be expensive but well worth while for that one-off splurge. A good reindeer recipe can be found here.

Since Norway has a long history as a fishing nation, the delicacies of the sea play an important part on the food map. There are many kinds of fish, particularly from along the coast. Cod, coalfish and salmon are the most usual fish found on the menu, served for example poached or as fishcakes. One of the more special variants is ‘lutefisk’ or Iye fish, which is served particularly at Christmas time, and ‘rakfisk’ or fermented fish, an inland specialty. Mackerel is available particularly in summer.

Drinks
Drinking in Norway is an astronomically expensive experience and best reserved for those on expense accounts. The beer is split into 4 categories:

Class 0 (0-0,7 vol.per.)
Class 1 (0,7-2,5 vol.per.)
Class 2 (2,5-4,75 vol.per.)
Class 3 (4,75-7 vol. per.)

Norwegians drink more beer than wine, the reason is probably due to the cold climate. Of all beers, Norwegians prefer a pilsner type beer, which constitutes 92 percent of all beer produced in Norway. It is actually prohibited to advertise alcohol stronger than class 1. Imported beer only constitutes 2 percent of the total consumption of beer. In the future, there might be more beers on the market, but for the time being, the Norwegian pilsner is not threatened at all.

The local firewater is Norwegian akevitt. This innocuous looking liquid is a flavoured, distilled liquor, ranging in alcohol content from about 42 to 45 percent by volume, clear to pale yellow in colour, distilled from a fermented potato or grain mash, flavoured with caraway seeds or cumin seed and guaranteed to have you reeling after a few shots.

Liquor was imported to Norway from Europe starting in the 1500s. The name aquavit is not of Nordic origin, but it has acquired a special place in the Norwegian as well as the other Scandinavian languages.

Norway is famous for its Linie Aquavit, so called because it is shipped to Australia and back (across the Equator, or the “Line”) in oak containers to produce mellow flavour.

In the Scandinavian countries, the aquavit is usually served chilled and unmixed, often straight out of the freezer, in small glasses which will be emptied in one go. It is a traditional drink at the Christmas table along with beer. It is said (as an excuse?!) to have the great power of making more space for eating more.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Europe Insiders page.

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