Norway's Culinary Culture

Norway's culinary delights are varied.  Some of their meals I would eat in a heart beat, others - although I do not consider myself a picky eater - I dare not try. And then there are a few where I tilt my head and wonder, then I try my hand at creating the foods.

The stews, filled with beef, pork, lamb or elk; potatoes; carrots; and onions I would gladly fill my stomach with. Also, depending on the season, Norwegians eat a lot of roasted vegetables, including: beets, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery. Even though I'm not a huge vegetable fan, this sounds hearty and pleasant on a cold night.

There are two categories which I don't want to try, fish and heads. I do enjoy some kinds of fish. However, after reading recipe after recipe for salmon, trout, carp, and other kinds of fish, one gets tired of the sea creatures before even making the dish (at least I did).

The other category I avoid completely contains: broiled pig's head (snout and ears included), as well as broiled mutton head (horns included). Those did not strike me as appetizing.

However, there are some meals, as I said before, that strike me as odd, but strangely tasty. One of these was Kjøtt I Kål (meat in cabbage). Basically, one carves out a head of cabbage so it makes a bowl (this kind of head I can handle). Then they fill it with a meat loaf mixture, place the top of the cabbage head back onto it and simmer it in water for two hours. The result is cooked cabbage filled with meat loaf! Shocked? I was shocked that it actually tasted different than cabbage and meat loaf when they are cooked separately.

The meat gave a flavorful, but not strong taste to the cabbage. And the cabbage seemed to make the meat loaf taste a bit softer.

I had left over meat filling, so I tried my hand at Norwegian meatballs while I was at it. I didn't add the gravy that would normally be traditional to a Norwegian meal, but I did add spices that I was rather nervous about, ginger and nutmeg. Both of these are the spices that are used most often when making one of Norway's most traditional meals, meatballs. The recipe I was reading from didn't define how much ginger to use, it simply stated to "use your Norwegian instincts." Since I am not Norwegian (as far as I know) this was a bit difficult. So I did what any good cook would do, I guessed.

The result was much better than I had expected! I prefer the spices in the meatballs opposed to the simple version I am used to. Without the spices the meatballs taste like...hamburger. With the spices the meatballs taste like nothing I can compare it to. It doesn't make it superb - they are still meatballs - but it gives it such an unusual flavor that I cannot really tell you what they taste like.

I suppose you will have to make some for yourself! A simple web search for "Norwegian meatball recipe" will give you several recipes full of tips and Norwegian folk history. Try finding some where individuals write in or titles like "Grandma's meatballs" this helps you find real life Norwegians sharing their traditions with the new generation!