Photo by User: Tamorlan. Norway offers a wide choice of places and restaurants to eat, although the prices are quite high compared to the Italian average. The food is very good and based on local materials such as fish (cod and salmon in primis) cooked in the oven, grilled or according to traditional recipes, or based on reindeer and whale meat , most often cooked in stews, while moose meat is mainly used for hamburgers. On the other hand, there are few vegetables that are almost always imported, apart from potatoes.
But what are the traditional recipes that you can find on the menus or among the specialties of the markets
Let’s find out together what you eat in Norway: typical dishes, tips and curiosities about Norwegian cuisine.
10 Typical Norwegian dishes
1 – Farikal
Photo by Jarvin. Considered one of the Norwegian national dishes , among the most loved. It is a second dish rich in nutrients and energy.
Farikal is in fact a lamb or mutton stew on the bone with cabbage and peppercorns that is cooked with a little wheat flour for several hours. It is usually served with potatoes.
- Recommended for : lunch, dinner
- Average cost : €23.00
- Main ingredients : lamb or mutton, cabbage, pepper
2 – Syltelabb
Another traditional dish, on the tables especially during the Christmas period as an appetizer, and the Syltelabb, based on boiled and salted pork trotters which is accompanied by beetroot, mustard and fresh bread or with bread and focaccia.
It must be eaten strictly with the hands and must be served with the traditional Norwegian Juleol or with liqueurs and beer as it is a very salty food.
- Recommended for : lunch
- Average cost : €20.00
- Main ingredients : pork trotters
3 – Pinnekiott
Photo of Jarvin. Characteristic and popular dish of the western and northern areas of Norway, served especially during the holidays, pinnekiott is based on salted and dried lamb chops and in some cases smoked or steamed on birch branches.
Usually the dish is accompanied by sauces to dip the ribs, rutabaga purée and potatoes.
- Recommended for : lunch
- Average cost : €18.00
- Main ingredients: lamb chops, sauces
4 – Skrei Molje Skrei Molje is a traditional Norwegian
dish that was once eaten by the inhabitants of the coast. It is a broth that is prepared by cooking all the parts of the cod, from the head, to the tail, to the pulp, entrails and eggs included. It is served with slices of bread and onions.
- Recommended for : lunch, dinner
- Average cost : €10.00
- Main ingredients : cod, water, onion
5 – Gravlaks
Source: wikimedia commons. In Norwegian cuisine, cod and salmon are considered the staple fish of many dishes .
Gravlaks is an exquisite specialty prepared by cutting salmon into thin slices and marinating it in dill, sugar and salt.
Accompanied by slices of black bread and Scandinavian mustard it is considered an appetizer or main course depending on the portion.
- Recommended for : lunch, dinner, snack
- Average cost : €18.00
- Main ingredients : marinated salmon, dill, sugar
6 – Raspeball
Typical food served in winter to warm up from cold temperatures, Raspeballs, also called Komle, Kompe or Klubb, are potato dumplings sometimes filled with lamb meat or sausages depending on the area.
Tradition has it that they are served on Thursdays , for lunch or dinner, and on this day of the week in many places they represent the dish of the day. Seasonings vary by region and can include pork, bacon, sausage, melted butter, purees, or turnips.
- Recommended for : lunch, dinner
- Average cost : €14.00
- Main ingredients : potatoes, flour, eggs, meat
7 – Lutefisk
Photo by Bertie79. Traditional dish from Norway, and other Scandinavian countries, based on stockfish or cod that is prepared in the oven after being left to soak in water for 5-6 days.
Once served during the holiday season, today it’s easy to find on restaurant menus at any time of the year , accompanied by potatoes, bacon, sweet peas and mustard.
- Recommended for : lunch, dinner
- Average cost : €19.00
- Main ingredients : stockfish
8 – Brown Cheese
Photo of OS. Also called brunost, Brown cheese is a sweet and salty brown cheese much loved by Norwegians who consume it at any time of the day.
Based on goat’s milk and caramelized whey that gives a sweet and sour taste at the same time, it is enjoyed on toast together with blueberry jam or on waffles, but in many restaurants it accompanies baked salmon.
- Recommended for : breakfast, snack
- Average cost : € 5.00 per hectogram
- Main ingredients : goat rennet and caramelized whey.
9 – Smalahove
Photo of The blanz. A traditional dish originating from western Norway that is eaten mainly at Christmas and is reserved only for the most curious and courageous.
It is a recipe based on sheep’s head that is first salted, smoked and dried and then boiled or stewed and then served with potatoes or other vegetables. Once considered a poor dish in order not to waste any part of the animal, today it is considered a real delicacy.
- Recommended for : lunch, dinner
- Average cost : €30.00
- Main ingredients : smoked sheep’s head
10 – Rakfisk
Photo by User: Tamorlan. Another typical Norwegian fish is trout, the basic ingredient of Rakfisk, a dish with ancient origins that was consumed by fishermen.
In this specialty, the salted trout must be fermented for two or three months and served raw accompanied by bread, onion, eggs and purees.
The smell and taste are quite intense so it is not a dish loved by everyone.
- Recommended for : lunch, dinner
- Average cost : €20.00
- Main ingredients : raw fermented salted trout
Typical sweets of Norway
As in other Nordic countries, even in Norway, the culinary tradition includes the presence of some typical sweets . Some are eaten mainly served in bars and restaurants while others are often bought in bakeries to be consumed for breakfast or as a snack.
1 – Tilslorte bondepiker
Photo of Oyvind Holmstad. A typical Norwegian spoon dessert , beautiful to look at and to eat, and the bondepiker Tilslorte made with baked apples, toast, and lots of cream.
It is usually made in transparent glasses and the result is a soft , crunchy and really tasty dessert.
- Average cost : €10.00
- Main ingredients : apples, bread, cream
2 – Norwegian Waffels
Photo by SteveK. Very different from the Belgian namesakes, Norwegian waffles are similar to pancakes but have a romantic heart-flower shape.
Very soft and flexible, they usually fold and eat with your hands after stuffing them with both sweet and savory sauces. Among the most used fruit jams, sour cream, ice cream, Nutella, bacon, eggs or brown cheese.
- Average cost : €7.00
- Main ingredients : eggs, flour, butter
3 – Skillingsbolle
Photo by Andreas Ivarsson. Typical dessert of Bergen , born in this town in the late 1890s but known throughout Norway, the Skillingsbolle, similar to the Swedish Kanelbulle, is a rather tall brioche bun that is sweetened with cinnamon and grain sugar and baked in the oven.
You can buy the best in Bergen from BakerBu which produces very good ones and you will also understand it from the queue that forms outside the shop during tourist periods.
- Average cost : € 3.50 each
- Main ingredients : milk, yeast, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon
4 – Valnott Lukket
Another dessert of the country typical of Stavanger , but today available throughout the national territory, and the Valnott Lukket, a marzipan cake stuffed with pineapple and walnuts that is covered with whipped cream in abundance.
- Average cost : € 20.00 whole cake
- Main ingredients : eggs, sugar, flour, cream, pineapple
5 – Rosinboller
Photo of Ekko. A typical dessert consumed by Norwegians at any time of the day , rosinbollers are sweet rolls that can be empty or filled with chocolate chips or raisins.
They are perfect to eat as a snack or snack , even for breakfast, while walking through the streets of the cities,
- Average cost : €5.00
- Main ingredients : flour, butter, milk, yeast, sugar
Drinks and liqueurs: what is drunk in Norway
A drink almost considered national is the black and strong coffee that is drunk in such quantities that it is not clear how the population appears calm and not at all agitated. Herbal teas and tea are also widely consumed.
Before, during or after dinner, beers are among the most sipped drinks. The most common variety is the pils lager with an alcohol content of around 4% and known are the Ringsnes brands in the south and Mackin in the north.
But here are other typical drinks of the country:
1 – Aquavit
The national liqueurand aquavit, or akevitt, a strong distillate made from potatoes and cumin seeds that give it a yellow color, but some distilleries add orange, coriander, anise, fennel, sugar and salt.
The preparation is left to age for 3 to 5 years in 500 liter oak barrels which are previously used to distil the sherry. Among the most famous brands are Lysholm Linie, Loiten Linie, Gammel Opland and Simers Taffel.
- Average cost : € 6.00 per glass
- Main ingredients : potatoes, alcohol and cumin seeds
2 – Glogg
Another widely consumed drink especially in winter is glogg, the Norwegian mulled wine.
It is a mainly wine-based drink , with a mix of herbs, raisins and almonds that is boiled and served hot. A delight during the cold Norwegian winter days.
- Average cost : € 4.50 per glass
- Main ingredients : wine, herbs, dried raisins and almonds
3 – Karsk
It is a coffee and liqueur-based drink much loved by Norwegians and of rather poor origins because it was consumed in rural areas of the country to warm up in winter.
It is prepared by placing a coin on the bottom of the cup , then pouring the coffee and finally the liqueur that should make the coin reappear.
- Average cost : € 6.00 per cup
- Main ingredients : espresso, liqueur
4 – Mead
A drink that has played an important role in several Viking celebrations , but which in winter is still consumed hot to accompany ginger biscuits.
Also nicknamed honey wine because fermented sugar comes from honey.
- Average cost : € 6.00 per glass
- Main ingredients : acacia honey, lemon, brewer’s yeast, water, brown sugar
5 – Brennevin
Brennevin means burnt wine and it is a distilled liqueur made from potatoes and cereals, whose flavor is reminiscent of a strong brandy. Widespread in Norway and throughout Scandinavia, it has an alcohol content that varies between 30% and 38%.
- Average cost : € 10.00 per glass
- Main ingredients : potatoes, cereals, sugar, alcohol
Tips and curiosities: where to eat and what to avoid
Photo by Helge Hoifodt. Norway offers a wide choice of places to eat or drink. Not only typical restaurants, in fact in the streets of the main cities you can find all kinds and categories, from Asians to those serving starred cuisine, from restaurants where you can have a full meal to cafes open for lunch and breakfast that usually serve light meals, drinks and sweets to accompany the coffee.
In the larger towns then there are the markets, ideal for those who want to eat fresh fish usually open until 18:00. It should be known, in fact, that Norwegians usually eat a large breakfast, have two snacks (one in the middle of the morning and the other around 15:00) and then eat their main meal between 16:00 and 18:00.
