Norway Traditional Food | Norwegian Dishes (2024)

Breakfast

Norwegian breakfasts tend to revolve around sea, with meals including smoked salmon, fish in various sauces and marinades (such as sardines in mustard sauce or tomato sauce, or pickled herring), smoked whitefish served with hard-boiled eggsor caviar (kaviarin Norwegian). Dig in tolefse, which is the soft, Norwegian flatbread made of flour and milk or cream. The bread is often pairedwith Jarlsberg cheese, butter, fruit jam or any of the tasty smoked fishes Norway is famous for.

Lunches

Lunch is arguably the best time to try local restaurants and cafes, as they tend to have specials during the middle of the day. Norwegian cuisine can be very expensive, but eating out during lunchtime can let you explore the meal options without going over budget. Come midday, make a sandwich of brown goat's cheese (geitost) or slices of salmon on lefse.

Every child and most adults tuck their lunch fare into a bag ("matpakke," which literally means packed food) before going to school or work. Open-faced sandwiches are a tradition in Scandinavian nations, and popular options in Norway are made with a buttered slice of toast, typically whole-grain rye, topped with meatballs, herring, fish filets or liver pate. Surprisingly, hot dog lunches are also a crowd favourite - a typical Norwegian eats 100 a year, almost one every three days.

Dinner

For dinner, you can expect the aforementioned fish and red-meat meals. If you're eating out, your best bet for your budget may be visiting an all-you-can-eat buffet. These types of restaurants are fairly common throughout the country, and will give you the chance to try many differentfoods at once.

When in Norway, you should not miss the opportunity of trying the amazing king crabs. The further north you go, the cheaper they are. But they're always just as tasty. Reindeer is another delicacy most visitors should give a shot.

Delicious desserts

Those on cruises in Norway won't want to miss dessert. Indulge in a sweet milk dish called gomme orrømmegrøt, which is a sour cream porridge. Follow that with layer cake stuffed with whipped cream and jam and then pick between the pyramid of almond macaroon rings or iron-shaped cookies rolled into cones in classic Norwegian fashion.

Beverages

The average Norwegian consumes 40 gallons (160 quarts) of milk annually. If voyagers swing by a market, chances are they'll find milk cartons from the two dairy companies, Tine melk and Q melk.

For other beverages, opt for the 4.5 percent Norwegian beer or "blande," a cheap drink made from water and soured whey. Aquavit, or akvavit, is Norway's famous liquor export, made from potatoes flavoured with caraway. Looking for something fancy? The Vinmonopolet(The Wine Monopoly) is the country's special shops for imported wine and liquor.

Norway Traditional Food | Norwegian Dishes (2024)

FAQs

Norway Traditional Food | Norwegian Dishes? ›

In fact, reindeer is among the dishes regularly referenced as one of Norway's local delicacies. Lamb is also frequently included in Norwegian cuisine. Fårikal, a dish made up of boiled mutton and cabbage served with boiled potatoes, is very popular in the country and has been voted the national dish twice.

What is a traditional Norwegian dish? ›

In fact, reindeer is among the dishes regularly referenced as one of Norway's local delicacies. Lamb is also frequently included in Norwegian cuisine. Fårikal, a dish made up of boiled mutton and cabbage served with boiled potatoes, is very popular in the country and has been voted the national dish twice.

What is the Norwegian national dish? ›

Mutton and cabbage stew, or “fårikål” in Norwegian, has repeatedly been named Norway's national dish. It even has its own festive day on the last Thursday in September. Throughout the autumn months, people all around the country arrange lamb stew parties. “The dish is perfect if you want to invite a lot of people.

What food is most common in Norway? ›

Norway's cuisine is mainly characterized by being rich in fish and seafood. It is famed for its salmon, but also for dried cod, whale meat, king crab or game meat such as elk or reindeer. It is a light cuisine, but very tasty, since many of its dishes are usually accompanied by mild sauces.

What is a typical Norwegian lunch? ›

It doesn't have to be complicated. The traditional Norwegian matpakke consists of slices of freshly baked bread (often as open-faced sandwiches) with a favourite pålegg (fillings and toppings), and maybe a few slices of fruit or vegetables, or berries.

What are the 4 meals in Norway? ›

Typical main meals
  • Breakfast (frokost)
  • Lunch (lunsj)
  • Dinner (middag)
  • Evening meal (kveldsmat)

What does Norway eat for breakfast? ›

Breakfast. Norwegian breakfasts tend to revolve around sea, with meals including smoked salmon, fish in various sauces and marinades (such as sardines in mustard sauce or tomato sauce, or pickled herring), smoked whitefish served with hard-boiled eggs or caviar (kaviar in Norwegian).

What is Norway's culture with food? ›

Norwegian food culture is characterised by cool springs and short summers. The seasons are short and hectic and food must be provided for the whole year. Since ancient times, therefore, Norwegian food has often involved preserved food. Cod fishing takes place over a few intense weeks during the winter.

What fruits do Norwegians eat? ›

Hundreds of orchards and farms make Norway one big bowl of delicious fruit and berries, including everything from apples, pears, and plums, to blackcurrant, strawberries, and cherries.

What is a normal meal in Norway? ›

Lamb or mutton is the main ingredient in many traditional dishes in Norway. The Norwegian lamb meat is especially tender and juicy, since the lambs graze in vast expanses of untouched nature, with clean flowing water and rich vegetation. In autumn, you should try the Fårikål lamb stew, Norway´s national dish!

What do Norwegians eat in a typical day? ›

Norwegian Meals

Cereal, oatmeal, and yogurt are also popular choices. The second meal is post-breakfast or “lunsj.” It is typically a light meal of bread with “pålegg” (cheese, jams, cold meats etc.). The third meal of the day is dinner or “middag,” which usually happens around 4 or 5 PM.

What is a Norwegian sandwich? ›

The open-faced sandwich has a long tradition in Norway. A slice of freshly cut bread, thinly spread with butter, provides the base for artfully arranged toppings and edible garnishes. Every element of the sandwich should be fresh. The ingredients should complement one another with respect both to taste and appearance.

What is popular Norwegian food in America? ›

Lefse, Krumkake, Lutefisk, and Raspeball/Komle/Klubb (called Potato Dumplings in the United States) are just some of the food traditions there, not only eaten by Norwegian Americans, but by other people in the states. Lefse can be found in most supermarkets in Fargo.

What is rotten Norwegian fish dish? ›

Rakfisk is char or trout that is salted and fermented for up to a year. The traditional Norwegian dish has such a strong odor—comparisons include old cheese and dirty socks—that most diners chase it with a bracing shot of aquavit.

What is the traditional Norwegian holiday meal? ›

In Norway, two traditional dishes are contenders for the most popular Christmas dinners – “ribbe” (pork rib) and “pinnekjøtt” (lamb or mutton rib). Whilst the former has been the overall prime choice for years, the popularity of pinnekjøtt grows for each passing year.

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