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)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Roderick King

Last Updated:

Views: 5661

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Roderick King

Birthday: 1997-10-09

Address: 3782 Madge Knoll, East Dudley, MA 63913

Phone: +2521695290067

Job: Customer Sales Coordinator

Hobby: Gunsmithing, Embroidery, Parkour, Kitesurfing, Rock climbing, Sand art, Beekeeping

Introduction: My name is Roderick King, I am a cute, splendid, excited, perfect, gentle, funny, vivacious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.