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Norwegian word of the day: Ventepølse 

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected] • 22 Jul, 2022 Updated Fri 22 Jul 2022 14:22 CEST
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Norwegian word of the day. The Local Norway, Norwegian news in English. Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash and Nicolas Raymond/FlickR

The 'ventepølse' acts almost as an appetiser when Norwegians gather around the grill. 

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What does it mean?

Ventepølse is a compound of wait (vente) and sausage (pølse). However, if you come from a country that takes particular pride in its sausages, and prefers them stuffed with herbs and spices, then a pølse in your eyes is a hot dog rather than a sausage. That's because a ventepølse is typically one of the more straightforward hot dogs Norwegians like to chuck on the grill. 

ventepølse is a typical Norwegian hotdog (I'm sorry, Norway, they don't quite cut it as sausages in my eyes) that you eat before the rest of the food is ready. 

It acts as a sort of appetiser to get your mouth watering for the rest of the food. Some people will also use corn on the cob.

Ventepølse are a cornerstone of grilling season in Norway. Norwegians will grill all year-round, whether it's the height of summer or sitting around a bonfire while taking a break from cross country skiing in the winter. 

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However, from whenever it's warm enough to tolerate being outside without a jacket (around mid-spring) to when it isn't is prime grilling season. 

Why do I need to know this? 

Well, currently, it's prime grilling season, and if you are invited somewhere to grill, don't be surprised when you are offered a hotdog to chow down while waiting for the rest of the food. 

Use it like this: 

Det er en stund til middagen er ferdig. Jeg tar meg en ventepølse i mellomtiden. 

It's a while till dinner. I'll make myself a sausage in the meantime.

Vil du ha en ventepølse mens vi venter på de andre? 

Do you want a sausage while we wait for the others?

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Frazer Norwell 2022/07/22 14:22

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