Read news from:
Austria
  • Europe
  • Austria
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Norway
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
Norway's news in English
The Local
  • News
    • War in Ukraine
    • Politics
  • Covid-19
  • Oslo
  • Practical tips
    • Living costs
    • Reader questions
    • Property
    • Renting
  • Learn about Norway
    • Travel – Discover Norway
    • Food & Drink
  • Norwegian language
  • Jobs
    • Working in Norway

Sections

Latest newsCovid-19Oslo
Practical tipsNorway: Learn about NorwayTravel news

Membership

My accountLog inStudent accessCorporate
NewslettersHelp centerGift voucher

The Local

Search siteContact usWho we are
Send us a storyAdvertise with us

Editions

AustriaEuropeGermanyNorwaySweden
DenmarkFranceItalySpainSwitzerland

Services

Jobs in Norway
Noticeboard

SOCIAL

Norwegian delicacies foreigners find hard to stomach

Norwegian delicacies foreigners find hard to stomach
×
❮ ❯

Voted the national dish of Norway, Fårikål is a simple stew of boiled mutton and cabbage flavoured with whole peppercorns. There's nothing really wrong with it, but most foreigners struggle to see what the fuss is about.
The first thing that strikes foreigners about Lutefisk, a lye-preserved cod dish, is it's eye-watering stench, after which the actual taste comes as something of a relief, especially when offset by the traditional honey, peas and mustard.
It's something of a conundrum as to why Scandinavia's richest country serves the very worst quality of sausage. "There's some cheap and nasty pølse out there," warns Oslo-based Irishman David Walshe. Photo: Stig Andersen
Fiskboller -- little balls of ground-up fish and potato flour -- almost invariably come out of a can, after which they are then served with a bechamel or even curry sauce. "Fiskeboller are disgusting," says Isa Ross. "My first day here, I thought it was cheese and ate one... puaggghh."
Lutefisk's more challenging cousin, Rakfisk,  is normally made from trout, which is fermented for months, sometimes even a year, then eaten raw with sour cream and flat bread. Unlike surströmming, the similarly stinky Swedish version, Norwegians eat it indoors.
Western Norway is one of the few places in Europe that still relishes eating whole sheep's heads. To make Smalahove, first the skin and fleece is torched, then it's dried, smoked and finally boiled. "If I can't look at it, nevermind eat it, then it's the winner," says Belfast-born Oslo resident David Walshe.
Hvalkjøtt. Whale meat, with it's steak-like flavour and consistency, generally goes down well with foreigners, especially carnivorous ones. What puts people off is the questionable morality of the whole thing.
Smørgrøt. This porridge, made with butter, sour cream and wheat flour, is too stodgy for some foreigners.
Boiled, salt-cured pig's trotters, called Syltelabb, are traditionally served at Christmas, which means that if you hook up with a Norwegian, you may one day have to eat one.
Norwegian brown cheese, brunost. is technically not cheese at all, as it's made from whey and not curds. Most foreigners find it sickly sweet, flavourless, and cloying to the tongue.   Photo: Leslie Seaton
Mølje is a favourite in Norway during the winter months. But the dish of fish pieces served in a broth of cod's roe and cod's liver is certainly not for everyone.
Seagull's eggs, måsegg, are only really eaten in the North of Norway, where they are traditionally served hard-boiled with beer. They're more than twice the size of chicken's eggs and have a milder, though slightly fishy, flavour. "So incredibly yuck!" says Jane Thompson.
A dish of ram's testicles, called Væraballer, is traditionally served with sour cream as a starter before smalahove, presumably to make sheep's head seem like a relatively normal thing to eat. Thankfully, a rarity.
The unleavened barley bread called Flatbrød has been a Norwegian staple since the vikings. "It could be the side of a cereal box. Half the time I check both sides to see if theres a cornflakes picture on the other side," says David Walshe.
Salt liquorice is an obsession Norwegians share with all of their Nordic cousins. With the flavour coming from the chemical Ammonium chloride, food additive E150, it's far from organic. It's "a horrible experience," according to David Walshe.
Translating as "old cheese",  remarkably Gamalost was once  a staple of the Norwegian diet. It is a very low-fat cheese, left to mature for a very long time.  "I don't think I remember tasting anything quite as vile as that," says Norwegian-Scot David McArthur.


More galleries

10 Great Songs about Norway
Gallery: Statoil’s architecturally stunning new offices
Ten things Google wants to tell you about Norway
GALLERY: What Norway’s Vikings did for English
GALLERY: Norway’s weirdest Christmas traditions
Norway’s gingerbread house contest
Ten things Norwegians do that annoy foreigners
Axsel Hennie’s wacky birthday beard-styles
Gallery: Oslo’s new Ekeberg sculpture park opens
Who are the stars in the firing line?
The Local Europe AB
Vasagatan 10
111 20 Stockholm
Sweden
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Become a member
  • My Account
  • Newsletters options
  • Advertise with us
  • Post a job ad
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy policy
App store App store
modal logo Please whitelist us to continue reading.

So this website can function correctly please whitelist The Local with your adblocker, antivirus software or browser add on.

Please visit the help centre for more information