Scandinavian Traditonal Foods thread....

[Jojo F.]

Most of my heritage is Scandinavian, Norwegian to be exact, and I really want to start a thread all about Scandinavian traditional foods. Anyone else interested?

Here is my short list-
cabbage
beans
peas
onions
other wild plants, nuts and berries (I'm not sure exactly which ones)
beef
sheep
pigs
poultry-eggs
horse (but I'm not about to eat a horse!!)
venison
LOST of fish/seafood
dairy products
barley, oats, and rye (could only grow wheat in Denmark)

Please add!!!!

There is of course other blood in me like Native American, French, Italian, & German but I have mostly Norwegian & from both sides.

[LionTigerBear]

This is really interesting to me. I have no Scandinavian blood, but DH is half Scandinavian and the boys are 1/4. I'm not really sure what that means except they should probably be eating more fish. I'm interested to learn more!

[pampered_mom]

I have a deep love for my Scandinavian heritage...dh and I have both dreamed of moving there!

[AstridS]

I am Scandinavian. I think the list is pretty acurate. If you want some Scandinavian recepies please let me know.
But of course there is a great deal of variation. Scandinavia is pretty big. Things that they eat in the north, like reindeer meat, you couldn't get in the south 50 years ago, before supermarkets made everything avaliable all year round. And things that we eat in the south, like oysters, you couldn't get in the north. And similarly, the agricultural strategy is different. In Denmark and the southern part of Norway and Sweden it is mainly based on pigs (meat) and cows (dairy). In the northern part of Norway and Sweden I think it's mostly reindeer (meat) and goat/sheep (dairy/wool).

[quietserena]

I don't know, my predecessors are all Mediterranean but I've been listening to the News from Lake Wobegon podcast lately to get to sleep and apparently among the American Norwegian communities, ludafisk is the traditional food.

(Garrison Keillor doesn't have a good thing to say about it though...)

[Holiztic]

My stepfather is half Norwegian (his father born and raised in Norway) though he's never even been there! Anyway, I grew up watching him eat sardines and other small fish and he LOVED them! Must be in his blood. He has memories of his father talking about ludafisk.

[Junegoddess]

My family just recently discovered that my great-grandfather was Swedish. Or Prussian. We're not entirely sure. Sure can't see any Scandinavian when I look in the mirror... but I lurve me some sardines! Just discovered that today, as a matter of fact. Sardines on weird gluten-free crispbread. Delicious.

That's still only 1/8 of my genetic makeup, I suppose. It's extra interesting to me, though, because I grew up just thinking I was a French/English/German mutt.

[Fujiko]

: LEFSE, LEFSE, LEFSE! :
My grandmother is of Norwegian decent, and I am from North Dakota (Red River Valley, specifically Fargo) where there are a lot of Norwegian farmers. Although, I must say, lefse is the extent of my Norwegian culinary culture. I have never had the *pleasure* of trying lutefisk.

[pampered_mom]

psst...it's spelled lutefisk! :0)

[pnutS4us]

turnips and rutabagas too! In fact, turinps are known as swedes in Britain!

I am mostly swede and dane and dh is part norsk! got all of scandinavia covered and i LOVE herring in sour cream. So good! I think i might get some when i market here in a bit.

[rabbitmum]

Originally Posted by AstridS

I am Scandinavian. I think the list is pretty acurate. If you want some Scandinavian recepies please let me know.

Me too! This time of year (autumn) the big thing to eat in Norway is "faarikaal" ("sheep-in-cabbage"). It's lovely, very traditional, and everybody still eats it every autumn. I can post a recipe if anybody is interested.

[weliveintheforest]

I'd like a recipe!

[AstridS]

Originally Posted by rabbitmum

Me too! This time of year (autumn) the big thing to eat in Norway is "faarikaal" ("sheep-in-cabbage"). It's lovely, very traditional, and everybody still eats it every autumn. I can post a recipe if anybody is interested.

får i kål :

In Denmark the big autumn food is mostly different kinds of pot roasts and baked roots. Last night we had beets, carrots and turnips marinated in honey and salt and baked in the oven. And a pot roast with leek and onions that just simmered on the stove all afternoon. :

[quietserena]

Originally Posted by pampered_mom

psst...it's spelled lutefisk! :0)

Wikipedia steered me wrong!

[rabbitmum]

Fårikål

Yes, it is of course "fårikål", not really "faarikaal". I don't know if people see the "å" correctly? Anyway, here goes (I hope you can manage with our kilograms etc.):

Ingredients:

1 ½ kg sheep meat (in chunks with bone and fat)
1 ½ kg cabbage
4 teaspoons whole black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
3 desilitres of water

Do this:
1. Cut the cabbage in "boats"

2. Lay meat and cabbage in layers in a pot (start with meat, fatty side down). Sprinkle salt and whole pepper between each layer.

3. Add water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the meat loosens from the bone or at least 2 hours.

4. Serve with boiled potatoes.

It makes the whole house smell of fart for a couple of days, but tastes really good! : Fårikål is even better the next day, and the day after that - my mother always makes a huge load that lasts several days.

(http://www.farikal.no/Farikal_page.aspx?mnu1=5404)

Here is a film that shows the procedure (they also add some wheat flour, which I never do) (and they use chops without bone, I usually use "fårikål meat" which is thicker chunks with bone, and much cheaper): http://www.spise.no/oppskrifter/fari...ge_farikal.htm

[rabbitmum]

Other traditional Norwegian foods that I don't know whether have been mentioned are food made from blood, like blood sausage and blood pudding; cured fish and meat ("spekemat"), which was (and is) eaten during the winter; and whale meat, which was a common dinner when I was little (but has become les politically correct since).

Here is a recipe for cured lamb of leg:
http://recipes.chef2chef.net/recipe-...2/A02325.shtml

[OceanMomma]

I don't think we have any scandinavian blood but my grandad come from up the top north east coast of scotland so we could have some viking ancestry. One of my favourite cookbooks is Kitchen on Light.
http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Light-...6870906&sr=1-1
It has lots of very TF-like recipes. You can TF them very easily if they are not.

[Jojo F.]

Yay!!!: I'm glad this thread has taken off

We love sardines in our house and I also really like smoked and pickled herring. Cabbage rolls are a favorite as well

These recipes sound really good, keep 'em coming! I'm glad this week is grocery shopping week!!!

Thanks for the link to the book OceanMomma- I'll check it out.

Originally Posted by quietserena

I don't know, my predecessors are all Mediterranean but I've been listening to the News from Lake Wobegon podcast lately to get to sleep and apparently among the American Norwegian communities, ludafisk is the traditional food.

(Garrison Keillor doesn't have a good thing to say about it though...)

There is a special place in my : for that show As a little girl I grew up in MN. So many of the funny little stories he tells are soooo true!!

[OceanMomma]

Janssen's temptation : Thinking about shopping day here too which is tomorrow. I forgot to say I did live way up the north west coast of norway for a couple of years when I was a kid. I have vivid memories of the strawberries. I remember my Mum telling me when we left the other local mums gave her cream in her tea as a treat :LOL mum was horrified. I also love that gjetost cheese.

[hollycat]

i agree, LEFSE!!!!
also lots of berries, wonderful seafoods, fresh and pickled.