MAIN INGREDIENTS
Poronkäristys is the traditional dish of Sámi people in Finland, Norway and Sweden, prepared by sautéing reindeer meat. The dish originates from the Arctic Lapland where the semi-nomadic, indigenous people called Sámi have been herding reindeers for a very long time.
Thin slices of reindeer meat are usually sautéed in butter, with or without onions, and slowly simmered in beer or stock until they develop a tender and succulent texture. The most common and traditional accompaniments for the dish include creamy mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, but it can also be accompanied by pasta or rice.
Pinnekjøtt is a traditional Christmas dish predominantly enjoyed in the northern and western parts of the country. It is usually prepared with racks of lamb or mutton, which are brined and air-dried or smoked before they are sliced into individual ribs and cooked.
Traditionally, the ribs are placed on birch branches and steamed until all the water evaporates and the meat becomes juicy and tender. This flavorful Norwegian classic stems from the traditional methods of meat preservation and is usually complemented with mashed or boiled potatoes, pureed Swedish turnip, and various salads.
Kjøttboller or kjøttkaker are traditional Norwegian meatballs. Even though they share many similarities to their Swedish counterpart, they are usually larger in size and more often shaped as meat patties or meat cakes.
Among the numerous varieties, traditional versions mainly employ minced beef that is generously seasoned with nutmeg and ginger, and occasionally combined with eggs, onions, oats, and cornstarch. Norwegians prefer to pan-fry the meatballs and enjoy them as a main course, accompanied by a creamy sauce or a thick gravy.
Julekrydret ribbe is a traditional meat dish consisting of spiced ribs. The preparation of spiced ribs is typically reserved for Christmas festivities. The ribs are rubbed with a mixture of ground anise seeds, minced ginger, salt, and black pepper before they're tightly covered and chilled.
Whole cloves are studded into the meat and the rind. After a day or two, the ribs are placed into a baking pan with the rind up, covered with a bit of water, covered with foil, and baked. After a few hours, the ribs should be fully cooked, the rind will become crisp, and the dish is then ready to be served.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Reinsdyr mørbrad is a traditional game meat dish originating from Norway. The dish consists of reindeer steaks that are fried or grilled to perfection, usually in reindeer fat, butter, and oil. The meat of domesticated and farmed reindeer is lean, and the flavor is mild, pleasant, and not gamey at all.
The steaks are usually seasoned with salt and pepper and served medium rare, and the texture shouldn't be chewy or heavy as is often the case with game meats. However, sometimes there's a slightly metallic taste. The meat is usually served with lingonberries, carrots, boiled new potatoes, or mashed potatoes on the side.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
The national dish of Norway, fårikål, is hearty mutton and cabbage stew, typically served with boiled potatoes. The list of ingredients is scarce: only mutton, cabbage, salt, pepper, and water, although some recipes call for the broth to be thickened with flour.
Traditionally, this stew was a seasonal, autumn dish, but today it is eaten throughout the year.
MOST ICONIC Fårikål
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Medisterkaker is a traditional dish consisting of pork meatballs. Although there are many recipes for these meatballs, they're usually made with a combination of ground pork, flour, eggs, salt, nutmeg, ginger, milk, black pepper, and oil. The meat, salt, and eggs are stirred until sticky, then mixed with the flour and spices.
The milk is added a bit at a time, and the resulting mix shouldn't be too firm. The mixture is shaped into balls that are fried in oil until slightly browned on both sides. In order to finish the dish, the medisterkaker are typically cooked in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Hvalbiff is a traditional dish consisting of whale steaks. Fresh whale steaks are usually fried and seared over high heat on both sides, with a raw middle point. They can also be marinated before frying or grilling. Seasonings such as salt and pepper are typically added after the steaks have been fried.
The steaks are often served with onion sauce, baked potatoes, or sautéed vegetables such as onions and bell peppers. Most people describe the flavor of whale steaks as oily, salty, sweet, and slightly reminiscent of beef and game meat. In Norway, minke whale is the most common species that's hunted.
Bidos is a traditional stew of the Norwegian Sámi people. It's made with a combination of reindeer meat (including the heart), onions, potatoes, and carrots. Traditionally, no seasoning is used because the stew already has a rich flavor reflecting the reindeer's pasture.
However, the stew can be enriched with a bit of mustard, if desired. The ingredients are slowly cooked until everything is tender. The Sámi people traditionally serve bidos at weddings and similar festive occasions.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Dyrestek med vilsaus is a traditional meat dish originating from Norway. The dish consists of reindeer roast that's served with game sauce. The roast is made with a combination of milk, butter, suet, leg of reindeer, and seasonings, while the sauce consists of red currant jelly or jam, sour cream, flour, butter, and brown goat cheese.
Strips of suet are stuffed in the reindeer meat, which is rubbed with salt and pepper, then browned in butter in a pan. Once browned, the milk and water are added to the pan, which is covered with a lid, and the meat is simmered for about 2 hours, then removed from the pan when completely cooked.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.