Norwegian meals and customs
MEALS AND CUSTOMS
So keen on sports and the outdoor life are the Norwegians that it seems
they rise deliberately early to have time to fortify themselves with a
heroic breakfast selected at will from a koltbord. Typically, this
consists of an assortment of cold roasted and cured meats and sausages,
eggs, ham, bacon, hot and cold cereals, a selection of mild to strong
cheeses, crisp and soft rye and wheat breads, fresh butter and several
fruit preserves as well as fruit juices and fruits and coffee.
Then they are off to the day's activities. School and work begin very
early but they also end early in the day, and most people are homeward
bound to eat a simple early dinner at around 4:00 p.m. Throughout the day
small snacks of coffee, pastries or bread and butter and cheese may
suffice to replenish and nourish; sometimes lunch is an abbreviated form
of the breakfast koltbord: open-face sandwiches with coffee or
beer.
Aside from breakfast, there is little doubt that food and its preparation
are never really as important in the Norwegian mind as having time to ski
or skate, sail or mountain-climb. The 4:00 p.m. dinner is always a hot
though simple meal, sometimes a hearty soup and a filling dessert of
waffles or pancakes with fruit, other times a fish soup and poached fish
with boiled vegetables. At least once a week, farikal, a simple but
substantial casserole of cabbage wedges and mutton, is served.
When the occasion demands a more leisurely and lengthy dinner, whether at
home or in a restaurant, the three or four hour meal will be frequently
punctuated with skaal as well as convivial conversation and
laughter. Later in the evening, a small version of the koltbord
will again make an appearance just a "snack" to beckon sleep, or perhaps
to signal the end of the evening.
Norwegians are fond of flowers. Even though they may be expensive, flowers
always grace a special dinner table, and the best restaurants always have
at least one fresh flower in a vase at each table.
Perhaps because of the isolation of many villages or perhaps just because
of the Norwegian natural love for people, it is impossible to visit a
Norwegian home and leave without at least having had coffee and cookies or
cake. Usually a visitor will be expected to partake in the next meal with
the family. Traditionally in Norway, wedding or confirmation guests are
expected to stay for a few days: they may sleep over at a neighbor's but
they will take all their meals with the host family, the food and drink
mingling happily with songs, speeches, and dancing.
Blending with their love for natural flavors and their appreciation of
life, Norwegians take more than ordinary delight in seasonal foods.
Skipping school and work to pick the ripening berries is enjoyed just as
much as gorging oneself on prawns. Spring and summer are so precious and
so short that meals of berries or prawns are an unabashed national
pastime. Even the fishermen must stagger their summer holidays so that no
one will be denied the classic meals of prawns accompanied by crusty fresh
bread with sweet butter and homemade mayonnaise with pauses only long
enough for swallows of chilled white wine. In fact, bags of cooked prawns
are bought from street vendors and munched like peanuts.
Firm about the food traditions of their own land, Norwegians are not much
concerned about breaking so-called rules of eating and drinking. The order
of courses in a meal is not of great urgency: if the main dish is ready
first, it will be eaten first and the fish course may follow later. A fish
soup may precede a main course of fish that may be garnished with a shrimp
sauce: the duplication matters little. Frequently a robust red wine is
served with a main course of poached cod and mustard sauce. Though
unorthodox, the combination is delicious!