Blog

The mission of Sons of Norway is to promote and to preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic countries, and provide quality insurance and financial products to our members.

Lindesnes Fyr

There are a total of 212 lighthouses that dot the approximate 62,706 miles of Norway’s majestic coastline. The first and oldest of those lighthouses was erected in 1656 at Lindesnes, which sits at the southern tip of Norway, in Agder county.

December 19th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Risalamande

Serve this delicious dessert on Christmas Eve and whoever finds the almond should receive a small prize.

December 18th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Dramatic Beauty: Møre og Romsdal

Dotted with coastal islands and carved with deep fjords, Møre og Romsdal county graces Norway’s central west coast where imposing mountains end in plunging waterfalls or ease into lush valleys.  

November 22nd, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Meet the Maker: Rosemaler Judy Ritger

The original artwork for this year’s limited edition rosemaled ornament was painted by Judy Ritger of River Falls, WI. Learning rosemaling mainly through studies at Vesterheim Folk School in Decorah, Iowa, Judy also studied with Ragnvald Frøysadal in Norway and in the U.S.

November 21st, 2023|Categories: Blog|

A Semester in Trondheim

As a student majoring in Nordic Studies at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, one of the “requirements” was to spend a semester in Norway. I have ‘requirements’ in quotes, because it was more of a golden opportunity, as I had longed for a Norwegian experience for as long as I could remember.

November 21st, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Sveler med Smørkrem – Norwegian Griddle Cakes with Buttercream

According to godt.no, sveler were first made on board the ferry company Fjord1's routes in Møre and Romsdal in 1971. Originally, the sweet griddle cakes were made on a voluntary basis by the employees, but over the years the tradition developed into an expected service offered to the passengers. Sveler became associated with ferry rides so much, they are also referred to as fergesveler, ferry pancakes. 

November 20th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Hva Spiser Du Til Frokost? What Do you Eat for Breakfast?

Breakfast is considered an important meal of the day in Norway. A 70% majority eat a daily breakfast, and only 5% of the population report that they never eat a morning meal. According to godt.no, Norwegians eat the following foods for breakfast at least once a week:

October 16th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

My Year Above the Arctic Circle

There is peace in a dog yard. It’s paradoxical, but it is there. You feel it while chopping raw meat, the rickety table covered in ice and deep gouges from persistent swings of cleavers and axes.

October 15th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Intriguing Viking Finds

The July/August issue of Viking featured an image of an intriguing unnamed carving in the article “Tales from the Orkney Islands.” The ornate piece is not made of wood, but is a Viking whalebone plaque discovered in a late 9th- or early 10th-century burial in Scar, on the island of Sanday, Orkney.

September 20th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Bits and Bobs

The Norwegian language has a tendency to sprinkle word pairings throughout conversation and writing, like bits of linguistic spice. These phrases are fun to say and add a poetic flavor, since they often appear in rhyming and or alliterative pairs.

September 20th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Kleppmelk- A Classic Regional Middag

Kleppmelk (dumpling milk) is a creamy soup commonly eaten in Northern Norway, Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. It consists of thick dumpling dough formed into balls, simmered in milk and topped with cinnamon and sugar. Despite its light sweetness, this is no dessert, but is considered a main dish.

September 19th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Kleppmelk / Dumpling Soup

Kleppmelk (dumpling soup) is a creamy soup commonly eaten in Northern Norway, Trøndelag, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal, with each region having a slightly different recipe.

September 18th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Scandinavian Food Festivals

When thinking of traveling and the best countries in terms of foods to try, Scandinavia might not be the first place to pop in your head. However, they in fact hold some of the world’s best food festivals.

August 23rd, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Arctic Race Goes Electric

The 2023 edition of the Arctic Race of Norway took place August 17-20. While this race always twists across Norway’s Arctic terrain, the course varies from year to year.

August 23rd, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Recent Ancient Finds

It seems almost daily there are reports of exciting new discoveries from Norway’s landscape. Let’s dive into two recent news stories!

August 23rd, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Pytt i Panna

Try this delicious recipe to clean up your fridge. It is a great use for leftover potatoes and is also tasty adding in leftover meat.

August 22nd, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Norwegian Baby Trends

In the past few years, fertility rates in Norway have been fluctuating. Prior to present day, 2020 marked the lowest registered rate at 1.48 children per woman. A proposed explanation for this decrease was that more women in Norway were postponing their first birth.

July 20th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

The Royal Grad

2023 has a been a special year for Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 2nd in line to the Norwegian throne. While finishing her final year of high school, Ingrid Alexandra already had an office in the Royal Palace.

July 20th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

The Impossible Jump in Hellesylt [Interview]

When my great-grandmother and seterjente Anne Berta Pedersdatter left behind family and home in Norway, her last residence was Helsæt gard in Sunnylven kommune. The site of that same farm was recently the landing pad of the latest stunt in Tom Cruise’s movie Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1.

July 20th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Family-Friendly Norway

Norway is a wonderful place to take a family vacation as it is safe, welcoming, and full of activities for all ages. Not to mention, its beautiful scenery lends itself to a plethora of outdoor family adventures

June 14th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Biking to Work for 50 years

Since 1973, Norges Bedriftsidrettsforbund (the Norwegian Business Sports Association) has encouraged citizens to commute by bicycle and choose green trips when running errands. As a result of this initiative, over a million Norwegians have taken part in their bike to work program

June 13th, 2023|Categories: Blog|
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