Blog

March 16, 2024 will be an eventful day in the Norwegian mountains as it marks the annual Birken ski festival – also known as the Birkebeinerrennet. Athletes from all over the world travel to Norway to participate in the various cross country ski races.

Scandinavian countries are known for many things, but pizza isn’t typically one of them. Traveling to Norway, one would expect things like potatoes (and all the dishes made from them), fish, and gjetost. But in Norway, as with the rest of the world, pizza has become a popular staple that can take on local flavors.

The aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is a natural phenomenon that many wish to see in their lifetime.

Author and translator Barbara Sjoholm on uncovering and uplifting the undertold stories of Scandinavia’s Indigenous people.

The aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is a natural phenomenon that many wish to see in their lifetime.

When one thinks of Norway’s staple foods, fish, lamb, and potatoes often come to mind. However, in recent years, another food item is capturing the hearts of many: cheese!

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.

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

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.  

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.

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.

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. 

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:

In the Sept/October issue of Viking magazine, Emma Enebak covers the Whimsical World of Norwegian Folklore, and some of the fairy tales collected by Asbjørnsen og Moe.

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.

Not really a cheese, and looks and tastes a bit like a caramel. What exactly is gjetost? It’s just delicious.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.