BLOG-4.8

There are two official written versions of the Norwegian language—bokmål and nynorsk—but spoken Norwegian is another situation entirely. As far as regional dialects, there are four main groupings of spoken Norwegian: Northern (nordnorsk), Central (trøndersk), Western (vestlandsk) and Eastern (østnorsk).

Around the holidays and New Year, family-friendly quiz shows abound in Norway, with shows presenting daily challenges from various locations. Test your knowledge with this multiple-choice quiz!

Fiskegrateng – Fish au gratin. Winter is a great time to make this homey casserole.

Earlier this month, we launched a colorful virtual julekalender (Advent calendar) to highlight various aspects of the Norwegian holiday season. One of the important facets of norsk jul is food—both sweet and savory. The rule of thumb for julebakst (Christmas baked goods) is that you should have a good variety of cookies, in fact, seven kinds or sju slag /syv sorter kaker.

As you spend time with family over the holidays, take the time to learn more about your relatives and record some family stories. Sit down and chat with multiple generations and make this a group activity.

When thinking about or discussing Norwegian foods, one food will undoubtedly come up: porridge. Porridge has had quite the role throughout Norway’s history. In fact, it is quite possibly the oldest hot dish in the Norwegian diet. The main grains used were barley and oats, as it was difficult to grow other grains in the cold climate.

Just as fall colors reached their richest hues in mid-October, Her Majesty Queen Sonja paid a visit to Minnesota. The Queen’s official visit covered both government and Norwegian-American entities across the state.

An exciting discovery has been made just centimeters below the soil in Stjørdal, near Trondheim. Pawel Bednarski took a metal detector out to his field right before Christmas last year and uncovered a treasure trove of Viking objects.

That’s another name given to the Sognefjord, and with good reason. It is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway, with a length of 128 miles and a staggering depth of over 4,000 feet.

At the outskirts of civilization, not far from the North Pole, lies the town of Pyramiden. It’s located on the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. At first glance, this is a desolate-looking place, surrounded by towering mountains and glaciers and vast open skies. You will find more polar bears and arctic foxes here than people. For much of the year, you can count the number of permanent human residents on two hands.

High school seniors and current college students- it's time to start thinking about 2023! If you are a member of Sons of Norway or have a parent or grandparent who is a member, you can apply for a scholarship from the Sons of Norway Foundation.

An interesting problem has left the city of Tromsø, Norway, searching for solutions. This issue has been compared to the rat infestation in Paris, but these “rats” in Tromsø can fly, and are known as seagulls.

In the western suburbs of Oslo, the historic village of Bærums Verk straddles the cascading Loma River. Many buildings here date back to the iron works which were established here in 1640. Throughout the centuries, its dedicated workforce has manufactured everything from salad forks to lighthouses.

Looking for something unique and spooky for your Halloween party? We found this recipe on www.christinascucina.com and were inspired to share, adding a few touches of our own. 

Commanding over 13,000 square miles of majestic mountains, meandering fjords, and historic habitations, Vestland is a dreamscape of a county. A land of giants, it features the largest glacier in Europe which feeds Norway’s tallest waterfall. The westernmost point of Norway proper is on a tiny island far out to sea from the mouth of the Norway’s longest fjord, Sognefjorden. It is less than 200 miles east of the Shetland Islands of Scotland.