Norway cuisine

[MillbrookMom]

Hello, one of the things we really enjoy when travelling to new countries is trying some of their local cuisine.  I have tried researching to see what specific foods would meet that bill for Norway, but other than Brunost and reindeer meat, I am not having much luck. If anyone has any suggestions, that would be appreciated.  Or even restaurant suggestions, our itinerary is Geiranger, Molde, Honningsvag, Tromso, Flam, Alesund, Olden, Bergen.  TIA

[kaisatsu]

A lot of typical Norwegian dishes are seasonal and only available in the fall or at Christmastime.

 

Fårikål, a lamb and cabbage stew, is typically a cold-weather dish served often in the autumn, but you may find some restaurants that serve it all year.

 

Here are some other year-round options:

 

Fiskesuppe - Creamy fish soup is a popular choice on the west coast, especially around Bergen.

 

Lapskaus - A stew made from meat, potatoes, and root vegetables.

 

Kjøttboller/kjøttkaker - Meat balls/patties are pretty common and often come served with brown sauce and lingonberries.

 

Rømmegrøt - sour cream porridge

 

Sursild - pickled herring

 

Lefse - typical flat bread. For a sweet snack, groceries sell a packaged version with butter and cinnamon sugar

 

Multe - Cloudberries find their way into jam or other sweet treats

 

Vafler - you can have your waffle with brown cheese or top it with sour cream and jam.

 

 

[MillbrookMom]

31 minutes ago, kaisatsu said:

A lot of typical Norwegian dishes are seasonal and only available in the fall or at Christmastime.

 

Fårikål, a lamb and cabbage stew, is typically a cold-weather dish served often in the autumn, but you may find some restaurants that serve it all year.

 

Here are some other year-round options:

 

Fiskesuppe - Creamy fish soup is a popular choice on the west coast, especially around Bergen.

 

Lapskaus - A stew made from meat, potatoes, and root vegetables.

 

Kjøttboller/kjøttkaker - Meat balls/patties are pretty common and often come served with brown sauce and lingonberries.

 

Rømmegrøt - sour cream porridge

 

Sursild - pickled herring

 

Lefse - typical flat bread. For a sweet snack, groceries sell a packaged version with butter and cinnamon sugar

 

Multe - Cloudberries find their way into jam or other sweet treats

 

Vafler - you can have your waffle with brown cheese or top it with sour cream and jam.

 

 

Thank you very much 🥰

[dronnygirl]

In Flam look out for the Aegir brewery, you can't miss it as Flam is small.  It's a lovely traditional building that serves local beers and food.

[MillbrookMom]

17 minutes ago, dronnygirl said:

In Flam look out for the Aegir brewery, you can't miss it as Flam is small.  It's a lovely traditional building that serves local beers and food.

Thanks so much 🥰

[John Bull]

Fish is big in Norway, including sea-farmed trout & salmon.

Considering the number of fjords and the mountainous terrain that's no great surprise.

https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-fish-dishes-in-norway

 

We were in Alesund in June / July and took a tour to Trollsteigen. It included a village called Validal which grows strawberries - field after field after field of them, and they're the best we've ever tasted - better even than English strawberries.

Super tour

https://www.norwayexcursions.com/en/tour/alesund-from-fjords-to-trolls/

 

JB 🙂

[Hezu]

52 minutes ago, John Bull said:

We were in Alesund in June / July and took a tour to Trollsteigen. It included a village called Validal which grows strawberries - field after field after field of them, and they're the best we've ever tasted - better even than English strawberries.

I have no first hand experience with Norwegian strawberries, but at least I have read that since Finnish strawberries grow during the time of year when daylight is plentiful in the northern latitudes that improves the taste.

[kaisatsu]

On 8/1/2023 at 6:15 PM, dronnygirl said:

In Flam look out for the Aegir brewery, you can't miss it as Flam is small.  It's a lovely traditional building that serves local beers and food.

Excellent beer made by a brewmaster from upstate New York!

 

Mack is a Norwegian macrobrewery based in Tromsø, but they are affiliated with the Ølhallen pub in downtown Tromsø, next door to their former brewery. It’s a fantastic little place and carries several of Mack’s microbatch beers. One of my favorite beer bars in Norway, and if you saw my Untappd history, you’d know that‘s saying something! 😂 

Recommended breweries by port:

Geiranger - Geiranger Bryggeri

Tromsø - Mack

Flåm - Ægir, Voss (technically not in port, but close by and one of my favorites)

Bergen - 7 Fjell (and an honorable mention to Hansa if you’re after a bog standard pils)

 

I’d love to hear if anyone tries Olden Bryggeri, Tapp & Kork in Molde, or amplo Brew in Ålesund. None of them have made it to the beer festivals in Oslo, so I haven’t had a chance to try them.

[kitkat343]

In Olden, the restaurant on top of the Loen skylight was very good (and unsurprisingly expensive).  There were really good waffles at the Briskdal Glacier.

 

At the end of the tour, we decided to stop for lunch in Geiranger. We were a little scared to stop at Braserie Posten, since it is in a tourist trap location right near the cruise ship terminal, but the yelp reviews were positive and the food was excellent. There is seating with a beautiful view of the harbor in the back of the restaurant. We went through two bowls of fish soup, since the kids were so happy eating all of it. It is a very short walk from this restaurant to the dock, so this is a nice way to conclude your day in Geiranger. 

 

In Bergen, I'd recommend the Fish Market.  

[MillbrookMom]

4 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

Excellent beer made by a brewmaster from upstate New York!

 

Mack is a Norwegian macrobrewery based in Tromsø, but they are affiliated with the Ølhallen pub in downtown Tromsø, next door to their former brewery. It’s a fantastic little place and carries several of Mack’s microbatch beers. One of my favorite beer bars in Norway, and if you saw my Untappd history, you’d know that‘s saying something! 😂 

Recommended breweries by port:

Geiranger - Geiranger Bryggeri

Tromsø - Mack

Flåm - Ægir, Voss (technically not in port, but close by and one of my favorites)

Bergen - 7 Fjell (and an honorable mention to Hansa if you’re after a bog standard pils)

 

I’d love to hear if anyone tries Olden Bryggeri, Tapp & Kork in Molde, or amplo Brew in Ålesund. None of them have made it to the beer festivals in Oslo, so I haven’t had a chance to try them.

My husband will be all over this, thanks for the detailed info