Submitted by Kaare Askildt, Preeceville area farmer in training who recently returned from a trip to his home country of Norway. This story is the second of a three part series.
We did not know what to expect regarding Norwegian Christmas food traditions. I remembered from my youth that we had "Ribbe" which is a cut of pork ribs with the rind on. This particular Christmas dish dates back to the 1800s, and is primarily served in the Eastern part of Norway. It is very fat, but scrumptious. In any event we were prepared to eat what we were served, and at least try something once, but I draw the line at "Lutefisk"! However, Marion was just dying to try it!
Our first taste came on December 22 when we were guests at my nephew Morten's mother Anne and her significant other Stein. It was Anne's birthday, so all of her kids and grandkids were there as well. The menu was a traditional Norwegian Christmas fare, consisting of "Ribbe," Pork Meat Balls and Fine Pork Sausage, accompanied by two different dishes of Red and Green Sweet and Sour Cabbage and "Lefse"! The "lefse" took the place of the potatoes. Of course traditional Christmas beer and aquavit from a local commercial distiller went along with the meal. The aquavit tends to remove inhibitions, and the party got a little lively, as in a lot of laughter and mirth by the time the birthday cake came around!
Then we enter into the unknown! Visiting my niece Line and her family including her mother Sigrun and her husband Morten's mother Aase on December 23, we were served a traditional Drammen Christmas meal called "Molje." They told me the ingredients and how it is made, and I thought the poor sods they must have hit on some hard times, had we known we could have brought some meat or something.
However, this is a traditional Drammen Christ-mas meal. The local historian believes that this meal was first served long before Jesus was born! How is that for maintaining tradition! It's a special flatbread broken into pieces in a bowl, and then a bit of hot pork stock is poured over it, just enough to make a doughy type mash with a fork. Additionally hot liquid pork fat is also available for those who desire. Sprinkled generously with salt and pepper and bon appetite! Again the traditional Christmas beer brewed by the local Aass brewery (I'm not making this up), and aquavit accompanied the meal. It actually was very tasty! I had to have two helpings!
We were also served another Norwegian traditional dish called "Rakfisk." It's a fresh water trout that has been gutted and scrubbed and submerged in a barrel of brine at a certain temperature for at least four months, the longer the better. The raw fish is then rinsed in fresh running water and served with flat bread, pickled beets and sour cream. It's an old way of preserving and curing fish dating back to the 1,400s, and was in use long before the invention of vacuum packing, cooling and freezing. The Japanese should import this delicious dish from Norway and add to their Sushi Tray!
Of course pickled herring was also on the menu! The meal was prepared mainly by Line's husband Morten, but Line also assisted. Then Sigrun's famous cloudberry cream dessert! I thought I was going to burst! Next time I visit them I'll put on my "eating pants" they are much more flexible and don't restrict the expansion of my midriff! It was indeed a lively dinner affair, everybody was having a great time and tears of laughter were rolling down the cheeks! The next morning we were treated to a traditional Norwegian Christmas breakfast. It was all there, boiled eggs, anchovies in brine, head cheese, goat cheese, cured ham slices, jam, "lefse" and bread!
Christmas Eve is the main celebration in Norway, and my nephew Morten and his family were hosting us for that occasion. They live about half way between the International Airport and Oslo, and Morten had taken time off from his job as a SAS Maintenance Supervisor to be with us and assist us while in Norway. Morten was in charge of the Christmas dinner, and he was assisted by his lovely oldest daughter Silje.
On the menu was another traditional Norwegian Christmas meal called "Pinnekjott." This is a rack of sheep ribs that have been cured in brine, dried and then smoked. To prepare them for human consumption (dogs eat them the way they are), they have to be cut into individual ribs and soaked in fresh water, then steamed or poached for a certain length of time. Some have birch twigs (pinne) criss crossed in the bottom of the cooking vessel, hence the name "Pinnekjott." This dish is accompanied by mashed rutabaga and served primarily in Western Norway. Its origin dates back to the 1700s.
We were called to the table, and the steaming hot bowl of "Pinnekjott" was passed around, followed by the mashed rutabaga and the almond potatoes. The potato has the shape of an almond, hence the name and the flesh is yellow. A hardy sweet tuber well suited for the Norwegian climate. Of course Christmas beer from the Aass brewery and aquavit was also on the table.
This meal was a first for both of us, and we have to take the cue from our host. It was suggested that we do not have to eat the fat part of the rib, just the meat. After showing proper table manners struggling with a knife and fork in an attempt to cut the meat off a rib that kept flipping around like it had a life of its own, we are told with a smile that we may use our fingers. Well then! Now we can get down to the real Viking style of eating! All we need is a buxom wench walking around the table with a bucket of home brewed beer refilling our glasses, and then toss the remnants of the devoured ribs over our shoulders! Hey! I can get into this! Oh well! No buxom wenches to be had, only fair maidens at the table, and the floor was too nice to be spoiled with food scraps!
It was hard to switch our minds from what we are used to in Canada, both my wife and I were looking for the "with its" such as a salad, gravy, pickles and cheddar cheese and so on. But we had to remind ourselves that these were traditional meals, and the old traditional meals are done using the "KISS Principle" (Keep It Simple Stupid). We really enjoyed this traditional Christmas Eve meal as well, and might even try and make it ourselves sometime in Canada.
We travelled up into the mountains to Geilo with Morten and his family on Christmas Day, to spend some time with my twin brother Kjell. Geilo is a small hamlet where my brother was once the chief of police, he is now retired. There we met some more of our relatives, and I will describe them all in my next article. Suffice it to say that somehow a Swede (shudder (just kidding!)) has joined our family. He with the help of my youngest nephew Baard proved to be a fairly decent chef, serving up some Entrecote. No traditional Norwegian meals were being served at Kjell's place.
I announced that Marion and I would put on a Canadian breakfast, and off to the store we went to buy the ingredients. I don't know how many times people smiled at me and I had to repeat my popular phrase: "I'm not who you think I am I'm his twin brother!" Anyway the menu was eggs, bacon and pancakes (flap jacks). There were three types of bacon in the store. Two variants were cut into 2 inch short strips, and were salted but not smoked. I picked the long bacon which was cured as well as smoked. My wife suggested that I cook up the bacon first, and she would help me. Holy Moly! We cut open the packages, the bacon strips were about a foot long, but sliced extremely thin, thinner than tissue paper, and very hard to separate. As soon as I put them in the frying pan they shrivelled up to about six inches, and I had to be quick turning them or they would burn! I'm sure glad we produce our own bacon at home! The rest of the breakfast went according to plan, and we got the Swede to do the egg honors.
We had been invited to my cousin Lisa and her husband for dinner while in the mountains, and my brother Kjell came along as well. We gathered around the dinner table, and Lisa said with a smile that she hoped we had not been served "Pinnekjott" yet. We both smiled back and confirmed that indeed that was what we were served on Christmas Eve! Well we would taste it again, with the mashed rutabaga and the almond potatoes, but this time there was some lamb stock to pour over the potatoes. We didn't wait this time; we just grabbed the ribs with our hands and dug in! Still no buxom wench! But for dessert Lisa had prepared an old traditional Telemark dessert called "Karamelpudding" (Caramel Pudding). Wow! I'll be putting on my "eating pants" next time I visit with them!
Then back to Drammen to my oldest brother Moritz and his wife Else, where another traditional Christmas feast was waiting for us. They had invited all their children and grandchildren as well, and the dinner was somewhat pot luck in as much as they had engaged a number of their children in making many of the dishes.
There were indeed many different dishes: "Ribbe," "Lutefisk," Pork Meat Balls, Fine Pork Sausage, Stewed Prunes, Mashed Peas, Cloudberry Cream, Raspberry Cream and a Chocolate Layer Cake baked by my nephew John following my mother's recipe! Wow! What else could I say! My wife tasted "Lutefisk" for her very first time, and declared that she liked it! For the uninitiated "Lutefisk" is a dried slab of cod fish that has been soaked in lye to make the dried meat swell up again, then rinsed in fresh water and boiled. I was a young lad the first which was also the last time I had this, and it was only because my dad threatened me with a fate worse than death! It tasted a bit soapy and the next day my brothers and I had the cleanest innards any doctor ever wanted to see, no nature's broom required there, and we didn't dare fart for two weeks!
Of course Christmas beer from Aass brewery was served with the dinner.
