Random notes on Norwegian food

Recently returned from a couple of weeks in Norway, mostly the northern areas above the arctic circle. Food was generally excellent. Some random thoughts:
1. Brown cheese: a semi-soft cheese that is brown in color and taste a bit of caramel. It's can be served as a topping on waffles or just plain as a snack.
2. Waffles: They make then thin and crispy. We had them for dessert, but I think they can also be a snack or breakfast.
3. Cod: A very big item for local consumption and export. They make bacalao, the salted cod we were familiar with. But locally they probably prefer what they call "stock fish," which is cod preserved by drying rather than salting. The big fishing months are January to March, and they dry the fish on outdoor racks, even though it's winter.
4. Reindeer: While I've never much liked venison, the reindeer was delicious. All the reindeer are tended to by the Sami, the indigenous people of the north. The herds are semi wild. They are branded, but they are never fenced in. The herds have summer and winter feeding grounds and the Sami migrate with them.
5. Whale: Along with Iceland and Japan, they commercially fish whale. They emphasize that they only catch a small amount of Minke whales, which are not endangered. We talked to some locals who opposed it, but it was on many menus.
6. Pickled herring: While we saw some in supermarkets, we were never served any. We were told it's more of a Swedish thing, as is dill.
7. Suksessterte, which translates to Norwegian success cake, has layers of almond cake and a rich custard.
8. They are very proud of their fruits, and have what you might call a craft juice industry. Various fruit juices in fancy bottles are offered as non-alcoholic dinner drinks.
9. Kvitnes Gard: a restaurant in a rather remote location on the Lofoten archipelago, this was one of our best meals ever. A top chef opened a restaurant/farm where he serves a 23 course meal in which all the produce and meat is grown on the farm. All the fish is local. Non-local ingredients are limited to salt, oils, flours, and probably a few other items. If you eat there, you pretty much have to stay overnight in one of their rooms in a renovated old farmhouse. You also get a fabulous breakfast the next morning. The restaurant is quite well known in Scandinavia, as we've read that you need reservations many months in advance.

All in all, we stayed mostly in upscale, remote, lodges, and didn't have high expectations for the food. But we never had a bad meal, and most of our meals were outstanding.

4. Reindeer: While I've never much liked venison, the reindeer was delicious. All the reindeer are tended to by the Sami, the indigenous people of the north. The herds are semi wild. They are branded, but they are never fenced in. The herds have summer and winter feeding grounds and the Sami migrate with them.

I follow a YouTube channel of a hunting and fishing family in Alaska. You cannot buy moose and bear meat, you need to know hunters who will share. Reindeer are considered a small domesticated variant of the moose family, which allows people to buy their meat.

Interesting part of the world in Norway, so glad you shared your impressions.

Regards,
Cathy2

We were in Iceland last year and the hotel we stayed in had a daily lunch buffet which we (unfortunately for us) skipped all but the last day. It turned out to be pretty great and included an assortment of cured fish and also cured reindeer. Surprisingly tender and delicate. Not at all gamey.

Jonah wrote:1. Brown cheese: a semi-soft cheese that is brown in color and taste a bit of caramel. It's can be served as a topping on waffles or just plain as a snack.

Gjetost is pretty easy to get here these days if you're looking for a fix. Even some Jewels have it.

Jonah wrote:8. They are very proud of their fruits, and have what you might call a craft juice industry. Various fruit juices in fancy bottles are offered as non-alcoholic dinner drinks.

Any standouts?

Interesting to bring up the name Gjetost (which I don't know how to pronounce), The Norwegians, who speak excellent English, all referred to it as "brown cheese" when speaking to us. It's quite possible when speaking Norwegian they refer to it as Gjetost. Either way, they are very proud of it. Sometimes it was made from cows milk, sometimes goat milk.

As for fruit drinks, I do not have any names. While the waiters would show us the bottle, I don't recall anything specific from the many that we had.

Jonah wrote:The Norwegians, who speak excellent English,

I frequently say, when the topic arises, that "Scandinavians are much like Americans except their English is better."

Many of them follow American politics and are better informed.

Jonah wrote:Many of them follow American politics and are better informed.

So true.

Mom and I follow a pretend friend from Svalbaard, who eats brown cheese (Gjetost) for breakfast. I have some in the refrigerator I bought at Mariano's. As much as I want to appreciate it, I just don't find it very exciting. I wonder if it might taste better in its native environment.

Regards,
Cathy2