But I have compiled a meager list of things I would like to try while abroad in Norway--some obvious stuff, and then some less obvious stuff:
Norwegian smoked salmon. As a maritime country, the majority of traditional Norwegian cuisine involves fish. I have a sneaking suspicion I may end up comparing Norwegian smoked salmon to Alaskan smoked salmon. We'll see which one is tastier.
Gravlaks, or "dug salmon." This is apparently a salt-and-sugar cured dish seasoned with dill and lemon.
Reinsdyrsteik, or "reindeer steak." Apparently the meat is very rich, so it is often served with juniper berry or lingon berry sauces. On that note, I'm also keen on trying...
Cloudberry jam! I had some of this while I was visiting a dear friend in British Columbia, and when we looked it up on Wikipedia we discovered that it is grown and distributed in the Nordic countries even moreso than in Canada. (It tends to crop up in Newfoundland in Canada, unless I'm mistaken.) Tastes very nice on toast, and apparently is also used to make...
Lakkalikööri, a Finnish liqueur derived from the cloudberry fruit. You can drink it either on its own or in coffee, which seems rather like Baileys or Amaretto to me. At any rate, I'm determined to try this, too.
There are some other dishes I'm really interested in trying: torsk, which is poached cod, often served just with potatoes; lapskaus, a meat stew that can have everything in it except fresh pork for some reason; fårikål, Norwegian mutton stew; Norwegian coffee, which supposedly has its own very distinct flavor and texture; and, of course, mjød, perhaps better known on this side of the pond as mead. :)
This website providing the names and addresses of good restaurants in Oslo will, I'm sure, become my best friend, even if I will like as all be too broke to enjoy all of these things too often. But I am determined!
* yes, I am well aware that I am not a man at all. shh.
Don't worry. We can try chicken anus together and out-man Bourdain.
ReplyDeleteOh dang, it's *on*.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it was actually -good- Gravlaks or not, but I've had some of that before and it is delicious. "Delicious" in annoying all caps and glittery font. That delicious.
ReplyDeleteThey all sound pretty delicious, especially the second and the last. I'm pretty sure I couldn't eat a reindeer though. Just picture it's wide brown eyes staring up you as it thinks, "Lizzi... whyyyyy?"
ReplyDeleteHahaha, oh no, I'm pretty sure I could. :D
ReplyDeleteI've had canned reindeer before! xD It was surprisingly nice actually, but it is indeed very rich (I only managed a few tiny squares before giving up!) Let me know what it's like fresh? :D
ReplyDeleteAnd imho, smoked salmon > gravadlax, but it is very much a matter of personal taste. Poor you, having to try all of that delicious food to decide for yourself! ;P xD
Is norwegian coffee where they boil the coffee plain in a special saucepan and serve it black? Or am I totally getting confused with something else? :o