The 20 most famous dishes of Norway
Norwegian cooking is the food of fjords and mountains — salmon, cod and lamb, with old traditions of drying and salting, famous brown cheese and waffles.
1Fårikål
Norway's national dish: bone-in lamb and cabbage layered with whole black peppercorns and slow-cooked until…
2Lutefisk
Dried cod soaked in lye until gelatinous, then baked and served with mushy peas and potatoes — a traditional…
3Kjøttkaker i Brun Saus
Large beef patties in brown gravy, served with potatoes, mushy peas and lingonberry jam.
4Raspeball
Big grey potato dumplings cooked in broth, served with salted meat, melted butter and mashed swede — Thursday…
5Lapskaus
A thick stew of beef, potatoes, carrots and swede — sailors' and workers' food.
6Bergensk Fiskesuppe
Bergen's creamy fish soup with root vegetables, cream and a touch of vinegar and sugar, with fish pieces and…
7Grillet Laks
Norwegian salmon fillet grilled skin-side down until crisp, served with cucumber-dill sauce and new potatoes.
8Bacalao (Norwegian Style)
Salted dried cod (klippfisk) stewed with potatoes, tomatoes, onion, peppers and olives — a legacy of Norway's…
9Fiskekaker
Patties of finely blended white fish with milk and nutmeg, fried in butter and served with potatoes and…
10Pinnekjøtt
Salted, dried lamb ribs steamed over birch sticks — the Christmas dish of western Norway.
11Vafler med Brunost
Thin heart-shaped Norwegian waffles served with slices of sweet, caramel-tasting brown cheese.
12Lefse
Thin potato flatbread cooked on a large griddle, spread with butter, cinnamon and sugar and rolled up.
13Krumkake
Patterned wafer cookies rolled hot into cones and filled with whipped cream and berries at Christmas.
14Kransekake
A tower of graduated almond rings decorated with icing — served at weddings and on Constitution Day.
15Skillingsboller
Big cinnamon buns from Bergen, once sold for one "skilling" coin.
16Riskrem
Cold rice pudding folded with whipped cream, served with red berry sauce at Christmas.
17Multekrem
Rare golden wild cloudberries from the far north folded into whipped cream — a royal Christmas dessert.
18Kjøttsuppe
A clear beef soup with root vegetables and cabbage, served with small flour dumplings.
19Fiskegrateng
White fish with macaroni in béchamel and cheese, baked until golden — a Norwegian children's favourite.
20Sodd
A clear soup of lamb, meatballs, potatoes and carrots — a festive dish from Trøndelag.