Most of Norway receives very little light during the winter, with large areas in complete darkness for several months. You can cultivate the land only for a small part of the year when it is not frozen and covered in snow. Winter storms at sea were deadly in the old days and fishing was limited to only some months of the year.
Viewed from a contemporary perspective, it is impressive that people managed to survive at all in this dark and cold land. Norwegians did so by carefully storing and conserving food for the cold months. They saved everything that could be used – meat, blood, knuckles and heads. Nothing was to be thrown away. They developed conservation methods that relied on drying, salting, smoking and fermentation in order to preserve their food.
The old conservation methods are the basis for virtually all Norwegian traditional dishes. The backdrop for today’s interest in traditional food is centuries of poverty, sobriety and lack of food.
With large part of the European population in lock down, it is interesting and important to understand how our great grand parents survived in a world where food was produced locally and conserved over long period.
This book presents 20 Norwegian dishes and food traditions that are inspiring to read during the Corona quarantine.
Order a physical copy with the discount code “corona” to get free shipping. Or, if you prefer to read right now in electronic format, download the kindle version here.
