I feel like the Norwegian food scene doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. Between the seafood and the fruit and the sweet treats, you wont be leaving Norway hungry!
Although it is by no means a comprehensive list, I’ve put together some of what I consider to be the can’t-miss meals of Norway!
What to Eat In Norway
When I think of Norway, I think of their waffles! I went to school with a bunch of Norwegians, and they could always bribe us with a waffle in a pinch. Unlike a traditional waffle, Norwegian Waffles are very thin and adorably heart shaped. The pastry itself is quite sweet, and is typically topped with a variety of different options. My personal preference to eat my waffles with sour cream and jam!
I’ve tried a few different recipes, but I keep coming back to this one by True North Kitchen. The sour cream in the batter is key!
Perhaps the staple of Norwegian cuisine, brown cheese is readily available for any meal. It’s a common topping for those Norwegian waffles, and you’ll pretty much always find it at a breakfast buffet. The cheese gets its brown color from the milk sugars being caramelized- which also gives it its distinctly sweet and fudge-like taste. I can’t eat cheese, so I only tried a bite and it was pretty good!
Speaking of the breakfast buffet, Norwegian breakfasts can be quite dry with lots of breads and meats. For some reason, I became absolutely fixated on Norwegian crisp bread. Hard bread is a thin and crispy flatbread, usually cut in long strips. It’s usually made from rye flour and whole grains, but there are ton of variations with added seeds and things for options.
Breakfast will have a variety of jams to put on your flatbread- you may recognize lingonberry jam from IKEA. Or Sweden, if that’s where your traveling takes you. This was the first time I’d experienced cloudberry jam and it quickly became a favored snack. Seriously- just give Norwegian hard bread and cloudberry jam a try!
My friend’s dad even made us homemade cloudberry jam from berries he’d picked himself! This is a genuine honor!
Gooseberry is also a common flavor in Norway- as it is across much of Europe. In the US, though, this flavor is practically non existent, so make sure to get your taste testing in now. I’d never seen these berries before, and my friend couldn’t remember the English name, so to this day, I think of them first as stikkelsbær!
Reindeer is exciting, but definitely more of a delicacy. I saw reindeer hotdogs in Bergen, and I’m sure I would have seen them in some of the traditional Norwegian restaurants, but for the most part I think this is more common in Northern Norway- which I didn’t quite make it to during my roadtrip.
Much like Norwegian waffles, Krumkaker is a traditional Norwegian dessert cooked in a special iron and rolled into a cone. It’s actually similar to a waffle cone, but with intricate patterns from the iron. These are often filled with cream and berries and served around Christmas time. My friend said that these reminded him of holiday with his grandparents!
With 62,000 miles of coastline, it’s no wonder that Norway is known for its seafood! I’m told visitors should try salmon, herring, and cod in particular. Lutefisk is a particular fancy and famous seafood dish that involved a stock fish that has been soaked in water, then lye then water again.
Fiskekaker is perhaps more appealing to the average palate, with ground fish being mixed with flour or potato and fried, steamed, or baked.
I have tried exactly none of these dishes. I don’t like fish, sue me.
Fårikål has repeatedly been named the National Dish of Norway. This simple stew is made with layered lamb or mutton and cabbage, slow cooked until tender. This hearty dish is popular in the fall months and is a staple of Norwegian cuisine.
I was introduced to apple cake at Mormors Stue in Trondheim. This cake consists of a simple sponge cake covered in sliced apples. I don’t know how popular it actually is in Norway, but I loved it and it will always remind me of my visit.
I actually found this cafe while looking for Kvæfjordkake– also known as the World’s Best Cake. While I couldn’t find it to try it for myself, it seems hard to go wrong with a cake consisting of sponge cake, vanilla cream, whipped cream, and meringue topped with almonds. It seems to be mostly for special occasions like birthdays and weddings- perhaps why I couldn’t find one.
Skolebrød is often served as a school snack, hence its name (school bread). A cardamom flavored dough, filled with custard and topped with shredded coconut is a favored sweet treat in Norway.
A total classic, bolle is a traditional Norwegian sweet bun. This can be found in most bakeries, so it should be easy to give it a try!
What to Drink in Norway
Aquavit is a distilled spirit produced throughout Scandinavia and is heavily flavored with spices and herbs. There are a variety of flavors to try, but if you’re driving through Norway like I was, make sure to leave all your taste testing until you’re done driving for the day- these shots are typically 80 proof!
Glögg if you’re visiting around winter time, make sure to grab a mug of glögg. This Scandinavian mulled wine is o holiday delight!
Norwegian Bucket-List Restaurants
If you’re on the fancier side of foodie, Norway is a great place to be with 22 Micheline-starred restaurants.
The most famous of these restaurants is likely Maaemo a 3 Michelin-starred contemporary restaurant established in 2010.
Under is another hugely popular restaurant known for its unique under water location in Lindesnes. Seriously, the number of articles I had sent to me about this place after it opened to the public in 2019 was ridiculous!
Have you seen the movie The Menu? Rumor has it, the writer was inspired to write the movie after a visit to Skømatrestaurant in Bergen. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that this isn’t exactly a rave review, so…take that as you will.
If you’re looking to sample the best of the best of Norway’s seafood, there’s always RE-NAA, Norway’s second 3 Michelin-starred restaurant in Stavanger.
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