🧑🤝🧑 Norwegians
The main people of Norway, a mountainous country in northern Europe; their dairy symbols are whey cheese brunost and rømmegrøt porridge.
Norwegians are the main population of Norway, a mountainous country in northern Europe. The Norwegian dairy tradition took shape in a mountainous country with short summers. In the past, herds were moved for the summer to mountain pastures called seters, where cow’s and goat’s milk was made into butter, sour cream and cheeses to store.
The most recognisable product is brunost, “brown cheese”. It is cooked down from whey with added milk and cream until the milk sugar caramelises; technically it is not a cheese in the strict sense. The best-known variety is Gudbrandsdalsost. Brunost is still a familiar sandwich topping today.
Rømme is a thick sour cream made from cultured cream. It is used to make rømmegrøt, a porridge of sour cream, milk and flour served with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Historically it was a festive dish, cooked for Christmas, Easter and family celebrations, and from the 18th century, according to accounts, brought as a gift to new mothers. By Christmas custom a bowl of the porridge was left out for the household spirit, the nisse.
How it connects to milk
🧑🤝🧑 Norwegians → live in → 🌍 Northern Europe ← milked in ← 🦌 Reindeer → gives → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Where they live
- 🌍 Northern Europe
- Traditions
- 🟫 Brunost, 🌱 Caraway spirits and aquavit, 🥃 Aquavit, 🥃 Norwegian aquavit (Norsk Akevitt), 🥃 Vikingfjord, 🥃 Linie Aquavit, 🥃 Norsk Vodka
- Traditional products
- 🥣 Rømme
Frequently asked questions
What is Norwegian brown cheese made from?
Brunost is cooked down from whey with milk and cream until the milk sugar caramelises and the mass turns brown.
What is rømmegrøt?
A Norwegian porridge of thick rømme sour cream, milk and flour, served with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.
Why is brunost sweet?
Whey is rich in lactose; during long cooking it caramelises and gives the product a sweetish taste.
What to read next
- 🥣 Rømme — Norwegian sour cream (fermented cream): seterrømme has 35% fat, lettrømme 18% and 10%; the base of the festive porridge rømmegrøt.
- 🌱 Caraway spirits and aquavit — Aquavit is a spirit flavoured with caraway or dill, at least 37.5% ABV, no essential oils. Caraway spirits (Kümmel) start at 30%, and Kümmel liqueur is much sweeter.
- 🥃 Aquavit — Aquavit (akvavit) is a Scandinavian spirit flavoured with a distillate of caraway or dill: in the EU from 37.5% ABV, essential oils banned. Svensk Aquavit and Norsk Akevitt are protected names.
- 🥃 Norwegian aquavit (Norsk Akevitt) — Norway's GI: aquavit from Norwegian potato spirit, redistilled with caraway and/or dill and aged in casks for at least 6 months; 37.5-60% ABV.
- 🥃 Vikingfjord — Norwegian vodka from potato spirit and Norwegian water, distilled in a special five-column process; 37.5% ABV in Norway. The brand is listed as Arcus by Vinmonopolet and is now in the range of Anora Norway.
Similar
🧑🤝🧑 Swedes · 🧑🤝🧑 Icelanders · 🧑🤝🧑 Finns · 🧑🤝🧑 Sámi
ℹ️ This page describes the people only through food: what they grow and make, and which foods and drinks matter in their traditions. History, language, religion and other parts of the culture are not covered here.
What it includes
- Traditional products
Sources
- High lactose whey cheese consumption and risk of colorectal cancer — The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study. Scientific Reports, 2019
- Tastes of Scandinavian Heritage (USC Scalar) — History of rømmegrøt