From: nkjrm@taxus.uib.no (Rolf Manne)
Subject: Re: Soon it's Christmas (Was: Finns and Swedes......)
Organization: University of Bergen
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 13:31:45 GMT

In article <1992Nov12.104529.952@news.uit.no> sveini@mack.uit.no (Svein-Ivar Lillehaug) writes:

>In article <kjell-111192135513@g0-mac5.ekti.chalmers.se> kjell@emke.chalmers.se (Kjell Siimon) writes:
>>
>>OH COME ON YOU GUYS!!!!!
>>
>>Don't start this arguing all over now again!
>>Put it like this instead:
>>
>>In a couple of weeks there will bi Christmas. Wouldnt it be nice, just for
>>a while at least, to share Christmas traditions with eachother instead of
>>fighting.
>>Let me try with this one:
>>
>>In Sweden we all drink something called GLUGG. It's very sweet wine, remade
>>from old wine that SYSTEMBOLAGET don't find any use for and can't get ridd
>>of in any other way. We drink it hot with raisins and shopped nuts. After a
>>couple of glases your stomage feels very turbulent and you have to spend
>>some hours on the lavatory.

>Ok, in the spirit of Xmas, let us "argue" about which country has the
>best traditions in making Gloegg. The swedes have lost their tradition
>as they buy their Gloegg fabric made at BOLAGET. Our POLET is making the
>same stuff, but it has not become a success. Instead we put our own
>mixture (red wine, spices, olmonds(sp?), raisins and 96%) together. The
>raisins gives a special effect to the stomage if you put them on the
>96% for a couple of days in advance. If you can not find the 96% you
>have an emergency which can be solved with the 60%. This stuff can be
>found at both POLET and BOLAGET. 

>I suppose the finns just put olmonds in their vodka, and that the danes
>eat their Xmas nuts together with their bitter (den lille) and beer
>combination.

>This puts Norway as the only country with valuable Xmas traditions.
>//Svein-Ivar

I have experienced two kinds of Norwegian gloegg:

(1) Some terrible stuff called "Tomtegloegg" bought in grocery stores which
is supposed to be diluted with alcohol or water.

(2) Gloegg made according to a recipe where the taste of the spices was
first extracted in water (?) and wine, sugar and alcohol added
later. This gloegg was strong enough but had no taste.

Since a number of years I therefore make my own gloegg from a recipe in a 
Swedish cook-book. This gloegg is served annually at the Christmas lunch at 
the Department of Chemistry. The recipe is about as follows: 1 bottle of red 
wine, normally the famous Norwegian generic "Roedvin". 1 dl sugar, 1
package cinnamon bark (kanelstang) about 5 g, 3-5 nelliker (please help with
the translation to English, it is kryddnejlikor in Swedish). All this is 
heated together slowly (do not boil excessively). Put almonds in boiling
water so that the skin can be removed. Cut the yellow part of fresh lemon
peel in small pieces. The white backing should not be used. Add all this
together with raisins to the gloegg. Reheat before serving. I add no extra 
alcohol. The taste of spices is strong enough. The desired state of 
intoxication is reached through the placebo effect.

For car drivers I take "solbaersaft" (svart vinbaersaft) suitably diluted, 
add no extra sugar and follow the same recipe.

Rolf Manne
e-mail Rolf.Manne@uib.no
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic