page_title: Norwegian cuisine
section_title: Meat
hierarchical_section_title: Norwegian cuisine / Meat
caption_attribution_description: English: Beef stew
context_page_description: Norwegian cuisine in its traditional form is based largely on the raw materials readily available in Norway and its mountains, wilderness, and coast. It differs in many respects from continental cuisine through the stronger focus on game and fish. Many of the traditional dishes are the result of using conserved materials, necessary because of the long winters.
  Modern Norwegian cuisine, although still strongly influenced by its traditional background, has been influenced by globalization: pasta, pizza, tacos, and the like are as common as meatballs and cod as staple foods.
context_section_description: Preserved meat and sausages come in a large variety of regional variations, and are usually accompanied by sour cream dishes and flatbread or wheat/potato wraps. Particularly sought after delicacies include the fenalår, a slow-cured lamb's leg, and morr, usually a smoked cured sausage, though the exact definition may vary regionally.
  Lamb's meat and mutton is very popular in autumn, mainly used in fårikål (mutton stew with cabbage). Pinnekjøtt—cured and sometimes smoked mutton ribs that are steamed for several hours (traditionally on a bed of birch sticks, hence the name, meaning "stick meat")—is traditionally served as Christmas dinner in the western parts of Norway. Another Western specialty is smalahove, a salted, or salted and smoked, lamb's head.
  Other meat dishes include:
  Kjøttkaker – Meatcakes: rough, large cakes—about the size of a child's fist—of ground beef, onion, salt, and pepper—generally served with sauce espagnol (Kjøttkakesaus or Brunsaus in Norwegian). Potatoes, stewed peas or cabbage and carrots are served on the side. Many like to use a jam of lingonberries as a relish.
  Kjøttboller – Meatballs: A rougher version of Swedish meatballs. Served with mashed potatoes and cream-sauce or sauce espagnole depending on the locality.
  Svinekoteletter – Pork Chops: simply braised and served with potatoes and fried onions or whatever vegetables are available.
  Svinestek – Roast Pork: a typical Sunday dinner, served with pickled cabbage (a sweeter
  variety of the German sauerkraut), gravy, vegetables, and potatoes.
  All good cuts of meat are roasted, as in any cuisine. Side dishes vary with season and what goes with the meat. Roast leg of lamb is an Easter classic, roast beef is not very common and game is often roasted for festive occasions.
  Lapskaus –  stew: resembles Irish stew, but mincemeat, sausages or indeed any meat except fresh pork may go into the dish.
  Fårikål – mutton stew: the national dish of Norway. Very simple preparation: cabbage and mutton are layered in a big pot
  along with black peppercorns, salt (and, in some recipes, wheat flour to thicken the sauce), covered with water and simmered until the meat is very tender. Potatoes on the side.
  Stekte pølser – fried sausages: fresh sausages are fried and served with vegetables, potatoes, peas and perhaps some gravy.
  Syltelabb is usually eaten around and before Christmas time, made from boiled, salt-cured pig's trotter. They are traditionally eaten using one's fingers, and served as a snack and sometimes served with beetroot, mustard, and fresh bread or with lefse or flatbread. Historically syltelabb is served with the traditional Norwegian juleøl (English: Christmas Ale), beer and liquor (like aquavit). This is because Syltelabb is very salty food.
  Pinnekjøtt is a main course dinner dish of lamb or mutton ribs, and this dish is largely associated with the celebration of Christmas in Western Norway and is rapidly gaining popularity in other regions as well. 31% of Norwegians say they eat pinnekjøtt for their family Christmas dinner. Pinnekjøtt is often served with puréed swede (rutabaga) and potatoes, beer and akevitt.
  Smalahove is a traditional dish, usually eaten around Christmas time, made from a sheep's head. The skin and fleece of the head are torched, the brain removed, and the head is salted, sometimes smoked, and dried. The head is boiled for about 3 hours and served with mashed swede (rutabaga) and potatoes.
  Sodd is a traditional Norwegian soup-like meal with mutton and meatballs. Usually, vegetables such as potatoes or carrots also are included.
caption: Lapskaus
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