Viking Christmas cuisine

"Delicacies from land and sea" on the Norwegian dinner table.

Calling it a "culinary feast" is not an exaggeration, because the Christmas table in this fjord region brings together various North Sea fish, lamb from the West Coast, and pork dishes characteristic of Eastern Norway.

In the 16th century, there was a tradition in Norway where, starting on December 1st, Catholics were not allowed to eat meat until December 24th. This period was called Advent, encompassing the four consecutive Sundays before Christmas. During this time, only fish were permitted, most commonly cod, Atlantic halibut, and ashwater cod.

I had the opportunity to taste lutefisk, or fish preserved in ash, on the last day of Advent. Before actually tasting this unusual dish, just hearing its name was enough to make many people hesitant. The fish used for this dish is usually white-fleshed fish like cod, and specifically, it must be winter cod caught in the extremely clean waters of the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway.

To make lye water, beech wood is burned to ash, then mixed with water in a specific ratio to create a lye solution with the precise alkalinity suitable for preserving fish. Nowadays, because beech trees are extremely rare in Northern Europe, they are often replaced with ash from birch trees – a very common tree in Europe.

Lutefisk is typically served with potatoes, mashed beans, and golden-fried bacon sprinkled on top of the fish fillet. Despite its elaborate preparation, lutefisk is not very popular with younger generations today due to its complicated cooking method and its less distinctive flavor compared to the other two delicious dishes for a Christmas feast.

After World War II, Norway implemented agricultural diversification, focusing on grain production and pig farming in the east, while the western region, with its grasslands, concentrated on large livestock such as cattle, sheep, and horses. This is why two different dishes appear on Christmas dinner tables in these two regions: pinnekjøtt in the west and svineribbe in the east.

Pinnekjøtt, or cured lamb ribs, is a very old Scandinavian dish, dating back to the 18th century. It originated from a food preservation method involving salting and smoking meat for long-term storage. Therefore, pinnekjøtt is usually very salty. Before cooking, the lamb ribs are cut into small, bite-sized pieces and then soaked in cold water for at least a day to remove some of the salt. After soaking, the ribs are simmered in a large pot with a small amount of water.

What makes pinnekjøtt special is that the ribs are not cooked directly in a metal steamer, but instead are placed on carefully carved birch slats, allowing the hot steam to indirectly cook the meat. This is why the name pinnekjøtt – meat on slats – became the name for this lamb rib dish.

Closer to many people's tastes is svineribbe, a dish that, in my opinion, is very similar to... roast pork back home. However, unlike roast pork, which can be eaten year-round and served with a variety of vegetables and noodles, svineribbe only starts appearing in Norwegian supermarkets from the beginning of November until Christmas.

Discerning home cooks often use the crispiness of the pork skin to gauge the "professionalism" of the host. A perfect ribbe should have a crispy, evenly crackling skin that isn't tough, and it shouldn't be too salty from accidentally adding too much salt. When sliced ​​into long pieces, the skin should remain attached to the thin layer of fat and not fall apart. Ribbe is usually served with boiled potatoes and pickled red cabbage with dill, accompanied by a sauce made from the juices released during the initial grilling process.

Sweden: “National meatballs” and “prince sausages”

When talking about cuisine from the homeland of the band ABBA, meatballs (kjöttbullar) are perhaps the most representative. They are so popular that if you go to any IKEA store worldwide, you can enjoy this dish at the IKEA restaurant located inside the store.

Frankly, in terms of preparation, meatballs are far less elaborate than the dishes prepared by their Norwegian neighbors for Christmas. And indeed, Swedes don't need to wait until Christmas to enjoy kjöttbullar. This dish is incredibly simple: minced meat mixed with spices, then fried until golden brown and served with potatoes, boiled vegetables, and a sweet and sour lingon jam, a characteristic dish of the Northern Hemisphere. Because of its popularity, kjöttbullar has become an iconic dish of Swedish cuisine and is naturally a staple on Christmas tables everywhere!

The name "princess sausage" (prinskorv) refers to a popular type of sausage in Sweden, created by a butcher from Vienna (Austria) in the early 19th century. These sausages are typically short and sold in strings of many small pieces. Before frying, the ends of the sausages are often quartered so that when cooked, the ends fan out like a prince's crown.

Of course, a Swedish Christmas feast has to be much more than that. A traditional Swedish feast is incredibly lavish and full of all kinds of traditional Nordic food, including meatballs, sausages, smoked salmon, chilled salmon served with a dill, mustard, and vinegar sauce, whole roasted ham, roasted pork ribs, baked potatoes and onions, soft-boiled eggs, pickled herring with various seasonings like mustard, garlic, onion, dill, etc., sauerkraut, and various types of bread served with cheese. A Christmas feast overflowing with delicious but… easily overwhelming dishes like this certainly wouldn't be complete without a few sips of Aquavit to help balance the fat in your stomach!

What's on the Christmas table in the "kingdom of hygge"?

When you think of Denmark, you immediately think of hygge, a peaceful and hedonistic lifestyle deeply rooted in Danish and Nordic culture. So, what's special about the Christmas dinner in the "kingdom of hygge" on December 24th?

Initially, the Danish Christmas dinner table, like its Viking counterparts, was heavily influenced by Christian tradition. Christians were only permitted to eat fish during Advent, while meat dishes such as sausages, bacon, and roasted pork ribs were reserved for Christmas Day. However, around the mid-19th century, when Christmas became an official holiday in Denmark, the meal underwent some changes.

Instead of fish as before, people started eating roasted goose and duck with chestnuts, pork stew with apples, and various sausages served with potatoes and red cabbage. This is also the "standard" Christmas menu today in the land of the Little Mermaid, although each region will have its own unique dishes.

But if we only ate those kinds of dishes, where would the unique charm of Christmas cuisine in Andersen's homeland be? The answer lies in two exquisite desserts: kransekage (ringworm) and risalamande (almond porridge).

Kransekage, found only in Norway and Denmark, is a tower of 18 stacked rings. Flags or small decorations are often placed along the sides of the tower to make it more visually appealing. Kransekage is made from almond flour, powdered sugar, and egg whites, then each ring is baked individually in the oven and held together with melted sugar. Each ring has a different diameter to form the pointed tower.

In the past, bagels were quite popular, often baked by housewives to be enjoyed at tea or coffee parties. Nowadays, because the baking process is so elaborate, and modern housewives no longer stay home all day like traditional housewives, few people bake kransekage regularly anymore. Gradually, bagels only appear on special occasions, including weddings and Christmas.

Kransekage has a unique way of being enjoyed; it looks simple, but it's not. Instead of eating from the top down, kransekage should be eaten from the bottom up! After the kransekage are beautifully arranged on a tray, one person lifts it up, and another person removes the largest ring at the bottom, then breaks it into bite-sized pieces and scatters them back on the tray. Everyone enjoys that portion until it's gone, then they lift the tray again and break off another ring. A good kransekage can be kept for two to three days without drying out; when eaten, it should be chewy and fragrant with almond and a hint of vanilla.

Risalamande, whose name comes from the French "riz à l'amande," meaning almond porridge, was introduced to Denmark in the early 20th century and gradually replaced the traditional sweet porridge of Northern Europe. Almond porridge is made with a special type of rice used exclusively for this dish, along with rich cream, milk, and finely chopped almonds. Traditionally, whoever finds a whole almond in their bowl of porridge will have good luck and receive a special almond gift. In families with children, adults will secretly put an almond in each child's bowl so that everyone gets a gift!

Today, a Christmas feast in the "kingdom of hygge" would be incomplete without a bowl of hot almond porridge, with a piece of rich, melting butter in the center and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top for added aroma. And so, young and old alike eagerly eat their portions, hoping to find a lucky almond.

What about a banquet in the volcanic land of Iceland?

Despite being a nation with Viking origins, Iceland's unique geographical location, isolated from the rest of Europe and Northern Europe, has given it its own distinct Christmas dishes, quite different from its three neighboring countries.

With a sheep population of around 800,000 but a human population of just over 300,000, it's no surprise that lamb dishes are very popular in this volcanic land. Icelandic sheep, perhaps because they feed on grass fertilized by volcanic ash and breathe an air always subtly scented with the characteristic rotten egg smell of sulfur, have meat of unparalleled quality. In fact, in the capital Reykjavik, there's a famous lamb hotdog kiosk that's so popular that if you visit the "Smoked Bay" (a literal translation of Reykjavik) and haven't tried a lamb hotdog, it's like you haven't really been to Iceland. But wait, the story of Icelandic cuisine will be discussed in another article.

Going back in time, the tall, muscular Viking pirates, living in a place with a harsh climate and soil like Iceland, needed a plentiful supply of protein to survive the cold winters and have enough energy to... be pirates. That protein was obtained from raw meat. However, later, as people became more civilized, they began to smoke meat to preserve its freshness and original flavor. Therefore, smoked lamb hangikjöt is one of the indispensable dishes every Christmas season in Iceland.

Besides hangikjöt, Icelanders also display a lavish spread of cured meats, grouse served with beans, corn, cabbage, and sweet potato. But, like their Danish counterparts, the unique aspect of the Icelandic feast lies not in the abundance of meat and fish, but in a very simple dish: leaf bread (laufabrauð), originating from northern Iceland.

As the name suggests, these are round cakes, about 15-20cm in diameter and as thin as leaves. The surface is decorated with geometric shapes or other simple images. These patterns are carved with a special knife to avoid tearing the delicate dough. After being shaped, the cakes are lightly fried in hot oil and can be eaten immediately or sprinkled with powdered sugar for sweetness. The process of carving the designs onto the cakes is also an opportunity for family members to gather in the cozy kitchen, chatting and sharing stories, regardless of the snow falling outside and another year drawing to a close.

Ngoc Quyen