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CHRISTMAS IN NORWAY

The start of the Christmas preparation is when late autumn the best wheat is gathered and saved until Christmas. Then it is put on poles. These make nice perches for the birds. If many birds are eating, it means a good year for growing crops. On Christmas Day many families go to church and then spend a quiet day together. This time is given to remembering the reason for Christmas warmth and joy, the birth of Jesus nearly 2000 years ago.

Nissen is thought of a short, stocky fellow with a long, grey beard and a red knitted cap. He wears dark knickers and a shirt and vest or a sweater.He brings children Christmas gifts. But the role of nissen wasn't always like this. Several decades ago, he was though of as the protector of the family farm. Stories about nissen have been passed down for generations. Norwegians in the old days believed in stories about the netherworld figures. Nissen was powerful. He seemed to like humans, if he was treated with the respect he felt he deserved. On the farm, he helped with the work in mysterious ways. For example, because he enjoyed helping horses more than cows, he would often steal hay from the cows to give an extra portion to a favourite horse. His trickery could contribute to crop failure and sickness for both animals and people if they didn’t treat him good. Nissen expected being served a large wooden bowl filled with sour cream porridge, with a big "eye of butter," in the centre on Christmas Eve. Today, he prefers rice porridge.When the people on the farm went to find the bowls the next morning, the dishes would be licked clean. That was proof enough that nissen really existed! Most families in Norway have a tradition that one of the family members dress up like nisse by putting on a stiff mask and a costume, Christmas Eve. The nisse with his sack knocks on the door. He asks the question: "Good evening, are there any good children here?"
"Yes, I am good," most children say. Norwegians know deep in their heart that the nisse lives. That is why Norwegians still fill wooden bowls with porridge and take them to their barns on Christmas Eve because no one can be sure.

Christmas Trees in Norway

Everyone has either a spruce or a pine tree in their living room - decorated with white lights, Norwegian flags and other ornaments for Christmas. The children make paper baskets and chains of coloured paper. The baskets can be filled with candy or nuts. Christmas trees became common in Norway from around 1900. Before the presents are opened, the family dances in a ring around the tree while singing traditional Norwegian Christmas carols.

Gingernuts
250 g butter
125 g light syrup
250 g icing sugar
1 dl cream
400 g wheat flour
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
100 g finely chopped almonds
Bring the butter, syrup, cream, and icing sugar to a boil. Cool and stir in the remaining ingredients. Knead the dough thoroughly and roll unto cylinders about 3 cm in diameter. Put in a cool place until the next day. Cut thin slices of the dough and bake at 175 C for 10 minutes.

Doughnuts
3 eggs
250 g sugar
5 dl sour cream
1 1/2 dl milk
4 teaspoons horn salt
2 teaspoons cardamom
750 g wheat flour
Beat the eggs and sugar. Whisk the sour cream. Blend all the ingredients gently. Leave the dough until the next day. Roll into 1-cm thick sheets, Cut out doughnuts and deep fry in lard.

Cones
3 eggs
150 g sugar
150 g butter
150 g wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
Beat the eggs and sugar stiff. Add the melted and cooled butter and flour mixed with cardamom. Let the dough rest for 1 hour. Put a teaspoonful of dough at a time on a "krumkake" iron and bake until golden. Roll each cookie at once into a cone or shape of a cup for a bowl shape. Cones can be filled with whipped cream and berries

Sand Cakes
1 egg
100 g almonds
200 g butter
250 g wheat flour
100 g sugar
Blanch and grind the almonds. Crumble the butter and flour together. Add the almonds, egg, and sugar. Mix the dough and let it rest for an hour in the refrigerator. Press into "sandkake" tins. Bake at 175 C for 10-15 minutes and leave to cool a little before turning out of the tins.

Gingersnaps
150 g syrup
100 g sugar
1 1/2 dl cream
100 g butter
450 g wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon aniseed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon horn salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Bring the syrup, sugar, and cream to a boil. Add the butter and cool the mixture until lukewarm. Sift in the dry ingredients. Keep the dough cold until the next day. Roll the dough thin and cut out the snaps and lay them on a greased tin. Put half a blanched almond on each. To give the cookies a gloss, they can be brushed with egg white. Bake for about 5 minutes at 175 C.

Serina Cakes
250 g wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
150 g butter
100 g sugar
1 egg
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and vanilla sugar, and crumble the butter in. Add the sugar and beaten egg. Knead thoroughly and roll into a cylinder. Cut slices and shape into small balls. Place on the baking tin and press down gently with a fork. Brush with egg and sprinkle with chopped almonds or coarse sugar. Bake at 175 C.

Goro
1 3/4 l cream
125 g sugar
1 egg
500 g wheat flour
2 teapoons cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
225 g butter
100 g lard
Whip the cream. Beat the egg with the sugar and add to the cream. Mix in the flour. Gradually add spices, butter, and soft lard in turns. Cool the dough. Roll the dough and cut into flat pieces the size of the "goro" iron.

Lutefisk
About 2 kg lutefisk
1 l water
3/4 dl salt
Put the fish pieces in the boiling salt water and boil. Watch carefully so as not to overcook; lutefisk cooks quickly. Opinions differ on what to serve with lutefisk. One delcious suggestion is pease-pudding, small pieces of fried bacon, the hot bacon fat, French mustard, and always piping hot boiled Ringerike potatoes.

Salted Lam Ribs(Pinnekjøtt)
Pinnekjøtt used to be a well kept secret in the valleys and fjords of Western Norway, but now this hearty dish with its distinctive flavour has become popular all over Norway. Pinnekjøtt is rib of lamb, which has been either salted and dried or salted, smoked and dried. Pinnekjøtt has a good deal of bone fat, so it is best to allow about 500 g per person if it is served on its own; if it is served together with sausages, allow 350 g per person.
1-2 kg Pinnekjøtt
Water
Divide ribs into chops by cutting along the rib bones, and soak the pieces in cold water overnight. Lay a wire rack or birch twigs (stripped of their bark) on the bottom of a saucepan. The twigs should be laid crossways so as to form a lattice. Fill the water up to the height of the rack or twigs and place the meat in even layers on top. Bring the water to a boil and steam the meat until it is tender (about 2 hours), taking care that the saucepan does not boil dry. Many people maintain that pinnekjøtt is best browned under the grill or fried for a few minutes after being steamed. In Norway, pinnekjøtt is served on hot plates with coarse sausages, boiled potatoes, mashed rutabaga or swede, the cooking juices, and mustard or cranberries crushed with sugar. Flatbread is also a frequent accompaniment. Since this dish is rather rich, beer and aquavit are very suitable.

Mashed rutabaga or swede
Approx. 1 kg rutabaga or swede
water, pepper, salt, cooking juices from the pinnekjøtt

Peel and slice the rutabaga or swede, and cook it until tender in lightly salt water. Pour off the water and mash the rutabaga or swede. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and the cooking juices from the Pinnekjøtt.

Christmas Pork Ribs
1-1.6 kg pork ribs

Rice Cream
(serves 4)
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a few drops almond flavouring
2 cups rice porridge
Whip cream with sugar, vanilla and almond flavouring. Mix in the porridge. Serve with red fruit sauce on top.

CHRISTMAS BASKETS

Take two pieces of colored paper about 8x12 cm and fold them in half (where the scissor is) before rounding the edge on the top. Cut several slots 2/3 of the way up from the bottom on both halves.              
Weave the two sides together as shown.

Make a handle and glue it to the insides of the basket. Hang the basket on your Christmas tree and fill it up with goodies !