Generally, when we think of Scrooge (of A Christmas Carol fame) sitting down to Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day we imagine the fare as a good roasted goose or turkey with roast potatoes, brussel sprouts, stuffing, bread sauce and all the other trimmings with Christmas Pudding and rum sauce to follow.
However, in other cultures the centre pieces of Christmas Fare may not always be fowl. For instance in Norway there is a choice of five traditional dishes, all served on the evening of Christmas Eve.
- Ribbe, (roasted pork belly)
- Pinnekjøtt, (steamed dried smoked salted lamb ribs)
- Lutefisk, (baked preserved stockfish,)
- Torsk. (boiled fresh cod)
- Kalkun (roasted turkey).
Historically each dish would have been served in a specific region ofNorwaybut today it is more of a personal choice coloured somewhat by family history. I can vouch for all the dishes save the Lutefisk which is very much of an acquired taste: I definitely have not acquired the taste!
In the Oslo (capital of Norway) area ribbe is the usual choice. The Norwegian part of the family do the cooking whilst the British part help out with the eating. The non-lean pork belly is scored and then cut down to the bone in two inch square blocks. The meat is loosely covered with foil and roasted in a bain marie type apparatus. A final roasting is used to cook the crackling to a crisp. There is no finesse in the serving of ribbe: it is carved off the bone in the two inch blocks of meat and served direct to the table. Strong teeth are a prerequisite for the crunching of the crackling. Accompaniments are usually Christmas sausages, meat balls, boiled potatoes, red cabbage, sauerkraut and a very fatty gravy. An endless supply of Aquavit (a 40% proof concoction of distilled fermented potatoes flavoured with caraway seed) and Juleøl (a Christmas Special brew of a lager type beer) is essential if the ribbe meal is to be eaten without resulting in a massive attack of indigestion or worse.
For dessert Multekrem, a mixture of whipped cream and cloudberries, is served.
Coffee comes as a welcome relief at the end!
On Christmas day the British part of the family continues the celebrations by cooking a full British Christmas Turkey Dinner (with all the trimmings save Christmas Crackers which are not available) served in time for the Queen’s Speech. This time it is the Norwegian’s task to help out with the eating. Scrooge would feel really at home. It has taken several years of education but now even the Viking contingent looks forward to a slice of Christmas Pudding with rum sauce!
