North Wild Kitchen

Tag: midsummer

Strawberry Mousse (Jordbærfromasj)

Daylight seems to never fade over the blooming fields as the sun’s warmth beats down. It’s the start of summer. The summer solstice, the longest day of the year. A day that has been marked and celebrated throughout time. Midsummer.

Midsummer is a celebration of both folklore and Christianity in Norway and across Scandinavia. In Norway, you’ll hear the names Midtsommer and Sankthans interchangeably. The older tradition of celebrating the summer solstice then blended into a newer tradition of Sankthans, which commemorates the birth of John the Baptist. While the name Sankthans still reflects the Christian view of the day (St Hans), it is the non-Christian elements, such as the midsummer bonfire, which has held fast over the years. And while the day is celebrated less so than that of Norway’s neighbor, Sweden, it is still viewed as the arrival of summer. (more…)

June 22, 2017
Rømmegrøt with Homemade Sour Cream

My visit to Slettastølen Seter introduced me to the Norwegian Seter Life, or mountain farm life. Sonja treated me to a banquet of homemade delights with various cheeses (including her recipe for farm cheese), fruit jams, and her homemade rømmegrøt made from her own sour cream using her cow’s milk.

There’s nothing quite like homemade sour cream. There’s a certain softness to it that is unlike any store-bought sour cream. It’s smooth and not as thick. It’s very enjoyable and it makes for the best rømmegrøt (sour cream porridge) you could ever have.

Sonja’s rømmegrøt is by far the best I have ever tasted and I believe it is because of the quality of her rømme (sour cream). She uses raw milk that she has milked from her dairy cows. The cows graze among the mountain pastures all summer long, making the milk taste even better. She separates the cream from the milk, then adds in her starter of sour cream from a previous batch and lets it sit overnight until it has reached the desired sourness. It’s a simple process and one that Sonja repeats throughout the summer, which sustains her family and guests. (more…)

September 16, 2016
Rømmegrøt Ice Cream

Sankthans, or Midsummer, is a celebration of both folklore and Christianity in Norway and across Scandinavia. An old tradition of celebrating the summer solstice which then blended into a newer tradition of commemorating the birth of John the Baptist. While in Norway the name still reflects the Christian view of the day (St Hans), it is the non-Christian elements, such as the midsummer bonfire, which has held fast over the years. And while less and less Norwegians celebrate this day, it still is seen as a welcome to the arrival of summer.

No other dish is regarded quite so heavily with Sankthans than rømmegrøt, a porridge made of sour cream, especially in Northern and Central Norway. In fact, there are three traditional summer holidays, Sankthans (23 & 24 June), Olsok (29 July) and Barsok ( 24 August), which are associated with the serving of rømmegrøt. When friends and family once gathered for these summer feasts, rømmegrøt became the highlight of the menu, for it is possible that during this time the milk was at its best as the cows grazed in the abundance of summer’s grass. Also, the summer weather would most certainly cause fresh milk to curdle, making it convenient to make porridge for large groups when they had plenty. (more…)

June 23, 2016
Rhubarb & Strawberry Soup (Rabarbrasuppe)

Today is the longest day of the year for those living north of the equator. The summer solstice. A day when the sun seems to stand still; when the earth is actually farthest away from the sun. It arrives just days prior to the celebration of Sankthans in Norway, or Midsummer. And this year, there will also be a full moon, making it quite a special occurrence.

Interestingly, folklore refers to the June moon as the Strawberry Moon, among other names, as this was a way to signal when fruits were ready to be picked. In Norway, strawberries and midsummer come hand in hand. There’s nothing quite like strawberries to mark the start of the summer season, especially Norwegian strawberries. They are vibrant, sweet and highly prized as the cooler climate allows the berries ripen much slower, developing a more intense and sweet taste. The small and sought-after wild strawberries, which grow abundantly in our area, will also start to appear around this time. (more…)

June 20, 2016