Pepperkake!!! This is the smell that I associate the most with Christmas so far. Pepperkake is gingerbread...only literally translated it means pepper-cake. And they make gingerbread cookies here that taste delicious! But not only do they make cookies, but cities as well!
Every year during Christmas time, children, adults, and local businesses donate homemade gingerbread houses to create what is supposedly the largest gingerbread city in the world. It is hosted in a huge white tent in the city center of Bergen during the holidays. I have yet to go, but here is a good picture I found.
Food of course is a big topic when it comes to holidays and tradition. Some of the following dishes I have yet to try and others I won't be bummed if I don't. So traditional Norwegian Christmas dishes are the following: gløgg - mulled wine which tastes really good. I have had it served with raisins and walnuts floating in the drink, Julepølse - Pork sausage made with powdered ginger, cloves, mustard seeds and nutmeg. Served steamed or roasted, Lutefisk - fish preserved with lye that has been washed and boiled, I’m not too keen on trying that one, Pinnekjøtt - salted, dried, and smoked lamb's ribs which are rehydrated and then steamed, traditionally over birch branches, Svineribbe - pork ribs roasted whole with the skin on, rather than spare ribs, Julegrøt - Christmas rice pudding with an almond hidden inside, Sossiser - small Christmas sausages, Medisterkaker - Large meatballs made from a mix of pork meat and pork fat, Rødkål - sweet and sour red cabbage, as a side dish, Kålrabistappe - Purée of rutabaga(which is a cross between cabbage and turnip, it is also known as "swede" in some parts of the world), as a sidedish to pinnekjøtt, Pepperkake - gingerbread-like spice cookies flavoured with black pepper, Lussekatter - St. Lucia Buns and Lefse - a traditional Norwegian flatbread rolled up with butter sugar and cinnamon.
The Julekalendar is basically the advent calendar, but in Norway most don't hold the religious meaning of the advent calendar...it is mostly for spirit. What I have learned so far is that many kids receive a gift everyday as part of the julekalendar countdown. Or like in the states you can buy the chocolate treat advent calendar. What my host family has done is much more effective I think...I personally do not believe in spoiling your kids with a gift everyday. What they have is a christmas tree sewn hanging with 24 rings attached to it. They take ornaments, whether it be tree ornaments or little tabletop ornaments, they wrap them in wrapping paper and hang them from the 24 rings. Each day they unwrap one and decorate the house with it. I think it's a fabulous idea! another thing that they did was make 24 gingerbread heart shaped cookies, and they strung them up in the kitchen. And each day one of the girls will eat a cookie!
Here is a link of a video where Anna, my host mom and the two older girls are being interviewed because of their julekalendar idea!
http://www.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/-Pakker-julen-inn-1202058.html
This is what I have so far. I will add more later...actually I have decided that i will have my own julekalendar, here on my blog. i may be 5 days late but deep down I think the Advent Lord will forgive me. What will I post? I'm not quite sure yet, I prefer to keep it spontaneous! But it will have something to do with Norway; whether it be more Christmas traditions, the language, a random fact about Norway or the city or a funny experience that may have happened.
Today's julekalendar topic will be: Pizza.
Norwegians love frozen pizza.The "Grandiosa" frozen pizza is unofficially named as the Norwegian national dish and each year Norwegians consume 20 million Grandiosa pizzas in addition to all the other frozen pizza brands on the market. I am amongst those 20 million now...I have no idea how many Grandiosa pizzas I have eaten since my arrival here in January. We Americans love pizza, but for that we simply call up dominos, or Little Ceasar's.
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