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21

September 2016

September 21, 2016

Fårikål (Norwegian Lamb & Cabbage Stew)

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Norwegian fårikål

Fårikål (Norwegian Lamb and Cabbage Stew)Fårikål (Norwegian Lamb and Cabbage Stew)As September arrives in Norway so does the annual round up of the sheep from the mountain pastures to return them to their respective farms. Days of carefully planned and established methods see flocks move across the terrain guided by people and shepherd dogs alike. This is a special time. Days are set aside, bags are packed and groups of people take on this task together – moving and guiding the sheep, sleeping (sometimes bundled in sleeping bags in one-room cabins) and sharing communal meals. If the weather is favorable, the experience is said to be one of the most beautiful and remarkable excursions one can have in nature.

Once the sheep have returned, the inevitable must occur. A large proportion of the lambs, which have grown big and strong, will go straight from the pastures to the slaughterhouse. Others will spend a few more weeks at the farm to achieve the right weight. This is the time of year (aside from the early spring) when lamb becomes the highlight of many dishes. As the sheep have grazed among grass and wild herbs, the meat takes on an exceptional flavor. Most arguably, the favorite dish to feature such a wonderful bounty in the autumn is fårikål (lamb and cabbage stew).

Fårikål (Norwegian Lamb and Cabbage Stew)In 1927, fårikål was named Norway’s national dish. Recently, a controversially vote was retaken in 2014 and fårikål received 45% of the vote, maintaining its place as Norway’s most beloved dish.

In Norway, mutton stew (fårikål) is often referred to as a national dish. We know now that dishes with combinations of mutton and vegetables exist in different forms in the majority of the countries along the North Sea. The form which is used in Norwegian fårikål is meat and cabbage, which are added alternately to a pot. This is a dish which exists in German cookbooks from the 18th century, spreads northward to Denmark, shows up in the elite Norwegian cookbooks in the 19th century, and becomes part of the Norwegian national diet around the beginning of the 20th century, thus less than a hundred years ago. – Henry Notaker, Anthropology of Food

The term får-i-kål, which means lamb in cabbage, is of Danish origin. The word får never took hold in the Norwegian dialect. Instead, the words sau og smale (sheep) are used. A New-Norwegian (nynorsk) language pioneer, Arne Garborg, used the term lam-i-kål in order to remove the dish from any Danish connection. However, this term was not successful in replacing fårikål.  (Gannens Makt)

Despite its origins, perhaps the dish is so loved because the ingredients represent Norway. Lamb from the mountains, potatoes just harvested from the field and fresh cabbage grown throughout the summer. Together, they form a little piece of Norway. And it truly is a dish you want to indulge in when autumn comes around.

Fårikål (Norwegian Lamb and Cabbage Stew) Fårikål (Norwegian Lamb and Cabbage Stew)Fårikål is incredibly simple to make and features cabbage and lamb (mutton can be used instead but will give a stronger flavor). The layers of cabbage and lamb are decorated with whole, black peppercorns. Tradition has it that the peppercorns help digestion and should be eaten with the dish, while many today brush them off or merely place them in a spice bag during cooking to discard later.

Originally, fårikål was a weekday dish but as cooking time became more scare the dish was commonly used as a Sunday dinner served with home-brewed beer. Today, it is still served on Sundays and used as a ‘guest dish’ when friends come around. Fårikål also has its own national day called Fårikålens Festdag, Fårikål Feast Day, which occurs on the last Thursday of September each year.

This is such a tasty dish and one which tastes even better the next day or the day after. Serve it with boiled potatoes, flatbread and a glass of locally-brewed beer. You’ll feel like your eating a little piece of Norway and be better off for it!

Norwegian fårikål (lamb and cabbage)

Fårikål (Norwegian Lamb & Cabbage Stew)

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

  • 2 kg / 4 ½ lbs lamb meat, cut into large pieces (neck, shoulder, shank)
  • 60g (½ cup) flour (omit for a gluten-free option)
  • 4 dl (1 ¾ cup) water
  • 2 kg / 4 ½ lbs white cabbage, cut into large wedges.
  • 5 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
  • 3 teaspoons salt

In a large bowl, mix together the lamb meat and flour. The flour will help thicken the stew just a bit as it cooks.

Pour the water into a large casserole pot. Place a layer of the floured lamb on the bottom, followed by a layer of cabbage. Add some peppercorns and salt. Repeat this process until you have used all the ingredients, finishing with a final layer of cabbage on top. The volume should be about 1 part meat to 4 parts cabbage.

Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and slowly cook until the meat is tender and pulls apart from the bone easily, around 2 hours. The cabbage contains a lot of water that will be emitted during the cooking time, so don’t feel compelled to add more water than the stated amount.

Serve warm with freshly boiled potatoes and a knob of butter.


Nevada Berg

Nevada is a utah native and norwegian by heart. When not crafting culinary delights she enjoys her family time and tending to her animals. You most certainly can find her perusing her property for wild berries.

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  1. Josh Dronen says:

    Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Made a trip to my ancestral homeland this past July and truly enjoyed Norway. Made the fårikål today on a rainy Friday in the American Midwest. Did serve it with boiled three-variety blend of potatoes. The organic lamb was fall-off-the-bone tender. Very tasty. Some kids can be picky eaters but my 7 and 4 year old loved it.

    Thanks for the background and the wonder fil recipe. We’re going to make it again soon for our extended Norwegian American family here. Tusen takk!

    • nevada says:

      Hi Josh. Reading through your comment just made me crave some fårikål, so I better plan on making another batch soon! I’m really glad the whole family enjoyed it and that you will be making it again for the extended family. It’s one of my favorite autumn dishes 🙂

  2. Vika says:

    Tried this today while looking to use lamb and cabbage. Cooked in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes and it turned out great. The pops of pepper in the mouth were great! Served with new boiled potatoes. Would recommend some Japanese mayo that goes very well with cabbage and this dish!

    Vika from nz

  3. Sara Coles says:

    I made your fårikål recipe before and it was delicious. Now I am wondering about making the recipe with red cabbage instead of white, since I have a head of red cabbage in the fridge. Have you ever tried this, or have you heard of it? Thanks!

    • nevada says:

      Hi Sara, I have never tried it with red cabbage. Let me know how it goes, I would be interested in hearing how it tastes compared to white cabbage!

      • Arne says:

        This may work, but NEVER use red cabbage with your lutefisk. Red cabbage is a pH indicator, and much to my embarrassment, turned a nice bright BLUE when it encountered the lutefisk. 😉

  4. Rolf Strom says:

    Grew up eating this, along with other unique Norwegian foods such as fiskeboller, which it seems only I enjoy these days!

    • nevada says:

      I enjoy a good fiskeboller or two as well 😉

    • Stig says:

      Sprinkle some curry over fiskeboller and all of a sudden a lot more people would love it…served with fresh cooked potatoes and carrots steamed in water and butter💕

      PS: I’m from Norway…live here, born and raised 😊🇳🇴

  5. John Miller says:

    My mum used to make this since I could remember (1960’s), but she used to shred the cabbage. She was from northern Germany originally and I think it was a common dish there. Gorgeous meal, great memories.
    Making it tonight for my family now.

  6. Olafr Glucksburg says:

    Thank you for this recipe. It brings a mixture of tears and pleasure to my eyes that my fathers dish was liked by king Harald’s father so much he declared it the National dish of the beloved land of Norway. May great blessings come you way for eternity for this amazing post and recipe, and interesting facts; dear child.

    • nevada says:

      Thank you for your kind words!

      • HwyChef says:

        I came across this by accident, and am very happy I did. Love the combination. In central Switzerland, we have a very similar dish. One BIG difference though, was the browning of the cabbage. This was a farmer’s dish, and the story goes: they were busy with kids and cows, and the food often burned. The darkly browned cabbage adds a depth of flavor you just can’t replace. It should be “coffee” brown. Once you had it browned, you can’t go back! Cheers!

  7. Bjarne Tennefoss says:

    I went to norway to visit my aunt in September 2001. I was scheduled to leave on September 14 but I rescheduled to about the 20th. When I changed planes in Amsterdam assault weapon armed police/military in great abundance. In Bergen no indication of anything. Well to get to my story, we were invited to about three different relatives and they all served fårikål and it was different in each location but very good.
    Two interesting things about meals and actions in norway, they used the smallest demitasse spoons to serve cake ,bløtkaka, and after the meal they passed a little container with toothpicks and proceded to clean their teeth. This even happened on the airplane as well as a restaurant at bryggen in Bergen.

    • nevada says:

      It is so interesting to read about your food observations in Norway! Toothpicks after the meal is certainly something I learned about when I first visited. And, yes, they have the sweetest little spoons to accompany dessert 🙂

  8. Hamza says:

    A lovely dish for a lovely country

  9. Nee to Norway says:

    Wonderful article, thank you.

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