Lunch in Norway

On my last visit back to the US, a lot of people were curious about what Norwegians eat, so I decided to take this photo today as I sat down to lunch. Lunch may be a slightly misleading term when talking about Norwegian meals, since it's typically not a necessary or very substantial meal here - very often it's replaced by something called the 12 o'clock coffee. The coffee here becomes more necessary than the food to a lot of people (who then eat a big warm dinner after work, around 4).

So my lunch, or coffee, here consists of a few very Norwegian ingredients plus a small international twist that is all my own. The base is crisp bread - basically airy, dry crackers that are rarely eaten here without spreading some butter and then adding a topping (or 'pålegg' in Norwegian). Pålegg literally means to lay on/over, so there a wide variety of toppings from jam to cheese or meat can be added to crisp bread (or to regular bread - Norwegians enjoy a great selection of hearty wheat breads as a staple in the diet). Buffets and hotel breakfasts all over Norway usually contain a selection of fresh breads with impressive bars for the toppings, plus eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, yogurt, muesli and other cereals.

Today for pålegg I have some canned mackerel (that holds a taste and consistency somewhat similar to tuna) that has been preserved in a slightly oily tomato sauce. Perhaps not seeming so appetizing to the un-initiated, it is actually quite tasty and healthy - with high Omega 3 content and Vitamin D (which is ever important during the months without sun here). The cucumber is another typical ingredient found (and actually grown) here, but for a bit of extra interest I've added some homemade guacamole. Avocados sold here are also mostly grown in Peru or Chile and shipped in, so it's not the most sustainable decision but I do find myself eating them quite often here - both as pålegg and as a side to the (growing trend) of Tex-Mex dinners.

The afternoon meal is complete with a cup of strong, black coffee - another item I did not enjoy nearly as much before moving here.