Norwegian meatballs were listed in second place last time Norway had a rating of the national dish. The dish is a normal everyday dish that is usually served with boiled potatoes, carrots and cauliflower. It is always served with a brown sauce based on browned butter. So if you’re wondering what to make for dinner the coming week, try a Norwegian specialty.

Norwegian meatballs was listed in second place last time Norway had a rating of the national dish

Now meatballs are famous all over Scandinavia, the in Sweden you can find two versions, one version that is smaller called “kjøtt bullar” these are usually served with a cream sauce. The second one is called “Wallenbergare” these are usually served without sauce but a solid portion of cream and egg yolks are mixed into the meat. The Danish are famous for their “frikadeller”. This is a generic word pointing to any meatball shape either made from meat or fish. Now the later one, made from fish is not exclusive to Denmark and can be found in both Sweden and Norway as well.

Norwegian meatballs ingredients

What makes these meatballs special are the spices used in the recipe. The first one is the nutmeg. This adds a special characteristic to the meat that makes a deep full flavor that mixes well with the full brown sauce. The second ingredient is ground ginger. this adds a tang and a hint of freshness to the recipe.

Side dishes

Now one of the more distinct additions to this recipe is the lingonberry jam. If you are in a place in the world where this jam is hard to get to one tip could be to have a trip to IKEA. This is a small tip I picked up living abroad. The sweet and sour flavor of the lingonberries is absolutely worth a try.

Green pea mash or a kale stew are also great additions for this dish.