Norway's tasty traditions
A traditional Norwegian gingerbread house
Photo: straightfromthecask (flickr)
Norway has a number of lovely, tasty Christmas traditions - such as mulled wine and spiced biscuits - but there are a couple of festive delicacies that most foreigners find somewhat less palatable.
Norwegians love to celebrate Christmas by singing carols round a tree - a Norwegian spruce of course - decorated with white lights, tinsel and traditional handmade decorations.
Presents are brought by the Nisse. A distant ancestor of Santa Claus, this Christmas gnome has the long white beard and red hat, but usually sports a pair of short black trousers.
Traditionally, the Nisse was believed to help protect the family barn - benevolently protecting the livestock if he was well-treated, but causing mayhem if angered or ignored. Many Norwegians still leave out a bowl of porridge or even a glass of beer for this festive visitor.
Smalahove - smoked sheep's head
Photo: Pragmagraphr (flickr)
Famously Norwegians like to feast on a variety of cookies and cakes, washed down with copious amounts of mulled wine.
So far, so good. But it is at the typical Norwegian Christmas dinner that foreign palates encounter some unknown quantities. The popular dishes of Lutefisk (cod or other white fish that has been treated with lye - a caustic chemical) and Pinnekjøtt (dried and salted or smoked rib of lamb) raise an eyebrow or two.
And in the scenic fjordland town of Voss, as correspondent Lars Bevanger discovered, locals celebrating a feast like nothing better than a nice big plate of Smalahove - smoked sheep's head:
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