Traditional Norwegian food is preserved food. Fish and lamb were dried, salted, smoked or fermented so they would last until spring. The best time to taste it is from September to Christmas, when fårikål, rakfisk, pinnekjøtt and lutefisk are all in season.
This guide is for visitors who want to eat like Norwegians do at home. Norwegians planning a food trip can read our Norwegian version.
Where to start
The easiest place to try many things at once in Oslo is Mathallen at Vulkan. It has specialist shops, cafés and places to eat under one roof. It opens Tuesday to Saturday 10–20 and Sunday 11–18, and it is closed on Mondays.
Look for the label “Beskyttet geografisk betegnelse” or “Beskyttet opprinnelsesbetegnelse” in shops. The Norwegian scheme protects products such as Tørrfisk fra Lofoten, Rakfisk fra Valdres and Pinnekjøtt fra Norge. It is a quick way to find the real thing.
Everyday food1. Brunost
Brown cheese is made by boiling down whey until the milk sugar caramelises. Strictly, it is not a cheese by the WHO/FAO definition. Eat it thinly sliced on bread or a waffle. Gudbrandsdalsost goes back to Tretten dairy, which started production in 1908.
2. Waffles with brunost
Heart-shaped waffles with brunost or jam are the standard snack at cabins, ski huts and school events. You will find them at most cafés. They are better fresh than reheated.
3. Lefse
Lefse is a soft, round flatbread. For coffee, it is spread with butter, sugar and cinnamon, or brunost. Nordland, Trøndelag and Western Norway have the most recipes. In the east, the potato lefse is used for savoury fillings.
4. Pølse i lompe
A hot dog wrapped in a soft potato cake instead of a bun. The tradition is strongest in Eastern Norway. Every petrol station sells it, and it is the cheapest hot meal on a road trip.
5. Kjøttkaker
Meat patties in brown gravy, with potatoes, peas and lingonberry jam. This is ordinary home food, not festival food. Look for it on lunch menus at traditional cafés.
6. Raspeball
Balls of grated raw potato and flour, simmered in stock. They go by many names, including komle, kumle and klubb. The usual sides are swede mash, smoked sausage and fried bacon. Some places also serve syrup or lingonberry jam.
Autumn food
7. Fårikål
Lamb and cabbage stewed in layers with whole black pepper. It was voted Norway’s national dish in 1972 and again in 2014. The oldest known recipe is in a cookbook from 1835. Fårikål’s own day is in late September; in 2026 it was Thursday 24 September.
8. Rakfisk
Fermented trout or char, eaten raw on flatbread or lefse with sour cream and onion. It comes from Telemark, Valdres and Østerdalen. The smell is strong; the taste is milder than you expect. Norsk Rakfiskfestival in Fagernes runs 5–7 November 2026.
9. Smalahove
A salted, often smoked and boiled sheep’s head, served with potatoes and swede mash. It is a tradition from Western Norway. Smalahove dinners are often held in November. Book ahead, as few restaurants serve it.
10. Festsodd from Trøndelag
Clear meat soup with small meatballs and cubes of lamb and beef, seasoned with pepper and nutmeg. It is party food at christenings, confirmations and weddings in Trøndelag. Festsodd fra Trøndelag has a protected label. It is often served with Skjenning, a local flatbread.
Christmas food
11. Pinnekjøtt
Dried, salted and sometimes smoked lamb ribs, steamed over birch sticks. It is served with swede mash and potatoes. In Western Norway, 76 per cent eat it on Christmas Eve, against 14 per cent in Eastern Norway.
12. Ribbe
Roast pork belly with crisp crackling, the other big Christmas Eve dish. It comes with sauerkraut, meatballs and sausages. Ask for it at Christmas buffets (“julebord”) in December.
13. Lutefisk
Dried fish soaked in lye until it turns soft, then boiled. Originally the lye came from birch ash. The side dishes vary by region: bacon, pea stew, lefse, mustard sauce or even syrup. Try a small portion first.
14. Riskrem
Cold rice pudding folded with whipped cream and served with red berry sauce. It is the usual dessert after the Christmas dinner. It is also a smart way to use the rice porridge left over from the day before.
From the coast
15. Klippfisk and bacalao
Klippfisk is salted and dried cod. In Norway the best-known bacalao is a stew of klippfisk, onion, tomato, olive oil and potato. Kristiansund has been a klippfisk town since a royal privilege of 1691. It is a good stop before the Atlantic Ocean Road.
16. Tørrfisk from Lofoten
Stockfish is cod dried in the open air, without salt. Tørrfisk fra Lofoten is a protected product. Buy it as a snack in a bag, or soaked and cooked in a restaurant.
17. Fenalår
A salted, dried and cured leg of lamb, sliced thin like ham. Fenalår fra Norge has a protected label. Try it with flatbread and sour cream.
From the mountains and the farm
18. Reindeer
Reindeer is lean and dark meat, often served as a stew or a fillet. Rein fra Jotunheimen is on the list of protected products. Prices are high, so order it where it is a speciality, not as an afterthought.
19. Gamalost frå Vik
A sharp, grainy old-style cheese from Vik in Sogn. Gamalost frå Vik is protected. It is an acquired taste; try a sliver on flatbread first.
20. Sider frå Hardanger
Cider from the apple orchards in Hardanger is a protected product, and so are Hardanger apples. Drink it with lamb or cheese, or buy a bottle to take home.
What to know before you order
Norwegian Christmas food goes back a long way. Before the Reformation in 1536, people fasted from 1 December, so fish dishes like lutefisk were part of the season. Meat dishes became Christmas Eve food later.
Prices for traditional dishes in restaurants are high. A Christmas plate of pinnekjøtt or ribbe can cost more than a main course in many other countries.
Our verdict
Start with brunost, lefse and pølse i lompe, which cost little and are everywhere. Plan one autumn or Christmas dish as the main event: fårikål in September, rakfisk in November or pinnekjøtt in December. Skip lutefisk unless you are curious, and try smalahove only if you know what you are ordering.
More culture guides are in our Norwegian culture section. Planning a trip? Read our guide to the best places to visit in Norway, and pack a Norwegian wool sweater if you come in winter.
Mathallen Oslo is at Vulkan 5 and opens Tuesday to Saturday 10–20 and Sunday 11–18.