Special Feature: Culinary Travel
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Trolls are as big as mountains and as stupid as a cow. I mean, really, can you believe that after lunch they take a thousand year nap and turn to stone in the sun? But, now that I've visited Norway many times, I believe that these often three-headed creatures are part and parcel of Norway's wondrous, magical soul.
For the last fifty years, trolls have been the unofficial mascots of Norway, and of Norwegian America. Though modern toy trolls have rainbow hair and huge smiles, I prefer the ugly monsters with two or three heads who lived in the bogs, forests and mountains, and frightened the farmers.
From the 13th century on, trolls have pervaded Norwegian legends, often appearing as giants. I've met people impersonating trolls at various ski resorts. Recently I visited Hunderfossen Family Park not far from Lillehammer and saw the most enormous troll standing on top of the park building. Built of wood, this troll could scare a giant.
In fact, the middle area of Norway, from Lillehammer north to Oppland and Hedmark counties, is known as Troll Park. Its wide open vistas and deep forests housed these critters.
Troll Park is laced with swift flowing streams, dotted with peaceful lakes, and surrounded by glaciers, mountains and dark forests that were certain to have housed trolls in earlier days. You'll meet friendly Norwegians who will tell you, with serious mien, that these creatures existed.
Famous composers and authors, including Wagner and Ibsen, hiked these mystical mountains searching for trolls. Peer Gynt country in Jotunheimen has its own Peer Gynt Vegen (Peer Gynt Road) for great hiking. Actually, Peer Gynt was a real person before Ibsen used him as a character. A feisty guy, he spun yarns about his adventures with trolls and his riding backwards on reindeer. His real 15th century farmhouse is near Vinstra.
Troll Park visitors can hike a variety of trails, canoe or raft throughout a vast system of lakes and rivers, take horse treks in the summer, and ski down many fine alpine slopes and along well-marked cross-country trails in the winter.
Olympic ski runs, ice rinks and sled runs are all available. Farm houses offer wonderful accommodations to all comers. Recently, I joined friends for a farm trek through this fascinating area, beginning in Oslo, and driving all the way up to Roros.
The first day, we boarded a train in Oslo for the short ride to Moelv. We picked up our van there and drove through lush farming country to Krageberg Farm at Biri, where I fell in love with a creamy dish called Sour Cream Porridge. Forget all diets, dip your wooden spoon into this heavenly mixture, and enjoy. We ate lunch in an ancient barn on this 15th century farm, with our lovely hosts the Kragbergs.
The usual Norwegian lunch includes: sausages, reindeer steaks, and breads (including the famous lefse -- griddle cakes served with lingonberries and cream). Cheeses, gravlaks (salmon), salad, and herring are put on long wooden tables. The porridge is a special treat, often offered as dessert with milk, sugar, and butter.
Butter is a special commodity in Norway. As we traveled through the lush countryside, we were beautifully entertained by farmers who often told tales of the old days. Many tales include the importance of butter. Stories are passed down through the generations about the nisse (elflike creatures who helped farmers prosper) awaiting their special treat at Christmas: a portion of porridge topped by a large chunk of butter. It was the butter, not the porridge, that the nisse craved.
Butter was the commodity by which worth was measured. Land value was expressed in lauper smor (measures of butter weighing 33 pounds each). Butter was used in trade, like money.
Hidden people (huldrefolk) and witches also had to be dealt with before a good batch of butter could be churned. In the ancient days, as most butter was made in the mountain dairy pastures, the farmers had to bow to these hidden folk who owned the pastures and leave them greetings. The smart dairymaid always let the first drops of milk fall to the ground as presents to the huldrefolk. We didn't notice any hidden folk at the farm as we took a horse and buggy ride around its acres.
Farms who accept visitors always have comfortable guest quarters, which include immense fluffy duvets on the beds, fireplaces, baths, and often kitchens.
If you follow our trail, you'll drive to Lillehammer from Biri and visit the stunning Olympic Museum with its dynamic sound and light film of the 1994 Olympics. You can outfit yourself for skiing or hiking in the well-stocked store. The small town with its narrow winding streets is a gem.
We struck gold at our farm stay just north of Lillehammer. We had reserved rooms with Annikken Stranger Bergerund and her husband, Ole Henrik Braastad, at their Bjerke Gard (farm), and discovered that this handsome 1000-year had been the CBS headquarters for the 1994 Olympics. The farm overlooks Lake Mjosa and Lillehammer and was perfect for Olympic viewing. Its buildings are well kept.
During the Middle ages, Bjerke Gard was an inn and posting station for pilgrims. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a cross-roads for the logging and log floating activities starting in the forest in Gudbrandsdal Valley and ending at the timber mills along the coast. The present owners' ancestors took over the farm in 1792.
We stayed in delightfully furnished guest rooms and were served superb meals by Anniken. Dinners included roast lamb with farm vegetables, and we had homebaked rolls and many choices for a bountiful breakfast. The owners and their three children were so welcoming that we wanted to stay on.
Driving north, we stopped at Storgarden Sygard Grytting farm for rolls and coffee with Hilde and Stig Grytting to see their 14th century farm in Gudbrandsdal Valley.
Ancient travelers often stopped for lodging at this hospitable farm. King Hakon V spent the night in 1311, and in 1994, Olympic visitors stayed here in newly refurbished quarters. The hosts' two young children are the 19th generation to live on the farm. Cozy guest rooms are available all year. You can take sleigh rides, go on elk safaris, canoe, and cross-country ski nearby. All farm hosts speak excellent English. You'll need a long trek after the rich coffee cakes and high teas that they serve.
Nearby in the town of Vaga, a 12th century Stave church is well worth a visit. A mountain museum displays an old village and you'll enjoy relaxing in this town with its mountain backdrop. Lom, not far away, is filled with things to do and see. Its striking Norwegian Mountain Museum is filled with historical artifacts, a model of Lom's Stave church and natural and cultural historical exhibits. Lom's Stave church is a delight with its soaring staves and cozy interior.
If you're up to some winding roads, continue up to Juvassshytta and its glaciers. Skiing goes on all year, and the views are spectacular in all directions.
Now for a once in a lifetime dining experience. If you hadn't heard about Norwegian chef Arne Brimi you'd never find your way to his restaurant at the Fossheim hotel in Lom, but the Norwegian Tourist Office will give you the details.
Fossheim has been an inn since 1897, was refurbished recently, and has a warm and welcoming interior. Award-winning Chef de Cuisine Arne Brimi bases his cooking on Norwegian traditions and uses only fresh ingredients gleaned from farms, fjords, rivers, forests, and mountains.
A typical dinner menu might include: salad with lamb sweetbreads, filet of reindeer, and a red current and chocolate mousse on nut cake served with a berry coulis. The mundane description doesn't do justice to the superb flavors of the offerings. Brimi also has his own nearby chalets called Husehaugen, where he offers cultural events, kids' camp and other outings.
We stayed the night at Storhaugen Farm in nearby Boverdalen, famed for its goat herds as well as for being the birthplace of Jorgine Boomers. Boomers went to New York early in the century and married the owner of the Waldorf Astoria. You can stay in new cabins with kitchens or in a converted log cabin house with superb views.
The next morning we were treated to an amazing experience when we visited the area of Otta, and toured Jorund Farm -- the Kingdom of Kristin Lavransdatter. She is the main character in the novel of the same name written by Sigrid Undset who won the Nobel Prize in literature for the novel in 1928. Liv Ullmann recently finished a major movie of the novel, turning a farm at Otta into the mythical Jorund.
The 16th century farm and village set build from old wood logs is now open to visitors.
In this area, you can trek to see Musk Oxes, and raft at nearby Dombas and Dovrefjell National Park. Well-equipped cabins at RV resorts, such as Hageseter Mountain Resort in Hjerkinn, are available with excellent meals.
We continued from there north through Folldal Valley to the delightful village of Roros, now an UNESCO World Heritage site with its mining museum and stunning church.
The nicest place to stay is the Inter Nor Hotel Roros with sports facilities and dining that rates high on the cuisine scale. The hotel is helpful in organizing hiking treks and other activities of interest. We went canoeing one balmy evening and watched the dramatic reds and purples of sunset shimmer on the calm waters of the winding river.
Roros mined copper from 1644 until 1986, when the last mine closed. The mine has become a fascinating underground museum with daily tours. Many of Roros's ancient wooden buildings have been restored, and a carriage tour or walking tour through the old streets is a must. The first Roros Church was built in 1650, and in 1784, a new church of stone with a soaring spire was completed. A 30-minute tour of the church recreates the town's history. As you walk the streets, visit some of the painters, potters, and smithies working in quaint ateliers. Roros is a photographer's dream, but take time from sightseeing to try a restaurant or two tucked into the tightly packed buildings. Explore the areas around Roros. You'll discover lakes, rivers and mountains, and you can camp, or stay in guest houses.
After your Troll trek, spend a few days back in Oslo, enjoying this sophisticated city's entertainment. We chose the lovely Continental Hotel in the center of Oslo for our last few nights. Since 1900, it has been a landmark and its Theatercafeen has long been a favorite dining spot for theater-goers. The Annen Etage, on the second floor, serves some of Oslo's finest cuisine.
For an exciting experience head for Vinterbro, just south of Oslo, and join a group of rough Vikings.
Vikinglandt is filled with wild-looking Vikings, and there you will be immersed in a serious Viking atmosphere. As soon as you enter this hilly enclave you'll be dressed in brown robes and taken to meet your Viking hosts. This is a living community with a market, burial mound, a port, combat training ground, and a court, tall of which help to transport the visitor back to the golden age of Norwegian history -- the Viking age. The Viking age began in 793 and ended with the death of King Harald Hardrade in battle at Stamford Bridge in England in 1066.
This valley has its domestic animals and rugged shelters where you will have a fine Viking meal, set before you by slaves. You'll enjoy a simulated wild ride on a Viking ship buried beneath a mountain and watch the enactment of Viking tales. You'll be part of the scene: shivering at some of the tales or laughing as the village bully gets trounced by a heroic young villager. This settlement has brought together as much of the old Viking tradition as is possible, and it's a wonderful adventure for children and adults.
Norway will capture your heart, no matter where you go, and it will become a place to revisit often.
Details
NORTRA at (212) 949-2333 for farm stay and tourist information.
SAS for flight information from the U.S. (800) 221-2350.
Continental Hotel, Oslo (800) 223- 6800, fax: (212) 758-7367
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Recipes
Rommegrot Fra Tinn (sour cream porridge)
2 cups water
5/8 cup butter
1 quart whipping cream
2 cup kefir milk
1 egg
1 2/3 cups flour (1/4 cup or more should be barley flour mixed with white flour)
2 teaspoon salt
sugar and cinnamon as garnish
milk or berry juice (optional)
In heavy-bottomed kettle, bring water and butter to boil. Whisk together cream, kefir and egg. Pour into butter mixture while stirring. Simmer for 15 minutes while stirring frequently.
Sift in flour while stirring and simmer for another 10 minutes. After a few minutes, butter will separate from porridge. Skim off butter and save in bowl, keeping it hot. Add salt to porridge.
Serve porridge with sugar and cinnamon and pass melted butter for those who would not think of eating the porridge without it. Milk or berry juice are also good with it.
Salmon In Curry Sauce with Wild Rice
(from Chef Willy Wyssenbach, Continental Hotel, Oslo, Norway)
1 pound 5 ounces of salmon filets without skin, bones or fat
1 medium green bell pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 medium red bell pepper
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 ounce butter
1 teaspoon mango chutney (medium hot)
2 teaspoon curry powder
pinch of salt
Cut salmon into one-inch squares. Blanch bell peppers in lightly salted water for three to four minutes, cool in ice water. Remove skin and seeds. Dice or slice into strips.
In heavy skillet or low-sided saucepan, warm butter and sautÈ the lightly salted salmon pieces. Sprinkle curry powder over them and add the heavy cream. Bring the cream to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and let the salmon draw for two to three minutes. Remove salmon pieces with slotted spoon and keep warm and covered so they do not dry out.
Reduce the sauce to desired consistency. Add the bell peppers, the tomato and the chutney. Arrange the salmon on a deep serving dish or on plates with the sauce on top.
wild rice
2 1/2 ounces of wild rice
lightly salted water (twice the volume of wild rice)
3/4 ounce of butter
4 ounces of long grain rice, cooked
1/2 hard boiled egg
Rinse wild rice several times in strainer. Cook in lightly salted water for 40-50 minutes. Drain and dry rice and mix it with cooked white rice, chopped egg, and butter.
serves four
Note: This information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the businesses in question before making your plans.
