Lefse, pecans and julebrus!

-
Since moving here I've been trying many new foods. I'm still skeptical of meat (leverpostei and stuff in a tube DOES NOT tickle my fancy) but I've tried moose and if I didn't know better I'd have thought it was beef. My biggest norsk mat (Norwegian food) fascination is lefse. When I was first introduced to it, I couldn't stop eating it. I ate lefse everyday when I first moved here to Norway. Even that is sounding strange now because it's been 5 months since my move and I'm realizing there's been some history since my move.

My favorite lefse is Vestlands lefsa. I think it was around August I couldn't find it - in any store - anywhere. By September I began to really wonder what happened to the lefse. I mean, this is Norway. Lefse is a staple just like flour, bread or sugar. It turns out, there was a lefse shortage due to the company relocating. Thankfully production is back to normal and lefse is back!


I think I have an undying love for Norwegian bakeries. With fall being in full effect, I know Americans get treated to everything being pecan or pumpkin flavored. After years of enjoying pumpkin and pecan flavored everything every fall (pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks or pumpkin pie blizzards from Dairy Queen) and hating the flavors the rest of the year, I've had a massive craving for pecan pie. 

The best substitute (other than making pecan pie myself) has been pecan wienerbrød. 

I absolutely love it! 

It's like a flaky pie crust  pastry with pecan filling and pecans on top. 
I'm not sure yet, but I almost think Norwegians get excited about Christmas before Americans. I think it's far more commercialized in America than Norway, though! Americans focus on Halloween, Thanksgiving, then Christmas. For Norwegians, Halloween is celebrated, but not nearly as commercialized, there is no Thanksgiving as they didn't have pilgrims and Native Americans, so the next holiday they can look forward to is Christmas.

Lately a lot of Christmas candy, cookies and drinks have been popping up in stores. I've been curious about the drinks more than anything, so I bought one the other day. There are various regional drinks, so Northern Norway may have a different Christmas drink than some parts of Eastern Norway and so on.
SKÅL!
Julebrus aka Christmas Soda!

Comments

H. Bratset said…
That Pecan pastry looks amaing and yum! I love Lefse. I want to learn to make it.

Maybe this Jul you can meet the Julebruskongen!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJg5btxIjYA&feature=related

He cracks me up!
October 22, 2012 at 5:55 PM
Evelyn Sand said…
Hi there! Thanks for taking an interest in my blog! :-)

The pecan pastries here are wonderful!

Here is a recipe for lefse. I've made if homemade before and it was really good. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/norwegian-lefse/

I think lefse is best with butter, sugar and cinnamon, but you can put pretty much anything on it!

HAHA Julbruskongen! Seems like an interesting fella from the video! :-)
October 24, 2012 at 12:47 PM
Sara B. said…
Hello Evelyn,

I know this is an odd comment, but do you have any idea where to buy Vestlands lefsa that ships to America? My family and I visited Norway, Denmark and Sweden in 2017 (my mother is half Norwegian, so it was a "discover our roots" type of trip!) and Vestlands lefsa was my favorite treat during the trip. I can only find the dry Vestlands lefsa that you have to heat up under hot water and add your own toppings, but if that's the only type that ships to America, I'd rather just try to make my own at home.

I know this is a shot in the dark, but just thought I'd ask. But I am glad I discovered your blog!
April 4, 2019 at 5:17 AM
Evelyn Sand said…
Hey there! :-) I don't think I can be of much help as far as knowing where to purchase Vestland's lefse that will ship to USA. When it's purchased in the store, it's in the freezer section so I'm unsure how it would hold up in the mail.
April 11, 2019 at 1:15 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Expat Life

-
I've finally begun reading a book that has been in my reading list for a few years now; Norwegian By Night by Derek B. Miller. The author is actually an American man from Boston living in Oslo. Although it's a thriller, the expatriation of the main character is relatable. Sheldon Horowitz, a Marine, relocates to Oslo with his granddaughter, an American married to a Norwegian man. One particular quote, or paragraph rather, stood out to me, "Lars, being Lars, was overjoyed and encouraging and optimistic about her ability to adapt and join the pod. Norwegians, true to their nature, prefer to spawn in their own waters. Consequently Oslo is peopled by Norwegians married to a shadow population of displaced souls who all carry the look of tourists being led like children through the House of Wax." According to Wikipedia  16.8% of Norway's population is made up of immigrants. Granted this number also includes children born to immigrants regardless of being born in Norwa...
Read more

The Dyne

-
Image
Separate dyne!  On beds a dyne (duvet) is used and you purchase covers in many prints and different types of fabrics. These are a pain in the butt to put over the duvet, but we manage. Many people have a duvet for summer months and a duvet for winter months. Oh, and the most common thing is for each person to have their own duvet. Moving to Norway as a newlywed, I wanted to have one duvet that we shared on our bed thinking it would be extra cozy and we'd cuddle more. Newlyweds are hilariously idealistic though! This lasted only a few months before we surrendered with white flags in the war zone that was our sleeping quarters. Turns out, I'm quite territorial over the duvet. I hear a lot of women are like this. I freeze easier than my husband so I was often less comfortable than I wanted to be and he's a night owl who goes to bed later than I do which means every time he lifted the duvet, a gush of cold air would follow him waking me. We gave up with our idealism o...
Read more

Froot Loops

-
Image
Froot Loops! Who'd have thought so many Americans would be joyously celebrating Froot Loops' arrival to Norway like it's 1972? Yet here we are. Froot Loops have arrived in Norway. Our bland, unvaried  cereal aisle has become  slightly  more colorful. I say slightly because, well, the Froot Loops that have now ascended from cereal heaven to Norway are lacking some color. You know, artificial color! That good ole unhealthy stuff us Americans are so accustomed to eating. When I poured my first bowl of these Froot Loops, my first thought was  it looks like a comparison picture of how someone with colorblindness views Froot Loops.  My eldest daughter on the other hand exclaimed, "WOW! SO COLORFUL!" Same taste, just lacking some pigment. As it turns out, there are some ingredients which are allowed by the FDA, but are not allowed in foods in Europe.  Food dyes are one of those things, but if a product has certain dyes in it, they must have a warning la...
Read more