Authentic Viking Food

[Peter the eater]

What are some good party foods that scream Norway, circa 700 AD?

A Viking movie was shot in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland that will finally hit the big screen this fall so we’re having a party. Many months ago I got rounded up along with all the other bearded blue-eyed men in Halifax to be a background performer in an action-scifi flick based on Beowulf. It was a lot fun.

Instead of a potluck party for three dozen friends, there was a vote to give me $10 per head and total creative control. We’ll probably nibble and drink from 5 to 7pm and then go see the early show, mead and discussion to follow.

There’s been no official North American release date set but it’s looking like November. The film was shown at Cannes and at some other screens in Germany, Switzerland and Latvia. If anyone’s actually seen Outlander, please feel free to PM and tell me it doesn’t suck.

It looks like we’ll be having a náttmál or "night meal", as opposed to a dagmál or "day-meal". We won’t have an open fire pit or hollowed reindeer horns to drink from. Here are some appropriate ingredients I can easily get:

Mackerel, herring, cod, eel

Mutton, elk, boar

Cabbage, turnip, leek, angelica

Apples, plums, blackberries, blueberries

Honey, dill, salt

Obviously, these guys were survivors who likely would’ve eaten anything to survive. I’m not interested in an academic feast, just a good time.

Any suggestions for a wannabe Viking method actor slash caterer?

[chileheadmike]

Tourburg Gold from a horn?

[Pam R]

Lutefisk and lefse. The last (ok, only) time I was at the Norsk Hostfest, they were both plentiful. Smoked salmon.

[Kerry Beal]

salt fish of some sort I'm guessing.

[Peter the eater]

Lutefisk and lefse.  The last (ok, only) time I was at the Norsk Hostfest, they were both plentiful.  Smoked salmon.

You've been to the Norsk Høstfest in North Dakota? I'm envious.

Apparently lutefish is actually a Post-Viking Age Scandinavian dish that the Christians made in the Middle Ages, according to the Viking Answer Lady. There is evidence that the Viking ate flatbread cakes just like today's lefse.

Looks like Kenny Rogers and The Beach Boys are playing the Høstfest later this month!

[Pam R]

How about Icelandic Vikings? I remember Carlos Rota's Great Canadian Food Show did a show in Gimli, home to a large Icelandic community. According to foodtv.ca, they made rulla pylsa and mysoustur on the show, but no information about what they are. Maybe a search will come up with some recipes.

I still say you can get away with lutefisk, or some nice smoked fish instead.\

eta : found a recipe for rullapylsa here.

[Peter the eater]

How about Icelandic Vikings? I remember Carlos Rota's Great Canadian Food Show did a show in Gimli, home to a large Icelandic community. According to foodtv.ca, they made rulla pylsa and mysoustur on the show, but no information about what they are.  Maybe a search will come up with some recipes.

I still say you can get away with lutefisk, or some nice smoked fish instead.\

eta : found a recipe for rullapylsa here.

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Thanks for that recipe Pam, looks like my kinda food. I wonder if the lamb winds up looking a bit pink, since there's KNO3 in the dry mix.

Unfortunately, I missed the Gimli episode. I became very fond of Icelandic culture when I worked in Northwestern Ontario years ago. First time I saw Carlo Rota was the GCFS episode he did here in Halifax - he was doing a James Bond thing at the casino and came off as a total moron. He was good in Othello and 24 though.

[azureus]

Unfortunately, I don't think that the poem Beowulf mentions any food. The warriors seem to spend on all of their time in Heorot drinking mead/beer/wine and getting feasted upon by Grendel.

This is a web page that lists food found at archeological digs of Viking sites: Viking Age Foodstuffs

King Hrothgar's people were Danes, so perhaps Danish recipes would be a place to start.

April

[Peter the eater]

Unfortunately, I don't think that the poem Beowulf mentions any food.  The warriors seem to spend on all of their time in Heorot drinking mead/beer/wine and getting feasted upon by Grendel. 

This is a web page that lists food found at archeological digs of Viking sites:  Viking Age Foodstuffs

King Hrothgar's people were Danes, so perhaps  Danish recipes would be a place to start.

April

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I find The Great Poem much too taxing to actually read - I'd rather go see a movie based on Beowulf and there's plenty of those around. This latest one has John Hurt as Rothgar and the setting is Norway, 709 AD.

We did a feast scene in the great hall that showed the tables full of food props - plastic animal parts, salted fish, cheeses, breads, etc. There were wine barrels and jugs of mead everywhere. I wish I'd snuck a few snapshots.

ETA: Thanks for the link April, it's a good one.

Edited September 2, 2008 by Peter the eater (log)

[Peter the eater]

salt fish of some sort I'm guessing.

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Absolutely salt fish.

I've read that Vikings regarded fresh food as bad for one's health and that salty smoky meats were more prized.

[patris]

This won't be remotely helpful, but this thread made me think of Shrinklits, a series of highly condensed versions of classic literature that I came across in high school. The first line of the distillation of Beowulf was,

"Monster Grendel's tastes were plainish. Breakfast? Just a couple Danish."

Still makes me laugh 25 years later.

[rlibkind]

eta : found a recipe for rullapylsa here.

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Thanks for that recipe Pam, looks like my kinda food. I wonder if the lamb winds up looking a bit pink, since there's KNO3 in the dry mix.

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An alternate spelling -- and one that might bring up even more recipies, though the one Pam linked to is classic -- would be "rullepolse" . The lamb will come out a tad pinkish because of the KNO3, pleasantly so. You can also use beef flank, pork, or any combination thereof. For example, you could roll a small beef flank with the lamb shoulder. I've had various versions and much prefer the lamb.

Rather than smoked salmon, I'd suggest gravad lax (gravlox); easy to make yourself and can be done with cheap farmed salmon (since cost is an issue) to good effect.

As, as someone else suggested, herring. To quote Ula from "The Producers" as to her favored breakfast fare: "Many different herrings." Pick up some basic plain pickled herring and then toss them with various sauces: curry, mustard, dill, tomato, etc.

Although not strictly a Viking dish, a Scandinavian classic would be yellow pea soup. Basically, it's porridge made from legume instead of cereal grain.

Some Ekta Gjetost cheese would go well with the leftse. I'd suggest some crisp flatbreads, too.

You'll also need much Akavit and beer.

In Halifax you should have access to lots of good, cheap, small cold-water shrimp, even if it's frozen this time of year. Again, just toss in a dill sauce.

Sausage made from lamb would go well with the beer. But it's tough to find unless it's done Moroccan-style, which no self-respecting Norseman would eat.

If you have the inclination, Bergen (Norway) Fish Soup would be quite tasty. It's the best example I know of a dairy-based fish soup.

Edited September 2, 2008 by rlibkind (log)

[Adam Balic]

They were traders so they had access to a wider range of food stuffs then what they could harvest locally. So wine is authentic, yay! No akavit, stills develop later.

Documented (mostly 14th century, but some earlier) spices are:

# Hops

# Caraway

# Nutmeg

# Cardamom

# Grains of Paradise

# Cloves

# Cinnamon

# Saffron

# Ginger

# pepper

Spiced cakes, biscuits breads etc are still popular in Scandinavian so I would include something like this as a all herring, meat and cabbage meal will suck.

[Peter the eater]

This won't be remotely helpful, but this thread made me think of Shrinklits, a series of highly condensed versions of classic literature that I came across in high school.  The first line of the distillation of Beowulf was,

"Monster Grendel's tastes were plainish.  Breakfast?  Just a couple Danish."

Still makes me laugh 25 years later.

I love it . . . and it rhymes!

I'll put a platter of danishes on the buffet and see if anyone connects "eating a danish" with "eating the Danish". Plum or cherry would be appropriate.

(In this movie, Grendel is a CGI monster from the guy who created Predator)

[Peter the eater]

Thanks for the ideas, Bob.

Rather than smoked salmon, I'd suggest gravad lax (gravlox); easy to make yourself and can be done with cheap farmed salmon (since cost is an issue) to good effect.

I often buy the irregular salmon trimmings for a salt/sugar/dill cure with great results. Got a 1 lb bag today for $3.

Although not strictly a Viking dish, a Scandinavian classic would be yellow pea soup. Basically, it's porridge made from legume instead of cereal grain.

That one's new to me, sounds like a nice change from the green pea soup I know. I found a recipe for Norse spelt porridge. It wasn't totally disgusting. I took a picture, maybe I'll post it before I retire/expire tonight.

If you have the inclination, Bergen (Norway) Fish Soup would be quite tasty. It's the best example I know of a dairy-based fish soup.

As good a New England chowder?

[SheenaGreena]

I remember watching something before (maybe globetrekker?) where the tv host went to some scandinavian country for an authentic viking feast. The highlight of the meal (and the only thing I remember) was a whole sheep's head.

try that out for size

[djyee100]

Definitely lefse. But skip the lutefisk and go for the smoked salmon. Any other kind of griddled flatbread, also, like a cracker, with cheeses. Stew from the meats and veg you mentioned in your first post? Though I suspect your modern-day Vikings would prefer the meats & vegs roasted or grilled. For dessert, perhaps a compote from the dried fruits with honey, or a fruit soup.

A BBC article about the everyday eating, etc, habits of the Vikings a thousand years ago. How authentic do you want to be?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/food_01.shtml

Also informative: http://www.ydalir.co.uk/crafts/cook.htm

[Dejah]

Last spring, I made rullupyslsa with my friend Inga. She used beef flank, and it turned pinkish from the saltpeter. It was delicious!

For dessert, you could make vinarterta, ponnukokur, or cheesecake made with skyr. Inga makes hundreds of ponnukokur for the Icelandic Pavilion at our Winterfest.

She lent me a cookbook: The Culinary Saga of new Iceland: Recipes from the Shores of Lake Winnipeg by Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns. It's very interesting reading. Let me know if there is a specific recipe you need. It might be in this book.

[TongoRad]

Tourburg Gold from a horn?

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Nah- lagers weren't around back then. There are beers available today that are made with a nod towards ancient history. Unfortunately I don't know of any available continental examples, though there is something from Scotland that should be close enough: Fraoch Heather Ale. And it's really good to boot!

[Peter the eater]

Tourburg Gold from a horn?

←

Nah- lagers weren't around back then. There are beers available today that are made with a nod towards ancient history. Unfortunately I don't know of any available continental examples, though there is something from Scotland that should be close enough: Fraoch Heather Ale. And it's really good to boot!

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I like Faxe from Denmark.

It's a big seller at my local store, in part because it's $5/litre and 10% ethanol. It's strong and crisp - one 500 ml can of it at room temperature lasts me an entire NHL hockey game.

[Peter the eater]

I remember watching something before (maybe globetrekker?) where the tv host went to some scandinavian country for an authentic viking feast.  The highlight of the meal (and the only thing I remember) was a whole sheep's head. 

try that out for size

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My butcher Mike had fresh heads for sale last weekend - $5 for a pig, boar or goat. Tempting, but I'm afraid I'd traumatize the kids if I brought a sack o' mammal noggins home.

I've got a pig on the in-laws' farm which I have head plans for in a month or so. On the farm I can process the animal without wide-eyed witnesses. We just tell the kids "pig moved to Fort McMurray" . . . which is funny because . . . all the young people in Cape Breton go to Alberta to work in the oil sands.

[BarbaraY]

My daughter's Icelandic mother-in-law served us dried lamb and dried cod as an appetizer to a traditional American Christmas dinner.

The lamb had a texture similar to Proscuitto.

Her son came into the living room and announced he had hammered the fish. Had to be pounded to make it easier to eat.

I liked both items well enough. I don't know where she obtained them but she didn't make them herself.

[Peter the eater]

. . . . The lamb had a texture similar to Proscuitto.

That sounds very appealing to me.

[Peter the eater]

I've been tinkering with some Vikingesque ingredients:

Starting at 12 o'clock: blackberries, honeycomb, mutton, beef marrow bones, onions, spelt with sea salt and dill seeds in the centre. Note the geographically appropriate use of Ikea bowls.

I'd never worked with mutton before, but as a hardcore lover of lamb our union was inevitable. This sample was from a 3 year old ewe and let me tell you it was lovely -- nothing like what I'd heard and expected. My theory is that that the yucky mutton taste comes from peripheral fat and not from the meat or it's marbling -- just a theory.

I figured I should make a one pot stove top stew with only the stuff in the picture. I did, and was not very good. It was gray and gooey and lacked pizazz.

Porridge + meat = stew

I saved the berries or honey for desert.

Edited September 27, 2008 by Peter the eater (log)

[djyee100]

I figured I should make a one pot stove top stew with only the stuff in the picture. I did, and was not very good. It was gray and gooey and lacked pizazz.

It sounds very authentic, though, for Viking c.700. Was that what you were trying to do?