Kjøttkaker

Kjøttkaker – a rival to Swedish meatball  is a raditional Norwegian dish . Kjøttkaker are usually all-beef, flavorful, and somewhat salty.

Nothing is as Norwegian as kjøttkaker. Loosely translated as ‘meat cakes’, they are actually very similar in taste, texture and composition to Swedish meatballs, the latter probably better recognized among Americans because of Ikea.

Some argue that kjøttkaker aren’t Norwegian at all. Popping up during the 18th century, a grinder was required to make the meatballs, and since this was a very expensive equipment, only rich people owned one. And rich people were few and far in between in Norway at that time.  The exotic spices in the meat were also ingredients not commonly seen in this part of the world. It didn’t take long however, until  now kjøttkaker were part of everybody’s diet, and they have since been named Norway’s National Dish.