Julebord on Veterans Day, why not?

Christmas comes early in Norway. During the fall they don’t celebrate the same holidays we do in the States, like Halloween (it’s here, but not a big deal) or Thanksgiving (this is a shame, I'd love to see what Norwegians could do with a Thanksgiving meal). So Christmas is on everyone’s mind much earlier than I’m used to. Stores are selling Christmas goods by October and it’s normal for businesses and other groups to host fancy Christmas dinners (julebord) beginning in November. The student leadership for the masters students at the Department of Medicine organized a julebord for us last night. Part of the reason we had our julebord so early is because everyone will get busier as exams approach, but it’s also normal to have Christmas parties more than a month before Christmas.

I was excited about julebord and looking forward to a hot, traditional, delicious meal. I’m happy to report that my expectations were exceeded. What I found is that julebord means lots of meat. Meat is expensive in Norway, so I don’t eat a lot of it. We had to pay for the dinner but it was "Norway cheap" and I feel I got my money’s worth.

Hungry Hungry Students

Here’s what was on the menu:

Ribbe – Roast Pork Ribs (from a whole side of pork, not just the spare ribs). In other words, bomb. My new favorite.

Pinnekjøtt – Lamb Ribs (not my favorite, but still good)

Medisterkaker – Patties made of ground pork meat

Julepølser – Christmas sausage, smoked and unsmoked varieties

poteter – potatos, of course

rødkål – red cabbage

svisker – prunes, surprisingly delicious (another new favorite)

kålrot – rutabaga

and don’t forget the gravy! Almost as good as my Grandma Dodo’s, dare I say it.

 Ribbe in the front, isn't it beautiful?

As you can see, they go all out with the pig meat at Christmastime. I know my brother and dad would have been in hog heaven (pun most definitely intended) and I hope the whole family can experience julebord some day. The ribbe was some of the best pork I’ve ever tasted, though it’s possible my opinion is skewed because of my lack of meat intake recently. I went slightly overboard and ate more than my fill, it was all so good! About the only thing I didn’t touch was the vegetarian option. It’s 1:00pm the next day, I haven’t eaten since julebord, and I’m not hungry yet.

Besides eating, we also learned about Norwegian Christmas traditions, played games, and had a visit from Santa Clause. But I think you know my favorite part of julebord, the food. Needless to say, I’m glad the Christmas season in Norway is long, and that I’ll be here to experience the real thing next month!