Sharing Your Norwegian Heritage and Traditions With Your Family
One of the more difficult things to do is share your Norwegian heritage and traditions with your family. Life often gets so busy that we forget to educate our families and ourselves about the importance of our Norwegian heritage. One of the best ways to teach old family traditions is to showcase the culture through food and storytelling. When you talk about the food ancestors use to eat and why, it gives children an opportunity to learn and taste your history.
Not all of the foods are easy to make and some are not that much fun to eat. Norwegian food starts with fish. As far back as the legendary Viking warriors, fish was an important part of the diet. Explaining this and allowing them to taste things like smoked salmon, gravlaks, and codfish is a great way to teach them how important water was to the Norwegian people.
Moose, reindeer, duck, and other types of fowl are also perfect example of the wild game people relied on. Rich sauces made from juniper berries and lingonberries can complement these dishes. Since it can be difficult to find all of these ingredients in the United States, find some cookbooks and make a conscious effort to make a Norwegian Meal for the entire family. If you have it on a Norwegian holiday you can teach the family even more about their Norwegian heritage.