Welcome to a joint post! Thank you to LiL, who has written the portion about Norway’s new way National Day celebrations, and to our guest author, Ween, who provided the information on the luncheon and translates (and demonstrates) the recipe for Harald’s lomper.
National Day the New Way (LiL)
Gratulerer med dagen! Sunday was Norway’s National Day and as was expected, the usual festivities were canceled due to the pandemic. But never let it be said that if there’s a will, there won’t be a way! Norway encouraged people to decorate their balconies and celebrate with their neighbors by singing the national anthem and toasting the day. Many of the usual wreath laying ceremonies, folk dances, and concerts were also held, but they were unscheduled “pop up” events so large crowds would be unable to gather in advance. And of course these events were also live streamed for people to watch in their homes.
Not wanting to be left out, the royal family took to the streets, becoming the paraders instead of the paradees. Haakon and family walked down the path to the gate outside of Skaugum, and met with representatives of various groups from Asker. Then they all, including King Harald and Queen Sonja, hopped in classic vintage cars and made surprise visits to people around the area. The Crown Prince family visited a housing and care center in SolgĂ„rden, a community and activity center in BorgenbrĂ„ten, and housing cooperative in Borgen, while the king and queen visited care homes at Kampen Omsorg, the Sofienberg home at GrĂŒnerlĂžkka, and the pediatric ward at UllevĂ„l hospital. âŁAfter they finished it was off to the palace balcony, where a very socially distanced Gardens Music Corps, The Norwegian Soloist Choir, The Silver Boys and The Norwegian Girl Choir performed.
And while MĂ€rtha Louise and her girls might not have been riding around town with the others, she shared a picture that made me sad. Only TWO of them in bunad? My heart is broken.
Luncheon and Lomper (Ween)
Celebrations across the world have been impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic, and this includes Norwayâs National Day. Typically, King Harald and Queen Sonja host a luncheon at the palace for family members and government ministers following the traditional Childrenâs Parade. This year, the decision was made to only have other members of the royal family present during the luncheon, and to move it from the palace to BygdĂžy Royal Estate, Harald and Sonjaâs official summer residence.
Harald and Sonja invited the Norwegian media, represented by TV2, to the estate to show Norway how their celebrations were being modified. This included a tour of the dining room where the luncheon would take place, and a meeting with head royal chef Nicolai Lundsgaard and his apprentice, Anna Brimi, to discuss the menu for the celebration. The menu consists of traditional Norwegian cuisine, including multiple types of gravlaks, fresh asparagus and other vegetables grown at the estate, kransenkake, and ice cream.
One key component of Norwegian cuisine is lomper, or potato flatbreads. During the tour, Sonja revealed that Haraldâs favorite part of the feast is sausages wrapped in lomper, a common and very popular dish in Norway. Lomper can be stuffed with other things, such as sauteed onions. The royal chefs were generous enough to share their recipe, and as the chief Norway fangirl, Iâve translated it to share with all of you.
Lomper Recipe (Ween)
All photos courtesy of Ween.
To make Haraldâs Favorite Lomper, you will need:
- 750 grams of cooked, mashed potatoes (either russet or yukon gold)
- 40 grams of clarified butter
- 45 grams of rye flour
- 90 grams of wheat flour
- 10 grams of salt
Step 1: Peel and boil the potatoes until tender (aka you can easily pierce it with a fork). Once the potatoes are boiled, drain, mash, and leave to cool.
Step 2: While the potato is cooling, clarify the butter. To clarify butter, melt butter over very low heat in a saucepan, then skim off the white solids, aka milk solids, as they rise to the top. You can also pour the butter through a sieve with a few layers of cheesecloth.
Step 3: Mix the flour, salt, and butter into the cooled potato.
Step 4: Work the dough until it comes together. Be very careful about adding in any more flour – too much, and the lomper will be hard. The dough should remain sticky.
Step 5: You can shape the lomper in two separate ways: roll out the dough to about ÂŒ inch/Âœ cm thick and cut out your desired size (recommended by the palace chefs), or shape the dough into balls and roll them out individually until ÂŒ inch/Âœ cm thick (recommended by other bloggers). I chose to do the latter. Make sure you flour your surface and rolling pin well so the dough doesnât stick!
Step 6: Brush off the excess flour and fry the both sides of the lomper on a dry griddle until golden brown (I used a regular pan). The lomper should puff up when fried.
Step 7: Cool the lomper on a cooling rack and enjoy
Comments Below
What was your favorite part about National Day 2020, and what is your favorite part about Norway’s National Days in general? Let us know below!