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Viking FoodA Norwegian Viking Food Celebration.
According to archeologist, Ragnar Orten Lie, Romsdal, Norway, remainders of many "Viking food cooking holes or pits" (Viking kokegrop), can be found in Isfjorden, Romsdal area. It was a type of Viking kokegrop that was used to bake lamb at the Viking Fest (Viking Celebration) held at Isfjorden School in 2003. Viking Food Celebration, Isfjorden School (left) Archeological excavations have uncovered many such cooking holes where the Vikings baked some of their food. Many of these holes are extra large which indicates that the Vikings cooked whole, large animals. This method of cooking is dated back to 700 AD, according to the archeologist, who was in charge of preparing legs of lamb the "Viking way" at the school's Viking Celebration. Many people were gathered to sample the delicacy prepared by the archeologist himself, using this ancient method. Ingredients and Preparation: Willing helpers dug the cooking pit about a half a meter (20 inches) deep, under the direction of the archeologist. The hole was filled with rocks and wood, and lighted. The fire heated the rocks until they were glowing red, hot. The rocks were removed and the meat, in this case, a well foil-wrapped leg of lamb, placed in the center of the hole and the hot rocks were placed around the meat. This cooking pit was large enough to accommodate more than one leg of lamb. You can also bake potatoes in foil and other vegetables this way, but place them further away from the rocks. The pit was tightly re-filled with dirt. The children were eager helpers. About 1 hour and 15 minutes, of in-ground cooking, "bingo", the leg of lamb was baked to perfection, moist, delicious and ready to be served to very impressed guests, in this case students at Isfjorden Skole (school), parents and friends. To make food this way is easy enough, however it is time consuming. But once you have your cooking pit or hole prepared you can use it over and over again, just like the Norwegian Vikings did. You can even make a spot in your back yard into a special It's like having a free stove outside, something to consider these days with the high price of natural gas for the home - just kidding. Maybe you should call Al Gore and clue him in?? It would definitely hit the 6 o'clock news if Mrs. Homemaker would start using this Norwegian Viking Food cooking method to prepare dinner. Dinner would be an event for sure. he-he. However, this is a unique cooking idea for parties, camping or have ready to go in case we end up in hard times. I attended the Viking Fest with one of my friends, Else, a classmate, who now lives in California. We enjoyed the Viking food as well as visiting with old friends. We had traveled to Norway for our class reunion. It is a long distance to travel from California and Michigan for a class reunion, but it was well worth it and we all had a great time, but that is another story. The archeologist became a hero with the students and parents alike and thought of as a master chef of ancient Norwegian Viking Food. Also, this event offered not only how to make Viking food, but other ancient methods of doing things such as the girls felted wool (tova ull) and baking Norwegian griddle cake (Norsk hellekake) over an open-flame, iron griddle, a neat experience for little future home makers. The boys worked hard at whittling and got to practice bow and arrow shooting - great for aspiring, little hunters. The children partook in everything that was going on and it gave them a new insight into ancient times and also helped them become more interested in Norwegian history. I found out that the proceeds from the evening would go toward putting the finishing touches on Jernalderhuset "The Viking Hus" (Viking House), that is being built for the students next to the school. I hope you will have fun and enjoy finger licking, lip-smacking, authentic, Norwegian Viking Food! Return to Home page after reading about Norwegian Viking Food.
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