Fårikål has a long history of making friends and family gather around tables on dark autumn nights. Fårikål literally means "mutton in cabbage", and it is a traditional dish, consisting of pieces of mutton with bone, cabbage, whole black pepper and a little wheat flour. It is cooked for several hours in a casserole and is traditionally served with potatoes,
flatbrød (flat bread) and homemade
lingonberry jam. Fårikål is typically prepared in early autumn.
Fårikål deserves to be celebrated properly as many Norwegians refer to it as Norway’s national dish. Finally in 1998, this popular dish got its own annual feast day – the last Thursday in September. In 2004, the largest fårikål pot in the world was made during the feast. It consisted of 500 kilos of meat and 450 kilos of cabbage! The dish even has it’s own webpage with recipes, local songs and history. How about trying out the “Fårikål game”?
Below is the traditional recipe – it’s quick and easy as the dish cooks itself.
ENJOY!
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Ingredients (serves 6)
2 ½ kg lamb on the bone (shoulder or shank) cut into 3cm slices
2 ½ kg green cabbage
500ml water
6 tsp whole black peppercorns
Salt, to taste (about 3 tsp or so)
Method
1.Cut the cabbage into quarters and cut each quarter into 3-4 segments (the idea is to keep part of the core on each segment, which will hold the leaves together and prevent the whole thing disintegrating while cooking).
2. Pour the water into a large casserole pot. Place a layer of lamb, then a layer of cabbage into the pot and season with salt and some of the whole peppercorns.
3. Repeat this layering process until you have used up all the ingredients. The final layer on the top should always be cabbage.
4. Cover tightly and bring to the boil
5. Simmer over a very low heat for 2-3 hours until the lamb is really tender and falling off the bone (check the water level now and then, making sure the pan doesn't run dry).
6. Serve on warmed plates with boiled potatoes. |