In the Twin Peaks pilot, Ben Horne is courting a group of Norwegian businessmen over breakfast.
The Norwegians seemed to be buying what Ben was selling; but eventually some shit goes down (you have to go watch the pilot to find out. I’m not telling.) and this happens:
“The Norwegians are leaving! The Norwegians are leaving!”
Yeah. The Norwegians left.
But let’s get back to that breakfast from the clip! Looks good. Flapjacks. Bacon. Eggs. Coffee.
So, pretty far off from the Norwegian breakfast, or Frokost (from wikipedia):
The basic Norwegian breakfast consists of milk or fruit juice, coffee (or more rarely tea), and open sandwiches with meat cuts, spreads, cheese or jam. Cereals such as corn flakes, muesli and oatmeal are also popular, particularly with children.
Eh. Boring. You know what’s more fun? KOLDTBORD, or the Norwegian version of the smorgasbord. I think it literally translates to “cold board.”
Continue reading for a looksie at some primo retro koldtbord spreads.
So, lots of salads, cold meat, cold fish, and little open-faced sandwiches. Count me in!
And then there’s this:
OK, not koldtbord. There’s a giant elephant. And is that a loaf of bread shaped like a crocodile??? But I came across it and had to share.
I never knew that Sharon, Lois & Bram had a record called Smorgasbord. Damn, I don’t know the last time that I even thought of Sharon, Lois & Bram. But now I’m gonna have that skiminarinkydinkydink skiminarinkydo I love you song in my head all day.
After looking at all those fantastic koldtbord photos and now have a hankering to see some more Norwegian foods, please visit Ted over at RecipeReminiscing. The recipes are all vintage. The photography is all questionable. And most of the recipes are provided in both English AND Norwegian.
Check out this humdinger of a dish from Ted’s site:
approx. 300-400 g [0,7-0,9 pound] beef
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons chopped pickled cucumber
4 tablespoons finely chopped raw onions
4 tablespoons capers
4 tablespoons chopped beetroot
4 slices of bread with butterRemove the tendons and skins carefully from the meat and run it once through a meat grinder. Placed on top of the buttered bread slices and push it well down at the edges so that none of the bread is visible. Chop lightly with the dull edge of a knife in checkerboard pattern.
Place the sandwiches on a platter with onions, capers, cucumber and beets around. The egg yolks can be served in half an eggshell or put on the sandwiches in an onion ring. Serve with salt and pepper.
Yummy. But hey now! I think I’ve seen that dish before!!!
Looks rather like Dinner is Served’s Beef Lindstrom, no?
I didn’t notice before now. You called all the photos on my blog questionable you naughty woman 😉
The koldtbords look awesome. And you’ve inspired me to watch Twin Peaks again too!!!
I actually still have a few of the cards. They’re Betty Crocker’s Step By Step Recipe cards, and they originally came in their own box with a lid. They’re from 1975. Pizza Porcupine Patties comes to mind.
Sounds delicious. LOL!
My mother was from Oslo so I can attest to the flag displaying. Also, she was scandalized by a sandwich that used two pieces of bread. That was for piggy Americans, thank you, and was just wrong. Love your site, I own several old cookbooks and remember my mother using those awesome old recipe cards. She was a terrible cook!
I love hearing about the original owners of the DiS! sets actually used them. Do you remember any of the dishes in particular?
Also, thanks for reading!
All I know is now I am hungry for a buffet.
How about that beer flight in Ted’s photo?! Yes!
It’s a great photo. And now I want beer!!!
By the way, the serving dish if from a very famous Norwegian set from the fifties and I’ve got it 😀 Dinner plates, desert plates, serving dishes and a full tea set. God bless the flea markets 😉
I need to get my butt to the thrift store. I need some more vintage serving ware. My photos are getting repetitious.
Sharon. Lois. Bram. The soundtrack of my childhood. Thank you for the reminder, I love you in the morning, afternoon, and underneath the moon.
Beef Tartar is raw meat and Beef Lindstrøm is pan fried so there is a difference 😉
I just looked at the photo and the ingredients. But they look alike!!!
Apart from the frying they are 😉
And yes, there is pickled (And just about any other variation of) herring involved. Scandinavians are crazy about herring 🙂
Not “cold board” but “cold table” Yinzerella 😉
It was after typing it the 3rd time that I thought, “oh, it sounds like cold board.”
At most Norwegian hotels “koldtbord” is served for lunch and you can eat till you faint 😀
I have a feeling that I’d love it.