Traditional Norwegian vegetarian food?

En veggis som skal tilbringe sommeren i Norge spurte om jeg kunne foreslå "tradisjonell norsk mat" - som er vegetar. (Altså vegetariske middagsretter - hovedretter). Hm. Her må jeg si jeg ble satt ganske så fast, gitt.

Man har jo risengrynsgrøt og rømmegrøt (selv om rømmegrøt tradisjonelt serveres med spekekjøtt) - gjør som bergenserne; i Bergen brukes vannkringler (de fra Tøsse bakeri er best!) til rømmegrøt. Pannekaker er selvfølgelig ikke en utpreget norsk rett, men i det minste vegetarisk så lenge man dropper bacon og denslags.

Lapskaus og supper - vanligvis er det jo kjøtt i alt av supper og lapskaus, men en grønnsakslapskaus (kålrot, gulrot, kål, purre, poteter...) eller grønnsakssuppe, servert med flatbrød, må likevel kunne sies å være ganske tradisjonell norsk, så lenge man bruker grønnsaker som tradisjonelt har blitt dyrket i Norge. Gule erter (av typen som brukes i ertesuppe) kan også has i suppen?

Raspeballer / komler! Selv om det stort sett alltid serveres kjøtt i en eller annen form til raspeballer, er kjøttet her bare tilbehør - det er raspeballene som er viktigst. Kålrotstappe og kokte gulrøtter hører også med.

Tja...det var alt jeg kom på. Ikke særlig imponerende... Har du flere forslag...?

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A veggie travelling to Norway this summer asked me to suggest some "traditional, Norwegian vegetarian food" - main courses, that is. Hm. Had to think long and hard about that one!

Rice porridge (with milk) and sour cream porridge - rice porridge is sometimes served as a Saturday lunch, and it's also quite common to eat rice porridge for lunch on Christmas Eve, then with a hidden almond - whoever finds the almond will get a prize, often a marzipan pig (!). Sour cream porridge is not exactly health food - very rich, often served on our national day (May 17th) and on Midsummer Eve. Sour cream porridge - rømmegrøt - is usually served with cured meats, but can of course be eaten without meat.

Lapskaus is a stew - which normally contains various meats, but can be made vegetarian. Use vegetables that traditionally were grown in Norway, such as carrots, cabbage, swede / rutabaga, leek and potatoes, and serve with flatbread. Vegetable soup with yellow peas (again, a dish that normally would contain meat) might be another suggestion.

Raspeball / komle! Large potato dumplings made of grated raw potatoes, salt, barley flour and wheat flour. Again, usually served with meat - but raspeballer are the main focus of the meal, the meat is just a side dish, really, and raspeballer might well be served as a vegetarian main course. Often served with boiled carrots and kålrotstappe - cooked rutabagas (and sometimes carrots) mashed with butter and milk.

That's all I could think of, really. Let's just say that I'm grateful for pasta, pizza, curries and Quorn. ;o) Please see this post for more info about vegetarian food in Norway.