History

Fårikål has been celebrated annually on Fårikål Day on the last Thursday of September since 1972, when Norwegians began voting it the national dish in a poll run by the magazine Nationen. The mutton-and-cabbage layered stew dates to medieval Western Norwegian farm kitchens, when autumn lamb slaughter coincided with the cabbage harvest. The Oslo tradition is built around the seasonal autumn arrival of fresh-killed sheep from the Telemark grazing pastures.

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 20 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg bone-in lamb shoulder or neck, cut into 5cm pieces
  • 1.5kg white cabbage, cut into thick wedges through the core
  • 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 500ml water
  • Boiled almond or floury potatoes, to serve

Method

  1. Choose a heavy pot wide enough to hold the lamb in two layers. Lay the fattiest pieces of lamb on the bottom, fat side down.
  2. Scatter with a third of the peppercorns, a teaspoon of flour and a pinch of salt. Cover with a layer of cabbage wedges, keeping the core attached so they hold together.
  3. Repeat the layers, finishing with cabbage on top. Use the rest of the peppercorns, flour and salt as you build.
  4. Pour the cold water down the side of the pot, not over the top. Cover tightly and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.
  5. Reduce to the lowest heat the burner allows and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours without lifting the lid. The lamb should be fork-tender, the cabbage collapsed, the broth cloudy from the flour.
  6. Serve in deep bowls with boiled potatoes and a generous ladle of the broth.

Tip from the editors. Use mature, fatty lamb if you can find it; the fat is the flavour. A pot with a tight lid is non-negotiable, the dish steams more than it boils.

Where to eat fårikål

Fårikål in Oslo

Asylet ★ 4.1

Traditional Norwegian$$gronlandMon 11:00-22:00, Tue-Fri 11:00-00:00, Sat 12:00-00:00, Sun 12:00-22:00

Asylet on Grønland in Oslo's old town is the wood-panelled 1730 merchant-yard timber building, one of the city's oldest, serving kjottkaker.

Signature: Kjottkaker with mash, Reindeer stew

Order: Kjottkaker with brown sauce and lingonberry; reindeer stew in winter.

Tip: The courtyard runs late spring through summer; the back-bar fireplace is the winter seat.

Grønland 28, 0188 Oslo Book →

Engebret Café ★ 4.8

Traditional Norwegian$$$kvadraturenMon-Fri 11:30-23:00, Sat 17:00-23:00, Sun closed

Engebret Café at Bankplassen 1 is Oslo's oldest continuously operating restaurant, founded 1857 by Engebret Christoffersen, in a 1760s listed building.

Signature: Lutefisk in season, Reindeer fillet

Order: Lutefisk in the November-December season; reindeer fillet year-round.

Tip: Open from 17:00 weekdays; the lutefisk season runs through Advent and books out by mid-November.

Bankplassen 1, 0151 Oslo Book →

Stortorvets Gjæstgiveri ★ 4.0

Traditional Norwegian$$$sentrumMon-Sat 11:00-23:00, Sun closed

Stortorvets Gjæstgiveri at Grensen 1 occupies a 1699 listed building one corner from Stortorvet square, with a la carte Norwegian classics, a courtyard.

Signature: Lutefisk in winter, Smorbrod platter

Order: Lutefisk plate October to Christmas; smorbrod at the cafe in summer.

Tip: The courtyard runs May to September; lutefisk season books out by November.

Grensen 1, 0159 Oslo Book →

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