The taste of Norwegian autumn: foricoll, hunting delicacies and the aroma of pine mushrooms

When the first frosts paint the peaks steel grey, Norway switches to "bonfire mode": kitchens fill with the smell of simmering mutton, forests with the aroma of pine mushrooms, and mountain plateaus echo with the sound of hunting rifles. Autumn is the most "earthly" season: nature generously gives root vegetables, game, berries and mushrooms, which are used to create dishes with rich, deep flavours. We will tell you which foods symbolise Norwegian autumn and where to experience the atmosphere of "hygge" in the cool northern air.

What foods are considered the hallmark of Norwegian autumn?

In autumn, the trio of meat, root vegetables and wild gifts reign supreme in the markets. Lamb comes from alpine pastures: during the summer, sheep graze on heather, giving the meat a light, spicy flavour. Carrots, turnips and sweet rutabagas are added to make a thick purée. Chanterelles and pine mushrooms appear in the forests, and amber cloudberries in the marshes. All this palette is combined in stews, soups and casseroles, creating dishes with a rich flavour and a soft, "hearth-baked" texture.

What is Foricol Day and why is it celebrated in September?

Fårikål — lamb slowly simmered with cabbage and black pepper — was recognised as a national dish back in the 1970s. Since then, every last Thursday in September, the country celebrates Fårikålens Festdag. The autumn date was not chosen by chance: it is in September that adult sheep are slaughtered and young cabbage is harvested. Traditionally, families gather around the table and cook pots of foricol over a low heat so that the meat becomes tender and the cabbage sweet. For tourists, an invitation to such a dinner is a real ticket to a Norwegian home.

When is moose and deer hunting season, and where can you try game meat?

Hunting season opens in early September: first for moose (elgjakt), then for wild deer (hjortejakt). Licences are strictly allocated, and a successful shot is often celebrated with a community dinner. The meat is prepared without complicated marinades: the steak is fried in butter and served with a lingonberry sauce. You can try fresh game in restaurants in Tromsø, Trondheim and Lillehammer, where chefs proudly indicate the date of the hunt on the menu. The taste is rich, slightly sweet, with an aroma of northern herbs — the best accompaniment to a glass of light red wine or local cider.

Why is mushroom hunting so popular, and what types of mushrooms are collected?

Mushroom hunting is a Norwegian weekend ritual. From September to October, people gather chanterelles, porcini mushrooms (steinsopp) and fragrant red mushrooms that grow under pine trees. The allemannsretten right allows you to pick mushrooms almost anywhere, as long as you know the safety rules. The mushrooms are fried with onions, stewed in cream or dried for winter. They are added to sauces for elk and lamb, used as a filling for open pies called soppterte and served on rye bread with grated goat's cheese.

What makes cloudberries the "queen of berries" and how are they eaten in autumn?

Cloudberries (Norwegian: molte) ripen in mid-August, but they are harvested and sold in September. The berries grow only in northern marshes, are picked by hand and are prized as "yellow gold". Cloudberries are used to make jam, liqueur and a filling for the dessert tilslørte bondepiker. They are served warm with vanilla ice cream or heavy cream — their sour-honey taste is the perfect antidote to the first cold spells. Due to their limited range, the berries are expensive, so a jar of cloudberry jam is considered a prestigious souvenir from the northern regions.

What is the Rakfisk festival famous for and is fermented trout worth trying?

In early November, the village of Fagernes in the Valdres valley hosts a three-day Rakfiskfestivalen. The star of the show is fermented trout, aged in brine for 2-12 months. The smell is pungent, but gourmets appreciate its complex salty and spicy taste. The fish is eaten on lefse flatbread with onion and sour cream, washed down with dark beer or aquavit. The festival is accompanied by a cheese fair, salting workshops and an amateur competition for the most aromatic rakfisk. If you like extreme gastronomy, try a small portion; if not, the festive atmosphere is still worth the trip.

Norwegian autumn smells of damp moss, wood smoke and spicy mutton slowly melting in a pot. It is a time when nature repays its debts: it gives game to hunters, mushrooms to gatherers, foricolle to gourmets and amber cloudberries to romantics. Come in September–November, put on warm boots and head into the forest or go hunting for flavours: brew coffee over a campfire, fry chanterelles in a cast-iron pan, and toast with aquavit for good luck in Rakfisk Valley. Norway will show you how cosy the north can be when you have a cup of thick mushroom soup and golden leaves dancing outside your window.