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Welcome back to the Christmas Around the World Series on The Storied Recipe Podcast!

This series began as a crowd-sourced post titled Christmas Desserts Around the World. As the Storied Recipe community shared their cherished Christmas recipes and the memories surrounding them, I really wanted to hear MORE. So I decided to expand on a few of these with a little mini series about Christmas traditions all around the world. You can find the entire series here.

Welcome Alexandra!

Today’s guest is Alexandra from Norway. She contributed a recipe for her mom’s Chocolate Peppermint balls – sort of a mint chocolate truffle – or an especially beautiful homemade Peppermint Patty. In today’s episode, Alexandra also shares a recipe for the special Rice Porridge left for Saint Nicholas on Christmas Eve. In our conversation today, Alexandra who grew up near the oldest town in Norway, established in 898, shares absolutely delightful memories of ancient Norwegian Christmas traditions that she experienced both as a child and as a mother. You may recognize these as the basis of so many American Christmas traditions and imagery – before the layers of consumerism were slapped on top. The stories Alexandra shares – and especially the beautiful way she shares them – evoke a sense of magic, calm, wonder, and peace. Welcome to Alexandra – and be sure to check out her Mint Chocolate Truffles and Risgrot recipes!!

Highlights

Bunad – the Warrior Norwegian Queen outfit
Santa Claus as Nordic
Walking in the “loud silence” of snow with the smells of coffee and baked goods
“Feeding your children is just the best feeling in the world”
Reminiscing on the “hygge” trend
Alexandra’s grandmother, a professional baker
Skoleboller, Rice Porridge, and other Norwegian Christmas Food
Coconut in Norwegian baking/cuisine
The Norwegian Church and the “church mother”
The Norwegian, concept of time and Christmas Eve vs. Christmas Day
The 12 Days of Christmas and the beauty of 12th Night services
Lutefisk, roast pork, homemade alcohol, and other common dishes of the traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner
Linie Aquavit (Akvavit) - the traditional alcohol that travels around the world
Singing and dancing traditional Norwegian folk tunes around the Christmas tree - and the traditional Norwegian Christmas tree decoration
All about the recipe for Norwegian Peppermint Balls that Alexandra shared with us

Listen to Alexandra Now

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Alexandra's Storied Recipe

https://thestoriedrecipe.com/easy-chocolate-mint-truffles-from-norway

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Partial Transcript - First 10 Minutes

Becky Hadeed

Why, hello!

Alexandra

I'm so excited to be speaking with you. I've been listening to all your podcasts from last year and going back all the way to the beginning. Ohh I love the one with you and your boys. That was that's my favorite one so far.

Becky Hadeed

Ohh you know I hear that actually a lot and I was just thinking the other day, especially because my oldest is getting ready to graduate. I was thinking, I know we might need to do, you know one one last iteration of that?

Alexandra

Right? I think you should. That would be lovely.

Becky Hadeed

Well, thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time to come on and uh, for your kind words it means a lot. So can we just start by talking about this image of... What's the name of this this traditional wear?

Alexandra

It's called a Bunad.

Becky Hadeed

Say it one more time?

Alexandra

Bunad. B UN AD Boo nod.

Becky Hadeed

Bunad. OK. I mean, you looked gorgeous. You're like a Norwegian Warrior Queen

Alexandra

That's what the boys call me.

Becky Hadeed

Do you own? Do you own that?

Alexandra

Yes, that was a gift from my parents when I turned 21 and it comes with of course the the dress and it also has a skirt underneath it has that blouse and then it comes with a cake. A hat and a belt and everything has to be made or grown in Norway. So for it to be an official, it has to be done by someone who's certified and everything that cotton everything is from Norway. And then, as I had birthdays and special occasions and Christmas gifts and what not, my parents added to it. The silver is fairly expensive, so you you add that to the cost and as you go of course it comes with shoes that has a silver belt buckle on it and then.

Speaker 2

The belt was a pretty.

Alexandra

Yeah, it's a big deal because it's all silver. And then when my son was baptized, my father gave me the knife that goes with it. And then of course the symbolic key to the cupboard, which is actually a pewter key, an old tradition.

Becky Hadeed

OK.

Alexandra

And of course, and then there's the purse that you have hanging off of your your belt as well, and it has all silver and then it's embroidered - part of it's embroidered so as the years went on, you know, they gave me bits and pieces of it. So now I have the complete, the complete thing, there's nothing more I don't have.

Becky Hadeed

It's just it's just gorgeous. And it's very, you know. I feel like I'm looking at a again, a queen from a Tolkien novel or something. And I look at you and that, and that gorgeous that gorgeous outfit and you're talking about actually fashioning things out of silver and all of a sudden it's easy to see how it was so real in his mind.

Alexandra

Right, yes, absolutely. And you see that in the Viking history as well. When you you know, go to museums and see the things that they've found in Norwegian towns in Northern Norway, Western Norway. They were very fashionable as far as jewelry and things like. That and so that that just really cements you into your roots and I I love that.

Becky Hadeed

Well, yes, and I I find it so interesting that a critical component is the knife. Can you speak to that?

Alexandra

You know, I can't directly I would assume that maybe it has to do with maybe you're you're slicing up some meats. Or like the they do a lot of prosciutto type hams and things like that in a tradtional meal. Potentially that or maybe its just symbolic.

Becky Hadeed

Hmm hmm. Amazing amazing. OK, well it really it really set the stage for I think our conversation about the traditional way Christmas has been celebrated in different parts of Norway? For me personally, Christmas is a very religious holiday. You know, even though I don't believe there's any indication that Jesus Christ was born in the winter time for whatever reason, it's gotten tied to this time of the year. So I guess, technically, I believe that modern day Palestine or Israel's was the birthplace of Christmas. But in my mind, I think...