In Munch's time, the Norwegian day was not divided into starter-main-dessert, but around a single hot meal, the middag (mutton, fish, or porridge), taken in the middle of the day, flanked by cold bread-based meals: frokost in the morning and kveldsmat in the evening, where one spreads brunost and salted fish on flatbrød or rye bread. On feast days, a thick porridge, grøt, was cooked as a sign of prosperity; in summer, forest berries were bottled to last the long winter. It is a frugal cuisine, of farmers and fishermen, which became that of a painter who had returned from his excesses.

The soul of this cuisine lies in transformed milk: brunost, a whey cheese slowly caramelized until brown and almost sweet, and rømme, thick and tangy sour cream. These dairy products, born from the need to preserve milk from the mountain pastures, flavor both the morning slice and the festive porridge.