Rømmegrøt — sour cream porridge with melted butter
A thick porridge of sour cream thickened with flour, with melted butter pooling on top, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Rich, sweet, and warm: the dish of happy Norwegian days.
A thick porridge of sour cream thickened with flour, with melted butter pooling on top, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Rich, sweet, and warm: the dish of happy Norwegian days.
People think me a stern man, and it is true that I insist on order in all things. But bring forth a steaming rømmegrøt, and the gravest Norwegian remembers the weddings of his village. You let the cream thicken slowly over the fire, until the butter rises in little golden pools—that is the whole secret, and the whole pleasure. Sugar it, dust with a little cinnamon, and eat it burning hot: this is no dessert, but a feast unto itself.
- •Thick sour cream (rømme) — a generous bowlful (fatty and tangy base)
- •Wheat flour — enough to thicken (binder)
- •Whole milk — a little (loosens the porridge)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
- •Sugar and cinnamon — for sprinkling (festive finish)
Rømmegrøt — sour cream porridge with melted butter
A thick porridge of sour cream thickened with flour, with melted butter pooling on top, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Rich, sweet, and warm: the dish of happy Norwegian days.
Why this dish? An iconic festive dish of 19th-century rural and bourgeois Norway, served at weddings, baptisms, and major calendar occasions—familiar to Ibsen, son of Skien, since childhood. A comforting sweetness for the long northern winters.
People think me a stern man, and it is true that I insist on order in all things. But bring forth a steaming rømmegrøt, and the gravest Norwegian remembers the weddings of his village. You let the cream thicken slowly over the fire, until the butter rises in little golden pools—that is the whole secret, and the whole pleasure. Sugar it, dust with a little cinnamon, and eat it burning hot: this is no dessert, but a feast unto itself.
Ingredients (period version)
- Thick sour cream (rømme) — a generous bowlful (fatty and tangy base)
- Wheat flour — enough to thicken (binder)
- Whole milk — a little (loosens the porridge)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
- Sugar and cinnamon — for sprinkling (festive finish)
Ingredients
- Thick full-fat crème fraîche — 500 ml (base)
- Flour — 70 g (thickener)
- Whole milk — 300 ml (loosens)
- Salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
- Sugar — 2 tbsp (finish)
- Ground cinnamon — 1 tsp (finishing spice)
Method
- Gently heat the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until simmering, about 10 min.
- Whisk in the flour gradually; continue stirring until the butter separates and pools on top.
- Scoop out the golden butter and reserve.
- Gradually stir in warm milk to loosen the remaining porridge to a smooth, coating consistency; add salt.
- Pour into bowls, make a well, and pour the reserved butter into it.
- Sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon; serve very hot.
How it was made : Rømmegrøt used the fattest cream from the milk, available only in the lush grazing season: serving it signaled abundance and honor to guests. It was even brought as a gift to new mothers.
The contemporary twist : A drizzle of birch syrup and a few fresh lingonberries for a tart Nordic note.
Henrik Ibsen · Charactorium