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Dish · Norway
Fårikål
Stew of bone-in lamb and cabbage, layered with whole black peppercorns, slowly cooked and served with potatoes. It was chosen as Norway’s national dish in a popular vote in the 1970s and reaffirmed in 2014.
Flavors · Norway
Akevitt
Norwegian potato-based spirit flavored with spices, especially caraway and dill, and aged in oak barrels. It has European geographical indication as Norsk Akevitt; linjeakevitt barrels cross the equator by ship before bottling.
Traditional drink from Norway
Also known as: Norsk Akevitt, aquavit, akvavit, linjeakevitt
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Akevitt — Norway
Akevitt is a flavored Scandinavian spirit. The name comes from the Latin aqua vitae, “water of life.” Caraway or dill must be the principal spice, and many recipes also use coriander, fennel, anise, star anise, and citrus peels.
What distinguishes the Norwegian version is the potato base and the ageing in wood. To use the name Norsk Akevitt, protected in Norway since 2011 and with renewed European protection in 2020, the spirit must be produced in Norway using potato distillate made in the country from at least 95% Norwegian potatoes and must spend at least six months in oak barrels, or twelve months if the barrel is large. Oak, often from used sherry casks, gives Norwegian akevitt its golden color and a rounder flavor.
Linjeakevitt is the best-known version outside the country: the barrels travel by ship and cross the equator twice before bottling. Jørgen B. Lysholm, from Trondheim, marketed this version in the 1840s.
The first written mention of the drink in Norway is a 1531 letter sent from Bergenhus fortress to the archbishop of Trondheim. After alcohol prohibition, production was under monopoly from 1927 to 2005; private distilleries resumed production afterward.
In Norway, akevitt accompanies celebratory meals, especially at Christmas, served in a small glass, in small measures, alongside dishes such as lamb ribs, sheep’s head, or fish.
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Where it comes from
Norway
Distilled across the country, with the geographical indication Norsk Akevitt.
Ingredients
Norwegian potato distillate, spices (caraway or dill as main; coriander, fennel, anise, citrus peels) and ageing in oak barrels.
How it is eaten
In a small glass, at room temperature for the aged version, accompanying celebratory meals.
When it is eaten
Christmas and other festive meals.
Your questions
Questions about Akevitt
What is akevitt?
A Scandinavian flavored spirit with spices, primarily caraway or dill. In Norway it is made from potatoes and aged in oak barrels.
What is linjeakevitt?
Akevitt whose barrels travel by ship and cross the equator twice before bottling.
When is akevitt drunk in Norway?
Mainly at celebratory meals, such as Christmas, in a small glass.
Flavors of Norway
Discover other flavors of Norway
Dish · Bergen
Bergensk fiskesuppe
Creamy fish soup from Bergen, made with a fish-bone broth, vegetables cut into thin strips, fish meatballs and cream. A touch of vinegar and sugar gives it a slightly sweet-and-sour flavor that sets it apart from other Norwegian fish soups.
Sweet · Bergen
Skillingsbolle
Large roll of sweet fermented dough with butter, cinnamon and sugar, topped with more sugar after baking. It’s a specialty tied to Bergen’s Hanseatic history.
Dish · Finnmark
Biđos
Sámi stew of reindeer meat with potato, carrot and onion, slowly cooked in broth. It is the Sámi people’s celebratory dish, served at weddings, confirmations and other celebrations; the name comes from Northern Sámi.
Dish · Møre e Romsdal
Bacalao
Stew of klippfisk, the air-dried, salted cod, with tomato, potato, onion, pepper and olive oil. The recipe reached the coast of Møre og Romsdal through the cod trade with Spain and Portugal, and it is a festive dish in Kristiansund and Ålesund.
Sweet · Troms
Kvæfjordkake
Sponge cake covered with meringue and almonds, sliced in half and filled with vanilla cream. It originated in the 1930s at a café in Harstad, Troms, and was voted Norway’s national cake; it is also called verdens beste, “the best in the world.”
Dish · Trøndelag
Sodd
Clear broth of lamb and beef with cubes of meat and meatballs, seasoned with ginger and nutmeg, served with potato and carrot. It is a festive dish of Trøndelag; the version Festsodd fra Trøndelag has a Norwegian geographical indication.
Dish · Vestland
Smalahove
Sheep’s head salted, smoked and dried, steamed and served with potato and rutabaga puree. It’s a tradition of Voss and Hardanger, in Vestland, eaten mainly in the weeks before Christmas.