Kveldsmat literally means “evening food.”  How many of you eat a late night snack soon before you fall asleep?  For me it all depends on what time I ate dinner (middag) and how substantial it was.  I ask myself, “Er jeg mett eller sulten?”  (am I full or hungry?)  It’s not a habit for me to eat a snack before I go to bed, but it certainly is not uncommon either.  Often it’s a bowl of cereal (frokostblanding) or some chips and salsa (potetgull og salsa) or whatever sounds yummy to me at the time. 

Most Norwegians eat kveldsmat regardless of what time they eat middag.  I do not know why this culinary tradition is so prevalent.  Some common food items that Norwegians enjoy for kveldsmat include ei brødskive (a slice of bread) with toppings such as ost (cheese), syltetøy (jam), agurk (cucumber) and tomat (tomato), or anything else that is tasty on brød. 

Every relative that I ever stayed with would pretty much force me to eat something small before I went to bed.  I spent a lot of time with one of my relatives, an older woman in her 70s named Cecilia.  I spent the last couple nights of my time abroad with her in her apartment and she would not let me go to bed without a glass of milk and some brød with ost.  It was quite humorous for me and I didn’t mind it at all. 

Actually, I will take this a little further and say watch out if you are going to be eating a meal with Norwegians at one of their homes.  They will encourage you to eat until you are nearly ready to vomit.  No lie.  “Here, have some more kjøtt (meat), and please-take some more poteter.  More salat?  A third bowl of is (ice cream) with bær (berries)?  Another couple kjeks (cookies) with your kaffe?  And it always seems like to me, at least, that I will offend them if I do not continue eating.  It’s like they think you’re never going to eat again.  Or maybe they hate leftovers….Whatever it is, just do what they say.  Keep eating.  And then have a snack before bed!

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