In our flat in Oslo, rinsing ferske reker (fresh shrimp)

Cooking.  There are a few words and phrases that are important to know regarding matlaging.  Let’s start with the very basics.  Some of this will be review from previous posts, but practice is good!

frokost is breakfast (pronounced “froo-coast)

lunsj is lunch (pronounced “loonsh”)

middag is supper/dinner (pronounced “mid-dog”)

kveldsmat is the small evening meal that many Norwegians eat (pronounced “kvelds-mot)

et måltid is a meal (pronounced “moal-tee” with a very soft “d” on the end)

takk for maten!  Thanks for the food!  Many Norwegians say this to the host(s) after the meal.

en matpakke is a packed lunch (very common for students and the employed

en matoppskrift is a recipe (pronounced “mot-ohp-skrift”)

en bolle is a bowl (pronounced “bowl-a” but say the first vowel quickly)

en tallerken is a plate (pronounced “tall-ark-en”)

en kopp is a cup (pronounced kind of like “cope” but say the vowel fast)

et glass is a glass (pronounced more or less “gloss” with

sølvtøy is silverware (pronounced “sull-tuh-ee.”  The “øy” sound is fairly difficult).

Ok, so if I want to lage mat (make food), what will I need?

Chances are if I’m making dinner, I’ll need en matoppskrift to start with.  And what do Norwegian recipes look like?  Well, first of all Norwegians, unlike Americans, use the metric system.  So be prepared if you don’t have a Norwegian recipe that is translated in Norwegian to translate the measurements into the metric system.   So you will be dealing with grams, kilograms, liters, deciliters, and definitely centigrade as a measurement of temperature. 

Once you have found a good oppskrift and have made the proper measurement oversettelser (translations), you will then need to gather the ingredienser (surprise, surprise, ingredients).  The next task will be å lage maten (make the food). Perhaps you will choose å grille (grill), koke (cook), steke (roast), or riste (toast or broil, depending on the food) the food.  Maten er ferdig!  The food is ready!  This phrase, like takk for maten, is extremely common. 

Hva er din favoritt måltid å lage?  What is your favorite meal to make?  Å spise?  To eat?

�