Fårikål

Ingredients

• Mutton on the bone — in large pieces1.5 kg
• White cabbage — in large wedges1.5 kg
• Black peppercorns2 tbsp
• Plain flour — optional, for body2 tbsp
• Water500 ml
• Boiled potatoes1 kg
• Saltto taste

Salt and spices grow more slowly than the rest: doubling a dish does not double the pepper.

Weight converts to ounces and volume to cups. Grams of flour are not turned into cups, because that depends on how tightly it is packed.

Method

1. 1

   Lay a layer of meat fat side down in the pot, season it and scatter peppercorns over.

   5 min

2. 2

   Add a layer of cabbage, more salt and pepper, and a dusting of flour if you want body. Alternate the layers until everything is used.

   10 min

3. 3

   Pour the water down the side; it should reach halfway up, no higher.

   2 min

4. 4

   Bring it to the boil, cover and cook two hours on the lowest heat. Do not stir: the layers are meant to stay layers.

   125 min

5. 5

   It is done when the meat comes away from the bone. Serve with boiled potatoes, spooning broth from the pot over.

   5 min

About the dish

Fårikål is Norway's national dish and has its own day in the calendar: the last Thursday in September. The recipe meanwhile is four ingredients and admits no additions.

The peppercorns go in whole and are not removed. They are fished out and chewed at the table — part of the eating rather than a seasoning to be taken away.

The meat is not browned. The layers go in raw, water is added and it is left for two hours: the fat renders on its own and becomes the broth.

Worth knowing

• — The mutton should be fatty and on the bone. A lean cut gives dry meat and an empty broth.
• — Fårikål is better on the second day. Norwegians make it for several days and reheat it.
• — The flour is optional and disputed. Without it the broth is clear, with it it is a gravy; both count as correct.

Nutrition

Per serving at the base yield, calculated from the ingredients rather than measured in a lab.

Calories

640 kcal

Protein

46 g

Fat

34 g

Carbs

34 g

More from Norway

• Gravlaks — Salmon cured for two days under a weight with salt, sugar and dill. No heat and no smoke.