"The main food of the common people in our country"

Flatbrød (literally "flat-bread") is rightly considered the Norwegian national bread. In his book, "Common sense cooking" (1864), Norwegian scholar Peter Christen Asbjørnsen writes that barley and oats are best used for flat bread and lefse - "the main food of the common people in our country."

Flatbread baked at Dølmotunet, 2016.
Photo: Anno Musea i Nord-Østerdal.

In older writings it is made known that the bread was very different for rich and poor, servant and master. In the Poetic Edda, the Norse god Heimdall, under the name Rig, wandered around, visiting people from different walks of life. First he came to the house of the thrall (slave). According to old custom, food was served to the stranger, yet the bread was "heavy and dense and full of seeds." On the peasant's farm however, the conditions were better. Finally he entered the nobleman's house and was well received, for"the mother found a patterned tablecloth of the finest linen and laid it on the table. Then she put pieces of bread on the tablecloth - thin, white loaves."

Right up to our time, it has been flat bread that people have had in mind when they spoke of bread. Fermented bread was usually called kaku or stump. One of the great advantages of flatbread was - and is - that it can be stored for decades if necessary, without any special kind of storage method. As long as the grain was grown in modest quantities, and the grinding took place with a hand grinder, it was inadvisable to make large portions at a time. But as time went on, the fields grew, watermills and later on village mills replaced the hand mills, grain and flour stocks became larger both on the farms and at the local merchant's. Around 1500 people were able to bake such large portions that they had enough flatbread on the farm for several months. Some made so much that they had a supply which lasted the whole year, but it was most common to bake twice a year - in spring and autumn. Then the work lasted for several days, up to weeks, at a time, and the young and elderly alike helped out. There had to be plenty of flatbread, because it was served at every meal throughout the day, especially before the potato came into use. There was considered a great embarrasment if flatbread was scarce over a longer period of time.

In some places it was custom for neighbors to get together to help each other out with the baking. They called it to "bake på donna" (communal work; dugnad in Norwegian). The men came driving with their wives, baking trays, baking tables and other utensils stored on the horse cart. With time, "bakstkuller" (baking-wives) emerged, walking from farm to farm baking for payment. The man on the farm made sure that dry and finely split firewood was available at all times. Perhaps he also kneaded the dough, but the baking itself was considered women's work.

The custom of "bake på donna" (communal baking) has probably also been in use in some places in Sweden. In one of his pictures, the famous painter Anders Zorn has depicted such a day when women from Dalarna have come together to help. The painting is called Tunnbrødbak (1889).

The baking in spring was to be done between spring labor in april and Midsummer in June; in autumn when the slaughter was finished, but before preparations were initiated for Christmas. The workday started at 4 o'clock in the morning, and it is stated that a good baker should be able to make 40 loaves per hour. In the midst of the struggle, however, there was also time for moments of enjoyment. Both children and adults stopped by to have a look. Housewives perhaps with a little freshly churned butter or a little sour cream so they could make "kjinnabete" (flat bread smeared with sour cream or freshly churned butter). If coffee was served, it was a big treat. In the evening, they often made lefse or primlefse. One had to take good care of the baking wife so she would come back.

Flatbread being carried to the storehouse. 
Photo: Anno Musea i Nord-Østerdal. Date: unknown

When the pile of loaves was large enough, it was carried to the storehouse, and there could be stacked many such piles in a row. The ideal situation was to have more flatbread than needed between each baking. You never knew what the corn harvest would be like next year, so for the housewife it gave extra security to know that she had such a food reserve on the farm. While the shelf life of flour was limited, flatbread could last for years, and thus also became a form of flour storage.

Anyone who had flatbread, milk, cured meats, herring and potatoes, grain and flour was well supplied with food.

Flatbread piled at the storehouse. 
Photo: The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. Date: unkown

Do you wish to make your own flatbread? 😋

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large mixing bowl, sift together flours, baking soda, and salt. Add vegetable oil and mix well.

• Add buttermilk. Knead dough for a minute or so on a well-floured surface.

• Preheat oven to 350F. Cover dough with a damp paper towel when not using. Take approximately 1/4 cup of dough, roll it into a ball, and proceed to roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured counter top until very thin and crispy, like a cracker. Place rounds onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until flatbread is lightly browned and crisp.

With its strong historical roots, flatbread is well suited to serve with traditional Norwegian dishes such as cured meats and rakfisk, fårikål (mutton and cabbage), soups and stews.

Recipe from https://www.cheaprecipeblog.com/

Sources:

• Norsk mat: Tradisjoner og gamle matretter. Landbruksforlaget, 1992