A key responsibility of the historical Norwegian farmer’s wife was to ensure that her flock had sufficient and nourishing food throughout the year.
Throughout spring, summer, and autumn, the family worked diligently to stock the farm’s stabbur (food storehouse) and frost-free earth cellar with as much food as possible for the winter.
Our foremothers put a lot of effort into composing every meal, ensuring that they used all available resources in the best possible way.
Today, most of us do not consider that having more than one course during a meal serves a specific purpose. By serving a filling porridge or soup before and/or after the main course, the cook can economise on the more precious foods, such as meat or fish.
Soup, porridge, and desserts were usually eaten using a spoon – and historically, the Norwegians referred to this kind of food as spoon food – skjemat.
The first and only time I personally heard someone use the word skjemat – was when Kjell Martin Sandaker (1926-2013) spoke about the excellent cooking skills of his older sister, Dagny Sandaker Ulsrød (1915-2007). In her youth, Dagny spent some time at a home economics school – husmorskole – and according to Kjell, desserts – skjemat – were her speciality. Both Dagny and Kjell grew up on the Sandaker farm in Råde, Østfold, Norway. Kjell pronounced the word skjemat using a Norwegian i-sound – as skimat.
NRO.BLO.0000025 | Sandaker, Kjell Martin. | Haugen, Einar. Norwegian English dictionary. The University of Wisconsin Press 1967, 1974. Nasjonalbiblioteket nb.no. | Ordbøkene ordbokene.no | Det Norske Akademis ordbok naob.no
