Meat preservation

Late October winter preparation

There are many ways to preserve meat: curing, canning, drying, smoking, and freezing. Each with its own story and purpose. Long before modern refrigeration, these methods were vital for survival. In the harsh winters of Norway, when fresh food was scarce, preserving meat could mean the difference between hardship and comfort. But while today we often preserve food for flavor and tradition, in earlier centuries it was a necessity.

Salt, one of the oldest and most reliable preservatives, wasn’t always easy to come by in Norway. The higher quality salt had to be imported, and for inland communities, it was a rare and valuable commodity. This made other techniques like drying, fermenting, and smoking especially important in Scandinavian kitchens.

    Fun fact: Did you know people used to burn seaweed to make salt, also known as black salt?

This year, we decided to carry on a bit of that heritage ourselves. After carving a lamb, we turned the meat into traditional Christmas products. Among them were lamb roll, brawn and homemade sausages which were made from ground lamb and ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper, allspice, cloves and ginger. 

    Spices also had to be imported back in the day so it was used for special occasion like Christmas only!

Julemòr - cured sausages 

I followed a given recipe from our Food Culture class from Copies from Lyster / Hatløy / Knutsen - "Go 'bitar frå besta si kokebok" that was modified by Erik Fooladi in autumn 2011 but left out the lard as I couldn't find any and my meat was already pre-ground. It was my first time ever making sausages. 

picture by Kuki

The recipe

Equipment:

• Meat grinder
• Several large bowls and a plastic tub sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring spoons

Raw materials:

• 160 g lard
• 1.5 kg lamb/mutton
• 750 g beef (can use minced meat)
• 80 g onions
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 small teaspoon pepper
• 1.5 teaspoons allspice
• 1 ml cloves or ginger (to taste)
• Sausage casing, approx. 4-5 m

Procedure:

1. Wash/rinse the casings thoroughly in cold water. If necessary, leave them in water for an hour or more before use.
2. Cut the meat in smaller pieces, remove connective tissue and glands (and possibly fat if there is much). Cut meat and lard into pieces and grind on the coarsest setting. Cut the onion and grind. 
3. Mix everything and run it through the grinder once more. The sausages are relatively mild to the taste. Ifmore salty and spicy flavour is desired, add some more. Make a test by rolling a meat ball and boiling to taste; it should taste a bit too salty.
4. Stuff the sausages. Store in a freezer.

    If you want a slightly cured taste, they can hang 2-3 days before frozen (same conditions as for dry cured sausages). When slightly cured they come out as somewhat darker/browner in colour (as opposed to grey) and acquire a more rounded and full-bodied flavour. If cured, add more salt because saltiness is reduced upon curing.

pictures by Kuki

Drying stage:

The sausages are as of now hanging in the fridge for the 3rd day and we will see how they will turn out.

I'm really excited to see the outcome and of course to taste it as in Slovakia the sausage culture is huge. I will keep you posted! :D

 

Sources Accessed 2 Nov. 2025:

Norseng, P. G. (2024). The use and production of salt in Eastern Norway to ca. AD 1600. In M. Vedeler & A. B. Bugge (Eds.), Culinary heritage: Tracing, shaping and reshaping food culture from the Middle Ages to the present (pp. 65–92). Cappelen Damm Akademisk. The Use and Production of Salt in Eastern Norway to Ca. Ad 1600

michel1492. “The Flavors of Medieval Norway: Spices, Herbs, Salt, and Cooking Techniques.” Oak City Spice Blends, 27 Feb. 2025, https://www.oakcityspiceblends.com/post/the-flavors-of-medieval-norway-spices-herbs-salt-and-cooking-techniques

“Salt from Seaweed? An Experimental Archaeology Perspective on Salt in Early Medieval Ireland.” Feast, https://archive.feastjournal.co.uk/article/salt-from-seaweed-an-experimental-archaeology-perspective-on-salt-in-early-medieval-ireland/