Shetland and Norway have very strong connections, and as celebrations are now underway in Norway to celebrate their National Day, so too will you find celebrations here in Shetland. I remember attending the Norwegian Independence Day celebrations at the Town Hall many years ago, with a meal and plenty of dancing afterwards.
I received an email the other day from my Norwegian mother-in-law. She wrote,
We had “dugnad” last Tuesday in the flats where I live, there are 24 flats all in all. We do this twice a year, Spring and Autumn. So now everything is nice and clean for 17th May.. Even the streets have been swept! We clean the outside area and inside, wash the walls in the staircases, the windows and curtains. Tidy up everywhere, put flowers outside the entrance doors.
The kids in the nursery across the road have been practicing for the parade. There has been a lot of “noise” music, mainly drums, and they have marched around the block waving flags. They look so cute waving their flags. The smallest ones have their march on the 16th so as not to get swamped in the larger parade. Early in the morning on the 17th, around 0600 hours you are wakened up by the canons being fired. Talk about starting the day with a bang….
Inspired by this email I thought I would share with you all her recipe for kransekake, a traditional Norwegian Celebration Cake, often eaten on the 17th of May. Made from ground almonds and icing sugar, this cake is soft and chewy on the inside, with a crisp outer and a taste not unlike marzipan. It freezes well, so you don’t have to worry about eating it all at once as it is quite a large, impressive cake!
You can buy the special ring forms online. Mine were gifted by my mother in law some years ago so I could make her son his favourite Norwegian cake. I sometimes make one for Christmas, filling it with sweets for the kids.
My half-Norwegian husband recalls:
The last 17th May celebrations I took part in was way back in the mid 90s around the time I graduated from secondary school. All the final year students wore what I can only describe now as boiler suits, the colour of which depended upon what line of studies you took. Red for general studies, blue for economics, green for agriculture to name but a few.
The final year students, better known as ‘russ’ in Scandinavia, played a fairly big role in the 17th May celebrations. They had their own procession and as a younger child I remember watching them thinking how cool and mature they were. The reality of it was probably a little different, at least in my own experience of being a russ!
I have fond memories of that time though, unlike my earlier memories of 17th May celebrations. Let’s just say that like my own son now, I hated dressing up and I’m sure my mother had a huge battle on her hands trying to get me to look smart. On the other hand I vaguely remember stuffing my face with ice cream and sweets on the day!
Course: Main
Servings: 20 servings
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
I am a self taught home cook, feeding my family on the west side of Shetland with as much local produce, flavour and love as I can. I am no expert by any means, but I do enjoy learning and writing about food, flavours and techniques.