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Fårikål I (Mutton and Cabbage I)

Fårikål I (mutton and cabbage, Norway's national dish) from Erken's Stor kokebok (1914, p. 239): mutton breast/shoulder is briefly pre-boiled in salted water, the stock is strained and used for a butter-and-flour sauce, and the meat is layered with blanched cabbage and a bag of whole pepper and cooked tender for at least 3 hours.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 239 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Two versions of fårikål stand side by side in Stor kokebok. Version I cooks the meat separately first and then layers it in a thickened butter-and-flour sauce made from the stock – a richer, more "sauce-based" fårikål than today's usual method.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Wash and cut the meat

    Wash the mutton in lukewarm water and chop it into suitable pieces.

  2. 2

    Pre-boil the meat

    Place the meat in enough boiling, salted water that it comes just up to the meat. Skim well when it comes to a boil, and let it simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Take out the meat and strain the stock.

  3. 3

    Make the thickened sauce

    Melt the butter, stir in the flour, and thin with the strained stock to a smooth sauce.

  4. 4

    Layer it up

    Layer the meat in the sauce together with cleaned, blanched, and cut-up cabbage. Add the bag of whole pepper.

  5. 5

    Cook tender

    Cook, covered, until everything is tender, at least 3 hours. Season with salt before serving.

Changes from the original

Quantities have been converted to modern measures (1 tablespoon ≈ 15 ml, grams kept). "2 to 2½ kg" has been set at 2.25 kg as a starting point. Otherwise the method is unchanged, only written in modern Norwegian with numbered steps. The pepper bag can be replaced by a tea strainer or a coffee-filter pouch.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914Modernised
To1914Modernised
Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 239)~83% of the text changedremovedadded
2,25 kg fårekjøtt (bryst eller bog, i passende stykker). 2 à 2½ kg. kjøt 1 stk stort kålhode (renset og skåret i båter). kaalhode 1 ss spiseske hel pepper (i lerretspose eller tesil). 50 g smør. gr. smør 50 g hvetemel. gr. hvetemel salt (til kokevannet). vann (kokende, så det står opp til kjøttet). Vask fårekjøttet vand. Kjøttet — bryst eller bog — vaskes i lunkent vann og hugg det vand; hugges i passende stykker.. Legg kjøttet stykker, sættes over i så mye saa meget kokende, saltet vann vand, at det netop står opp staar op til kjøttet. Skum godt når kjøttet; skummes, naar det koker opp, og la det småkoke op; smaakoker under lokk i ca. 20 minutter. Ta kjøttet ut og sil kraften.. Smelt smøret, rør inn melet og spe lok ⅓ time, optages. Smørret smeltes, irøres melet, spædes med den silte kraften til en jevn saus.. Legg silede kraft; heri lægges kjøttet lagvis i sausen sammen med renset, forvellet og oppskåret kål. Legg ned posen med hel pepper.. Kok den rensede, forvellede, opskaarne kaal, samt pepperen, indlagt i en liten ren, tilbundet lerretspose. Koker under lokk lok, til alt er mørt, minst mindst i 3 timer. Smak til med salt før servering.

Note on Modernised

Mengder er omregnet til moderne mål (1 spiseskje ≈ 15 ml, gram beholdt). «2 à 2½ kg» er satt til 2,25 kg som utgangspunkt. Ellers er framgangsmåten uendret, bare skrevet i moderne norsk med nummererte trinn. Pepperposen kan erstattes av tesil eller kaffefilterpose.

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Frequently asked questions

Which cuts suit this fårikål?
The recipe calls for breast or shoulder of mutton/lamb, about 2–2½ kg, chopped into suitable pieces.
How long should the fårikål cook?
The meat is pre-boiled for about 20 minutes (⅓ hour) in salted water. It is then layered with cabbage and cooked, covered, for at least 3 hours, until everything is tender – around 4 hours in all.
How is the pepper used, and why is the stock thickened?
A tablespoon of whole pepper is placed in a small, clean linen bag that is tied shut and cooked along with the dish – then it is easy to remove. The stock is thickened with a roux of 50 g butter and 50 g wheat flour, so the sauce becomes thicker than in modern fårikål.
Where does the recipe come from?
From Henriette Schønberg Erken's Stor kokebok (1914), page 239, intended for 8 servings.

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