The Norwegian Cooking and Foods Glossary
Note: the Norwegian Glossary of Cooking and Food is under construction. New pages and images are being added daily.
The complete Glossary is found in Flavors of the Fjords
Numerals: A B D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- D -
Norwegian Americans share a very special legacy in their family ties to a beautiful country, and in the delicious recipes developed over the years. This is especially true of Norwegian Holiday cooking and recipes.
The following words, terms, and phrases are excerpts from nearly 2,000 entries in Flavors of the Fjords selected based on their use in cooking, food preparation, household living, and family relationships.
We hope they may be of some help to those of you who wish to translate family recipes or letters.
Feel free to recommend additional terms for inclusion in future editions.
To assist readers translating family recipes, we have included various phrases and terms excerpted from manuscript cookbooks. These are italicized (in quotes) and retain their original spelling.
If you have a word or term from a Norwegian manuscript cookbook or similar document that you cannot translate, why not share it with our Editors and readers. Simply forward your query to: belleairepress@earthlink.net
You should keep in mind that although Norway has two official languages, we have used only one of them in this Glossary, namely "rikesmål." The other official langauge is called "nynorsk" (new Norwegian), which is an artificial language created from various dialects spoken in different parts of Norway.
The Driva River that flows near the Fladvad Family's ancestral home in the Sundahl.
dagens suppe - Soup of the Day.
daglig - Daily. “Gi oss i dag vårt daglige brød,” give us this day our daily bread.
dagligvareforretning - Grocery store.
dåm - Flavor, taste, or tang.
dampet - Steamed.
datter - Daughter.
datterdatter - Grand daughter.
"de rulles ud til smaa krandse, bestryges med pidskede hvidder og bestrøs med grovstødt Sukker og Mandler" - Then roll out into small rings, coat with beaten egg whites and dip in coarse sugar and almonds.
deig - Dough or doughy mass. "Slå opp for stor deig," make too much dough, begin on too high a level.
deigtrau - Kneading trough.
deilig - Delicious.
dekke - Cover, as in cover the rising dough.
dekke bordet - Set the table.
delikat - Delicious or tasty.
"den taaler en lang, men ikke for stærk stegning" - Can be baked for a long time, but not at too hot a temperature.
dessertbord - Table for desserts.
dessertgaffel - Pastry fork.
dessertskje - Dessert spoon.
dram - Norwegian Snaps, drink, or shot.
drikkelig - Drinkable or fit to drink.
drikkepenger - Tip or gratuity.
drikkevann - Drinking water.
druesaft - Grape juice.
dryppe - Baste.
dryppe steken - Baste the roast.
drysse over - Drizzle over. To powder or sprinkle. To dust the surface with a powder, e.g. flour. Sprinkle over, as in sifting flour over a wet dough as you’re working the dry flour into a wet dough.
dyrestek - Reindeer roast.
dyvåt - Soaked or dripping wet, wringing wet.