5.8 - Sami Food

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The Sami people is an indigenous people in Norway traditionally based in northern Norway and in certain places in Trøndelag. There are about 40,000 to 60,000 Sami in Norway and 100,000 in the world. The majority of the Sami people live in Norway and Sweden. The Sami language is very different to Norwegian, and it is not even an Indo-European language. In this episode, we will talk about Sami food.

Reindeer meat is very important to Sami food as it has a special place in Sami culture. The Sami people are very known for reindeer herding, although not all Sami are reindeer herders, of course. Reindeer herders look after their herds and make sure that they find suitable pastures. They mostly eat grass and heather.

The Sami people have traditionally lived in close contact with the nature around them, and this is evident in their food culture. Hunting and fishing have been important elements in Sami food. Moreover, the Sami people had to adapt their food to the season and to which food items were available at the time. They also had to create methods for food preservation such as salting and drying the meat, seeing that there was no safe way of storing fresh meat before modern freezing techniques. A very peculiar Sami dish is laŋasguolli which is fish that has been fermented in the stomach of a sheep.

But reindeer meat is by far the most important ingredient in traditional Sami food. The most famous dish is called bidos and consists of reindeer meat, potatoes, vegetables and meat broth. It is often served in Sami weddings and on important holidays. It is quite old and has been developed and changed during the centuries. For instance, it has not always been made with potatoes. Before potatoes were popularized in Norway in the latter part of the 18th century, it was usually served with bread. This is still possible today. Although it is considered to be the quintessential Sami dish, it is not really that unique. It is very similar to other Norwegian meat broths. For example, sodd, a central Norwegian dish, is made with meat broth and moose meat or beef. It is usually served with potatoes and carrots. Bidos and sodd are very similar, the most striking difference being the choice of meat as bidos is always made with reindeer meat.