The surprising Scandinavian Christmas dish said to bring good luck

The dish: Julesild, Norway

Plate up Ah, Christmas. A time for roast turkey, stuffing, vegetables, maybe a bucket of prawns, a few glasses of champagne, and … a large jar of pickled herrings? If you live in Norway, then yes, this is very much the time of year for pickled herring, often served in large jars and taking pride of place on the Christmas table.

Julesild takes pride of place on dining tables at Christmas in Norway and across Scandinavia.Credit: Visit Norway/Fiskemannen

This dish, known as julesild, can be prepared in various ways, though at Christmas it’s typically spiced with orange and lemon rinds, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Think of it as your traditional Christmas pudding flavour profile, only with oily fish as the base rather than a fruit cake. That herring is pickled, by the way, in vinegar, sugar and water. The finished julesild is served with dark rye bread, and maybe a small glass of snaps (like schnapps), or “glogg”, a mulled wine with local akvavit.

First serve There are a few reasons julesild is thought to have become a classic Christmas dish in Norway (not to mention across much of Scandinavia and northern Europe). The first is that herrings are abundant in the Baltic and North seas and play a large part in the diet for Scandinavians at any time of year. Pickling is a classic method for preserving food through the cold winter months.

And finally, consumption of fish between the Christmas period and New Year is thought to bring luck for the coming 12 months. Thus, Christmas time is pickled herring time. The word julesild literally translates to “Christmas herring”.

Order there In Oslo, julesild is a common dish served at restaurants specialising in local cuisine. For a treat, try Engebret Cafe, the city’s oldest restaurant (engebret-cafe.no).

Order here Even dedicated Scandinavian restaurants in Australia tend not to serve julesild – you can draw your own conclusions – so if you’re chasing it this Christmas, buy it by the jar from a specialty importer such as fika.au

Make it Norway’s official tourism site has a helpful guide on how to make julesild here.

One more thing What else do Norwegians have on their Christmas table? You might also find lutefisk (white fish fillets cured in lye), pinnekjott (salt-cured lamb ribs), and smalahove, a whole sheep’s head cured and then boiled. God jul!