Fårikål, Norway’s National Dish, made with free-range lamb from Skåbu

How fårikål became Norway’s national dish

It was not decided by politicians or chefs. It was the people who voted it in. First in 1972, when thousands of letters poured into the radio programme Nitimen. Then again, more than 40 years later. Both times, the same dish won: fårikål.

We love fårikål – so simple, so good!

Fårikål with free-range lamb from Lykkja mountain farm in Skåbu

At Skåbu Fjellhotell, we make Norway’s national dish using lamb from our own wild sheep at Lykkja fjellgard. They roam freely all summer, grazing on nutritious mountain pastures. You can taste the difference.

The secret to a perfect fårikål

The secret is time. Fårikål cannot be rushed. Lamb and cabbage are layered in a large pot with whole peppercorns and salt between each layer, then left to simmer slowly until the meat falls from the bone. It is always best the day after. That is why we often make it a day ahead, letting it rest and develop. The meat and cabbage need time to become one.

Perhaps that is why fårikål holds such a special place in our hearts. It tastes of grandparents’ kitchens, of the whole family gathered around the table, of warmth and the smell of a pot simmering all day, of cosy evenings as the autumn darkness settles over the mountains. It is nostalgia, slow cooking and food with feeling.