When you live in a place where you get to experience all four seasons, you can choose to embrace them, despise them, or avoid them altogether by escaping to somewhere cooler in the summer or hotter in the winter like many Parkites do. But if you’re ready to fully dive into winter and expand your sporty repertoire beyond the ski slopes, take your adventuring up a notch by doing like the Nordics do: Outdoor picnicking.
The Norwegians have a philosophy called friluftsliv, or “free-air life,” a belief that one should connect with nature daily, especially in winter. What better way to enjoy our beautiful outdoors and foster a healthy state of mind throughout the darker months than to pack delicious foods, gather some friends, throw on snowshoes or skis and embark into the wild—or even just your neighborhood park.
The Art of Fika
The breadth of your selection and depth of your picnic basket (or backpack) is up to you. You could start simply by modeling your adventure after the Swedish concept of fika. Pronounced fee-kuh, this tradition of enjoying coffee and pastry with friends can be performed just as easily at the end of a cross-country trail as in a cafe—but the effort to take it outdoors makes it even more memorable and authentic; the Swedes prefer to not even translate fika, because they don’t want the act to lose significance. Without fika—coffee, caring, connection and community—life in Sweden is unimaginable.
To bring the Swedish art of the coffee break to your winter picnic is easy, just pack something sweet and a thermos of warm beverages. Here’s a list for your backpack:
- Thermos of hot coffee + mugs
- Thermos of Lococo hot chocolate
(for kids or non-coffee-drinkers) - Container of half n’ half
- Cinnamon buns or other favorite pastry
- Pre-made pancakes rolled and filled with jam
- Napkins
It’s Always Good Weather for BBQ
In neighboring Finland, it’s all about the grill, where the beauty of a snow-covered landscape meets the tradition of campfire cooking. According to Finland Magazine, “campfire cooking is an essential part of Finnish outdoor culture, especially during the winter. Sitting by the fire in freezing temperatures not only provides warmth but also an opportunity to prepare delicious meals amidst nature.”
The essential ingredient to Finnish-style winter grilling is sausage—Finns love their sausages—specifically called makkara that’s made from pork and beef and flavored with allspice, cloves, and brandy. It’s difficult to get authentic makkara in the United States, but any favorite sausage or bratwurst will fulfill the spirit of the cookout. To add to the authentic flavor, top it with sweet-tart lingonberry jam. Similar sausages such as korv, a Scandi-european variation, can be found at the Old Dutch Store in Salt Lake City. Online sources that ship include www.willysproducts.com, an excellent source for a variety of Scandinavian foods; and the “King of Meats” from Minnesota, www.vollwerth.com.
Bring Norway to the Wasatch Back
Nevada Berg, born in Utah and raised in the Wasatch Mountains, now dwells in the mountains of Norway where she has created a meditative life as a farmer, chef, culinary tour guide, writer, and cookbook author. Over the last decade, she has become an authoritative voice on Norwegian cuisine. She offered some ideas for a Nordic-style winter picnic and a recipe from one of her cookbooks. Here are her suggestions, which are inspired by Norwegian cuisine but include items available locally.
- Hot Chocolate
- Ski Queen Brown Cheese
- Wasa crackers (great with the Ski Queen and a spread of butter)
- Open-faced sandwiches: Include in the basket/backpack these items:
- Hearty grain bread
- Smoked salmon
- Jarlsberg cheese
- Cured meats
- Scrambled eggs
- Cucumber and red pepper slices
- Butter
- Sausages/hot dogs (to grill over a fire or pre-cooked)
- Oranges (Norwegians love bringing oranges and chocolate along for a winter snack)
- Cinnamon buns
If you don’t have a small, packable grill for hiking and snowshoeing adventures, it’s perfectly acceptable to cook outdoors the Finnish way, which is to pack firewood, drive to a lakeside picnic site, and light up an existing grill or fire ring. All’s fair and worth it when it comes to winter cooking!
From Norwegian Baking Through the Seasons by Nevada Berg.
Note from the author:
“These are great to bring along and eat as a treat or you can also serve with blue cheese as an appetizer.”
Spicy Gingerbread Cookies (Pepperkaker)
Makes around 60 to 80 cookies
- 1 1/3 cups lightly salted butter
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups Norwegian dark syrup
- or light molasses
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground
- black pepper
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 6 cups (720 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
In a large saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, and syrup over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper and blend. Set aside to cool completely. Once the mixture is completely cool, whisk in the eggs.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the pan with the butter mixture and blend well to form a smooth and relatively firm dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin and more flour as needed to prevent sticking, roll out a large piece of the dough until about 1⁄5 inch (5 mm) thick. The thinner the dough, the crispier the cookies will be. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes as desired. The dough will become easier to roll out the more it is worked. Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, 1 baking sheet at a time, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Set on a wire rack to cool completely. Continue this process with the remaining dough. Serve right away or decorate the cookies with confectioners’ sugar or icing. Store in a metal cookie tin for up to 1 month.
“Campfire cooking in the Finnish winter is much more than just a meal,” writes Finland Magazine. “It’s an experience that connects Finns with nature and the peacefulness of winter, offering a chance to enjoy the simplicity of life and the beauty of the surrounding environment.”
