Waffles are one of our favorite foods. And we may be prejudiced but we think Nordic waffles are the best waffles.
This Saturday (September 29th 2018) if you come into the store between 9 and 10:30 you can get a Nordic waffle sample topped with lingonberries.
One of the big hits of this year’s Minnesota State Fair was Nordic Waffles run by our favorite waffle entrepreneur, Stine Aasland (also known as Norway’s Waffle Queen). She is the author of the best seller We Love (Heart) Waffles. It has recipes for four batters: Norwegian, Gluten-free, Multigrain, and Swedish Crisp plus 40 more expansive recipes. You can see her here when she visited WCCO:
In an article about Aasland in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, she says:
“In Norway, people eat waffles all the time. Not so much in the morning, but they eat them in between meals, as snacks, ” said Aasland. Norwegians eat the waffles cold, often packed into school lunchboxes or grabbed from a stand at a convenience store.
You may be wondering what, exactly, is a Nordic waffle? Well it is not an American waffle or a Belgian waffle.
The challenge, in fact, is to call it a waffle at all, given how thin it is. “It must be called a Nordic waffle,” Aasland said firmly. And it must be heart-shaped, as it is in all Scandinavian countries.
How do you make a heart-shaped waffle. Well, of course Ingebretsen’s carries the popular Heart Waffle Iron. In fact, it is one of the top items that we sell. It is how you can make the 7-inch waffle that can be separated in five hearts – also known as a Nordic waffle.
If you think waffles are just a breakfast food – think again. Want some ideas for making waffle sandwiches or treats. Take a look at the menu for the Nordic Waffles, one of the biggest hits of this year’s Minnesota State Fair.
Maple syrup and butter is the traditional American waffle topping. But it is fun to try out different toppings for waffles such from Scandinavian countries:
In Norway they like butter and brown cheese, sour cream and jam, slices of hard-cooked eggs and caviar, and a waffle wrapped around various meats.- Sweden waffles are often topped with whipped cream and jam, sour cream and red onion with caviar.
- In Denmark whipped cream and jam, and ice cream are popular waffle toppings.
- In Finland jam, sugar, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream are usually used.
- In Iceland, the traditional topping is either rhubarb or blueberry jam with whipped cream on top. Syrup and chocolate spread are also popular substitutes for the jam.
Stine Aasland has been generous enough to provide her basic recipe for Nordic waffles. Her book has three more varieties of batters. You can find her recipe here.
If making waffles from scratch isn’t for you, some people like to use our pancake mix– it makes great waffles.
We will kick off our Fall Sale with waffle samples this Saturday. We’d love to see you there.