We invite you and your family to have a heart – specifically a delicious one sitting on a plate in front of you. Specifically, of course, a Nordic heart waffle.
Stine Aasland, author of We Love (Heart) Waffles says when it comes to the Nordic Waffle: “… it must be heart-shaped, as it is in all Scandinavian countries.”
Stine enjoys sharing waffle culture (see the MNOriginals video below) and she wants people to enjoy waffles at all different times – not just as a breakfast food. She also encourages using your hands when eating waffles. Stine wants to make eating Nordic waffles fun, informal, and koselig (cozy).
The Love Language of Waffles
Waffles are so much a part of Norwegian culture, Visit Norway provides a Waffle Dictionary:
Vaffel – Waffle
Fredagsvaffel – Waffle served as a treat at many workplaces on Fridays.
Dugnadsvaffel – Dugnad is a Norwegian term for voluntary work done together with other people. It’s commonly used for outdoor spring cleaning, school maintenance, and sports arrangements for children. The free waffles at the end are the reward and highlight of the session.
Kakevaffel – A pile of waffles with layers of vanilla custard acting as a cake.
Pølse i vaffel – Hotdog wrapped in a waffle, served in the county of Østfold.
Matpakkevaffel – Packed lunch (“matpakke”) is a staple of the Norwegian life and traditionally consists of a simple sandwich – but some dress it up with a waffle.
Bålvaffel – Waffle cooked over a campfire.
Food, especially waffles, are love
Visit Norway calls Nordic waffles a symbol of kos and love – being the quintessence of kos, which is Norwegian for “having a good time.”
Jonathan Larsson was so captivated by Norwegian waffle tradition that when he moved to Oslo, he started selling them from his bedroom window. He served them with unique toppings such as blue cheese, sausage, and coconut. His window café became a hit. The hobby became a full-time job when he started his waffle café Haralds vaffel. His personal favorite is waffles with butter, sour cream, and gjetost, the Norwegian sweet brown cheese that melts perfectly on top.
Time to make your own waffles
Hungry for Nordic waffles yet? First you need to get your Nordic waffle maker. Then you will need a recipe. Luckily we have cookbooks with recipes plus we have two recipes you can download. Remember to let the waffle iron get good and hot, then give the top and bottom plate a generous coating of melted butter.
One is from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by beloved Minnesota cookbook author, Beatrice Ojakangas, and can be found here. The other comes from Stine Aasland’s book We Love (Heart) Waffles and can be found here.
If you want some Nordic waffles without making them yourself, you can visit one of the places that serve Stine’s Nordic Waffles. Our favorite place is at the Norway House Kaffebar.
Find the recipe in a downloadable and printable pdf below:
