Christmas is very popular in Norway, and the snowy Nordic setting suits many Christmas traditions making it a magical time.

There are Christmas markets, parties and numerous other traditions and customs. The main day of Christmas in Norway is Christmas Eve on 24 December. A big part of these celebrations and occasions is Christmas food. There are many traditional Norwegian Christmas foods which are influenced by Norway's long history and rural nature. These include many meat dishes – some rather bizarre - to fish dishes as Norway is famous for its seafood. Norwegian Christmas cookies and desserts are also wonderful.

Try some Norwegian recipes this Christmas in this book – The Norwegian Christmas Cookbook