Your guide to a traditional Norwegian breakfast

One of the best parts of exploring a new country is having the opportunity to get acquainted with the traditional cuisine of the land. Eating the local food is how to open your mind and tastebuds to flavors you've never even dreamed of before, and you'll hopefully will be able to take some essential recipes home with you.

While you're embarking on your Norwegian cruise, nothing will start a day of adventure off like chowing down on a hearty, traditional Norwegian breakfast. From topping your meal off with a slice of Jarlsberg cheese to digging into a scrumptious plate of salmon eggs benedict, here's your guide to some of the most popular and delicious Norwegian breakfast foods:

Laks og eggerøre

An extremely common breakfast dish you'll more than likely come across throughout your Norwegian cruise is laks og eggerøre, or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. While fish can essentially be served with just about any type of meal (and is), smoked salmon and scrambled eggs is one of those premiere Norwegian breakfast recipes that everyone has their own variation of.

An essential way to indulge in some laks og eggerøre is by ordering it in an open-face sandwich style topped with ansjos, which are a type of anchovy native to Norway. You'll also find a variety of sauces that add flavor to the dish, especially eclectic combinations like wine and herb sauces. If you truly want to jump right into unearthing the definition of a Norwegian breakfast, start your day off with a plate of laks og eggerøre. 

Say cheese

Norwegians definitely love their cheese, and there is never a wrong time to indulge in a slice, especially at breakfast time. If you're new to the Norwegian cheese experience, you're going to want to try out some brunost at first. This is a brown cheese that is exploding with several flavors and possesses a sweet and sharp taste that has a subtle hint of caramel.

It's typically paired with toast during breakfast, and if you really want to impress Norwegians around you, order a side of juniper berries to pair it with. The berries complement the caramel taste, and when spread on top of the cheese and toast, serve as a great on-the-go breakfast component. You'll also likely see plenty of brunost sandwiches on a breakfast menu, which can be paired with everything from bacon to shrimp to crab meat between a toasted bun.

Another one of the famous Norwegian cheeses you'll likely taste at breakfast is Jarlsberg cheese. This lean, white cheese is bursting with a unique flavor. It's essentially called the Swiss cheese of Norway and is extremely rich in texture, providing an almost nut-like taste that goes great on an egg-and-sausage breakfast sandwich.

Lastly, Nøkkelost is another one of the iconic Norwegian cheeses, and is widely served as a type of quiche for breakfast. Nøkkelost is definitely one of the more acquired taste of the big three Norwegian cheeses, as it contains cumin, caraway seeds and cloves, which give it more of a tangy flavor with a hint of spiciness.

Know your breads

For the most part, Norwegians eat a breakfast that's simple and light, as they tend to save heartier meals for dinner time. However, it's not the quantity of what they eat at breakfast that matters; it's the quality. This specifically goes for bread, as essentially all popular Norwegian breakfast meals feature a variety of bread types. Whole grain breads are commonly served at breakfast, and make sure you order a Kneippbrød roll with at least one of your breakfast meals.

Kneippbrød is one of Norway's most popular bread recipes, and gets its name after the famous 19th-century doctor and Bavarian priest Dr. Sebastian Kneipp​. If you see a breakfast wrap that comes in a lefserull, do yourself a favor and order it. This is a popular type of Norwegian flatbread that's derived from potatoes and cream and blends perfectly with a breakfast wrap that has eggs, potatoes or smoked salmon.

Try everything

With so many options to mull over while staring at a breakfast menu, it may be intimidating to pick something. That being said, don't be hesitant to ask for recommendations from any Norwegians around you. During your Norwegian cruise, some of Norway's top chefs will be serving a variety of famous breakfast dishes, so ask your waiter or waitress which one is his or her favorite.

You can even sign up to partake in tours of the ship's kitchen, which will provide you with an inside look as to how these culinary artists whip up these famous recipes. Bon appetit!