Julens mat og måltider - SIFO

Summary
In this report we have taken a closer look at food and the significance of
meals during the Christmas season. Among the questions that the report set
out to answer are: What is traditional Norwegian Christmas food? What and
how do Norwegians eat during Christmas? What social and cultural meanings
are attributed to Christmas food and meals? What differences emerge with
regard to the choice of Christmas food?
Christmas is a ritual in which most Norwegians (80 percent) take part. Both
the quantitative and the qualitative studies show that the Christmas season is a
very social time – during Christmas the extended family gathers – and food
and meals are an important part of the social intercourse.
How, then, do Norwegians think and act in shaping their Christmas food and
meals? In general we can say that when we choose Christmas food, we do so
based on a collective and stable action pattern and more or less unconsciously
reproduce many of the traditions that have characterised this ritual throughout
generations. Christmas time can almost be described as a food memorial feast
where we bring with us memories, habits, traditions and rituals from the family
in which we grew up. Furthermore, it is evident that through Christmas
food rituals we more or less unconsciously positions ourselves with regard to
a number of (food)cultural issues connected with abundance, belonging, authenticity,
gender, life phase etc.
First, we have shown that there are high expectations towards Christmas food,
and considerable work is put into preparing the different meals of the Christmas
season. When preparing Christmas food and meals is described as a ritual,
it is indeed to emphasize that it is a complex process with considerable
social, cultural and emotional potential. In many ways, Christmas food can be
described as a kind of nostalgic food. That is, food becomes a means to recreate
feelings and memories from a time long gone. Furthermore, this kind of