Fenalar

Fenalar is a whole leg of lamb or mutton cured in salt, sometimes lightly smoked, then hung to dry and mature for anything from three months to over a year in a cool airy place; the result is dense, dark and concentrated, sliced very thin and served with flatbread, sour cream, scrambled egg or as part of a cold table. It descends directly from the preservation methods that let mountain farms keep meat through winter without refrigeration. Fenalar fra Norge holds protected geographical indication status in the EU, awarded in 2012, one of a small number of Norwegian products with that recognition, which sets requirements for the breed, the curing and the maturing time.

What you actually see

• The whole cured leg - lamb salted, dried and matured on the bone.
• The thin slicing - served in fine slices rather than chunks.
• The accompaniments - flatbread, sour cream and scrambled egg.
• The protected designation - Fenalar fra Norge with EU recognition.

When to go

Year-round in shops, though autumn and the Christmas season are when it appears most on tables and when new batches finish maturing. Valdres and the mountain districts hold the traditional producers.

Honest expectations

It is salty and intensely flavoured, and a little goes a long way. Prices are high, particularly for long-matured legs from small producers. Supermarket versions are milder and less interesting than farm ones.

Nearby

Valdres and Fagernes are traditional centres, and the rakfisk festival there sells fenalar alongside.