Norwegian Heart Waffles

Norwegian waffles are made in an iron that produces five joined hearts, and the batter is softer and thinner than the Belgian kind, with sour cream or buttermilk, cardamom and sometimes vanilla, giving a pliable rather than crisp result that is folded rather than cut. The standard toppings are rommegraut cream and strawberry jam, or brown cheese in thin slices that melt on the warm surface. The waffle is less a dish than a social mechanism: DNT mountain cabins serve them to walkers, ferries and church halls sell them, workplaces bring an iron in on Fridays, and school fundraisers run on them. Encountering them is close to unavoidable on a long walk in Norway.

What you actually see

• The five-heart shape - the standard iron that shapes the waffle.
• The soft texture - pliable rather than crisp, folded to eat.
• The toppings - sour cream and jam, or brown cheese.
• The mountain cabins - DNT huts serving them to walkers.

When to go

Year-round; mountain cabins serve them through the walking and skiing seasons, and cafes and ferries all year. Fundraising stalls appear at markets and outside shops at weekends.

Honest expectations

They are simple food and not a culinary experience. Cabin waffles are cash or card depending on the hut, and remote self-service cabins may not sell them at all. Brown cheese divides visitors sharply.

Nearby

DNT cabins across the mountains, ferry cafeterias on the west coast and cafes nationwide serve them.