There seemed to be no end to the guests' compliments to the chefs, nor to the queue that lined up along the buffet, when hostess H.E. Ms. Mette Ravn, Norway's Ambassador to Jordan, received more than 300 international guests as the Royal Norwegian Embassy celebrated the Norwegian National Day with a grand reception on the 19th of May.
The guest were received by the diplomatic staff at the Norwegian Embassy dressed in their finest national costumes. From left: Ambassador Mette Ravn, Hanne Ulrichsen, Aslaug Nygård and Kirsti Stubberud.
Norway's national day, the 17th of May, marks that the country got a constitution of its own in 1814, after almost 300 years of Danish rule. Norwegians traditionally celebrate their national day with good food and great friends, and this year the Embassy took the opportunity to introduce to their friends the best of what the Norwegian seas and costal waters have to offer.
More than 300 guest came to celebrate Norway's national day, and to get "A Taste of Norway".
Norway has fishing traditions dating back thousands of years. Nature has been kind to Norway, giving it a long coastline and more than 200 different species of fish and shellfish. Over the centuries people all over the world have appreciated the excellent, healthy seafood supplied by Norway. The Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture industry is currently one of the world's largest exporters of seafood.
Norwegian chefs Petter Jakobsen (left) and Knut Johannessen (right) introducing their Jordanian colleague Mohammad F. Saleh to the tradtional "Fenalår" - salted and dried leg of lamb.
Imperial Palace Hotel Executive Chef Mohammad F. Saleh preparing the Norwegian cod for hundreds of expected guests.
Chef Knut Johannesen was flown in from Norway to team up with resident chef Petter Jakobsen and Excecutive Chef of Imperial Palace Hotel, Mohammad F. Saleh. Hours in the kitchen culminated in a buffet of Norwegian fish and seafood like never seen in Jordan before.
Chef Petter Jakobsen was more than willing to share of his knowledge about the Norwegian delicacies on offer.
On the menu one could find the world famous salmon, exclusive capelin roe, exotic trout from the mountain lakes, tender cod, and the impressive halibut, all accompanied by tasty garniture, sizzling sauces and crunchy vegetables.
Chef Knut Johannessen serves a nice piece of salmon to Mr. Wael Karadsheh, owner of the restaurant "Grappa" in Amman.
And what is a Norwegian feast without some of the famous "spekemat" - meat of different sorts, dried and salted the traditional way in small cottages in the Norwegian countryside. This was served rolled in both traditional Norwegian and Arabic bread, with fresh goat's cheese and lingonberries, while the king of them all, the "fenalår" - dried and salted leg of lamb - was cut straight from the bone and served with Aquavit, the famous potato based liquor. Another Norwegian world wide favourite, the Jarlsberg cheese, was also easily recognizable among all the other delicacies.
The queue grew as guests paid the buffet two and even three visits!
Just like Jordanians, the Norwegians also like to finish a good meal with something sweet, and the chefs could introduce the international guests to the traditional dessert "Veiled Farmer Girls" - whipped cream, fresh apple jam and crums of sweet bread.
H.E. the Ambassador Ms. Mette Ravn cuts the cake perfectly decorated as the flag of Norway.
"A Taste of Norway" was undoubtedly a great success, thanks to the support from The Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the company Hallvard Lerøy AS, one of Norway's biggest exporters of seafood. A great thanks also to the management and staff at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Amman.