There’s a new contender battling its way to the top of the US News Top Ten Diet List. And while some aspects of this Viking-inspired diet are familiar, others require a more adventuresome palette. The Nordic Diet is more than just a collection of regional dishes. It’s a coordinated effort on the part of scientific and culinary community leaders to promote public health by shining a spotlight on food choices, as well as on mealtime habits. Whole foods and mindful eating are at the heart of the Nordic Diet, with the goal being a diet that’s as easy on the environment as it is healthy for the people who follow it.
Introduction: Unearthing the Viking Diet
The image of the Viking warrior is one of raw power, incredible endurance, and a formidable physical presence. What fuel did this incredible engine run on? The historical reality of the Viking diet is a fascinating story of resourcefulness, adaptation, and a deep understanding of the natural world. It was a diet forged by land and sea, shaped by the changing seasons, and mastered through clever preservation.
What the Vikings Ate: A Glimpse into Norse Cuisine
Forget the pop culture image of Vikings exclusively feasting on giant turkey legs and swilling mead from horns. While great feasts were a significant part of Viking culture, the daily meals for the average Norse family were far more humble, practical, and surprisingly balanced.
Debunking Myths: Beyond Meat and Mead
The first myth to debunk is that the Viking diet was exclusively carnivorous. While meat and fish were crucial, their diet was varied and heavily dependent on what the season provided. A Viking in the summer, with access to fresh greens and berries, ate very differently than they did in the depths of winter, relying on preserved foods.
Staples of the Viking Diet
- Grains and Bread: The most important grain was barley, a hardy crop that could withstand the short growing seasons of the North. It was used to make a dense, dark, unleavened flatbread, likely cooked on hot stones or a griddle over the fire. Barley was also the primary ingredient for porridge (grøt), a staple breakfast that provided slow-release energy for a long day of labor.
- Vegetables from the Garden: Every farmstead would have had a kitchen garden (kálgarðr). Here, Viking women would cultivate a range of hardy vegetables. Archaeological analysis of Viking cesspits and settlements has revealed seeds from cabbage, onions, garlic, leeks, turnips, peas, and beans.
- Dairy - The "White Foods": Livestock was essential. Cows, goats, and sheep provided a steady supply of milk. This milk was consumed fresh but was more importantly processed into storable products like butter, cheese (of a simple, fresh variety), and skyr-a thick, tangy, high-protein yogurt-like food that is still a staple in Iceland today.
- Foraging: In the summer and autumn, foraging was a vital activity. Vikings gathered a wide variety of wild berries (lingonberries, bilberries, cloudberries), apples, plums, and nuts like hazelnuts.
- Hunting: While domestic animals were the primary source of meat, hunting provided a welcome addition. Vikings hunted deer, elk, reindeer, and wild boar. Ingrid, the húsfreyja (mistress of the household), surveys her larder as the morning light streams into the longhouse. The day's first meal is already simmering: a thick barley porridge sweetened with a handful of last autumn's dried apples and a dollop of honey. For the midday meal, her sons, who have been out fishing since dawn, bring in a fine catch of cod. This will be stewed with onions and turnips from her garden. In the evening, they will eat flatbread with cheese and a side of pickled cabbage. Meat is for the weekend feast, when they will roast a leg of lamb from their own flock.
The Viking Seafarer's Diet
For a people defined by their connection to the water, it’s no surprise that the sea was a primary source of sustenance.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
- Common Catches: Herring and cod were the undisputed champions of the Viking seafood menu. They were caught in massive numbers. Herring, in particular, could be easily salted and packed in barrels, making it a perfect food for long sea voyages. Al-Tartushi, an Arabic traveler, wrote that the people of Hedeby relied heavily on fish and that they could choose from 26 different kinds of fish. The most preferred fish according to historians was herring.
- Whales and Seals: Vikings were also skilled hunters of marine mammals. A whale hunt was a dangerous but incredibly rewarding endeavor, providing enormous quantities of meat, blubber (for oil), and bone. Seals were also hunted for their meat, fat, and skins. Meat from beached whales made up a significant part of the Viking diet.
Surviving the Winter: Food Preservation Techniques
The biggest challenge for the Viking diet was surviving the long, harsh Scandinavian winters when fresh food was scarce. From the end of the harvest in autumn until the first shoots of spring, Vikings relied almost entirely on preserved foods.
- Drying (Skreið): This was one of the simplest and most effective methods, especially for fish like cod. The fish was gutted, often beheaded, and hung on large wooden racks to dry in the cold, dry air.
- Salting: Salt was a valuable commodity, and salting was a primary method for preserving both meat and fish.
- Smoking: Meat and fish were often smoked over a fire of alder or other hardwoods.
- Fermenting: Fermentation was used for a variety of foods. Fish was sometimes fermented in brine, a precursor to modern Scandinavian delicacies like rakfisk. Fermenting meat may seem strange, but for some traditional Scandinavian products, the technology invented by the Vikings is still used in modern times. Hakarl is considered terrible food by the uninitiated in the secrets of Norwegian gourmet food. The shark itself is venomous and can only be eaten after elaborate processing. The shark is placed in a small hole covered with sand and gravel.
Leif the Navigator watched as his crew loaded the provisions onto the longship, the Sea-Serpent. Their voyage west would take weeks, perhaps months. Survival depended on the food packed in the barrels lining the ship's hold. There were no fresh vegetables or roasted meats here. This was the practical, unromantic face of the Viking diet at sea. Barrels of hard, wind-dried stockfish. Casks of heavily salted herring. Bags of hardtack-a simple, dry flatbread made from barley flour. Sacks of dried peas and apples. Water and ale in skin bags.
The Viking Feast: A Celebration of Abundance
While the everyday Viking diet was practical and often plain, the feast was another matter entirely.
- A Bountiful Table: A feast would feature an abundance of roasted meats-pork was a particular favorite-spit-roasted over the long fire. In lower latitudes, they consumed the flesh of domesticated pigs, goats, sheep, horses, and other cattle. Large cauldrons would bubble with rich stews, perhaps seasoned with rare, imported spices like pepper or cumin.
- The Flowing Drinks: This was the time for the best ale and, for the wealthy, mead (a fermented honey drink). Apart from ale and mead, buttermilk was also their choice of drink with their meals. Grains were important because the Viking loved their alcoholic beverages like ale which was also a common drink with meals. Beer and mead (a honey-based fermented drink) were also common, sometimes even consumed by children due to lack of clean water.
- A Social Occasion: The feast was a time for storytelling, poetry, making oaths, and forging alliances. The quality and quantity of the food and drink served was a direct reflection of the host's power and status.
Unveiling the Past: Archaeological Evidence
Our understanding of the Viking diet is not just based on sagas; it's backed by hard science.
- Middens (Garbage Pits): The analysis of ancient garbage dumps is a treasure trove of information.
- Paleofeces and Bog Bodies: In rare cases, preserved human waste (coprolites) or the stomach contents of "bog bodies" (bodies preserved in peat bogs) can provide direct, undigested evidence of a person's last meal.
- Isotopic Analysis: This advanced technique analyzes the chemical isotopes (like carbon and nitrogen) in human bones. By examining these isotopic signatures, scientists can determine the long-term balance of a person's diet, such as the ratio of marine protein (fish) versus terrestrial protein (meat and dairy).
Viking Diet Composition
- Herring and Cod: Primary Protein Source. Essential for daily sustenance and for long voyages.
- Deer, Elk, Reindeer, Wild Boar: Secondary Protein Source. Important, especially for feasts.
- Cows, Goats, Sheep: Supplemental Protein.
- Barley: Primary Carbohydrate Source.
- Cabbage, Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Turnips, Peas, Beans: Vitamins & Fiber. Vegetables like cabbage, onions, peas, garlic, leeks, and turnips were found naturally in Viking territory.
- Apples, Plums, Nuts: Vitamins & Flavor. According to the Museum of Denmark, fruits and nuts were also part of the Viking diet. Apples, pears, cherries, lingonberries, strawberries, bilberries, and hazelnuts were local treats.
- Milk, Butter, Cheese, Skyr: Key Source of Fat & Protein. Crucial for nutrition, especially in a cold climate. Dairy is also big in the Viking diet. The Norsemen loved their cheese, yogurt, curds, and butter. It is kind of like yogurt taste-wise but has a thicker consistency. Skyr has around 11 grams of protein per 100 grams. Drinking milk was also a must for the Vikings.
- Ale and Mead: Hydration, calories, social/ritual importance.
Modern Adaptations: The Nordic Diet
The Nordic or Scandinavian diet refers to a modern style of eating based around these traditional foods. The diet is heavy in complex carbs, lean proteins, and healthy fats, and light on processed foods, sugar, and red meat. And it also emphasizes choosing food with a smaller environmental footprint. The Nordic diet is a contemporary version of the Viking diet. So, it does have its roots from the Vikings.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
Nordic Diet vs. Mediterranean Diet
Those familiar with the popular Mediterranean diet, will recognize quite a few similarities with the Nordic diet. Like the Mediterranean region, Scandinavia has hundreds of miles of coastline, explaining both regions’ love of seafood. This coastal proximity also makes for milder temperatures and, subsequently, better farming conditions. Which is why you’ll see so many vegetables incorporated into both diets’ cuisines.
However, the Nordic diet differs from its southern cousin in two significant ways.
- They use canola oil instead of olive oil: Where the warm Mediterranean climate practically oozes with olives for oil-making, Scandinavia’s climate doesn’t make for prime olive farming. Instead, Sweden is home to thousands of acres of rapeseed plants - the basis for canola oil.
- They focus on the environmental impact: When the modern Nordic diet was developed in 2004, the creators had the environment on their minds. The Nordic diet has a stronger emphasis on locally sourced and sustainable foods than the Mediterranean diet. So, when eating Nordic, it’s important to focus on ingredients with the lowest environmental impact, especially plant-based and locally made foods.
Benefits of the Nordic Diet
By focusing on eating whole foods like fruits and vegetables, the Nordic diet can affect your health in a positive way. Here are some potential benefits:
- May improve heart health: In a study, replacing red meat with high quality plant protein sources - similar to what you find in the Nordic diet - was associated with “favorable changes in blood lipids and lipoproteins,” i.e. it benefited the cardiovascular system. Another small 2012 study found that the Nordic diet’s whole grain-rich, high fruit and veggie menu might be beneficial for a healthy heart by improving blood pressure and blood lipid markers.
- It may reduce inflammation: A research review found that eating a Nordic diet may have a positive effect on inflammation. According to Amos, curbing inflammation may boil down to eating more of the right kind of fat. “The Nordic diet emphasizes foods like fatty fish, nuts, and seeds that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are shown to reduce inflammation, ” says Amos.
Foods to Eat and Avoid on the Nordic Diet
Seasonal, organic, and locally sourced foods are all Nordic Diet “musts,” as are sustainably grown and wild foods. Generally speaking, saturated fats, added sugars, salt and other additives, along with starchy carbs are all “verboten.” That means no or very little processed foods, red meat, alcohol, or sweetened beverages.
- Eat: Whole grains, particularly rye, barley, and oats; Fruits, especially berries; Vegetables, especially root vegetables like beets, turnips, and carrots; Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel; Low-fat dairy like Skyr yogurt; Legumes.
- Eat in Moderation: Eggs; Game meat like venison, rabbit, and bison.
- Rarely: Other red meats that aren’t game meat; Alcoholic beverages.
- Avoid: Foods with added sugars; Processed meats like bacon and bologna; High salt foods like lunch meat, dried pasta, and bread; Fast food; Sweetened beverages.
A Sample Week on the Nordic Diet
- Monday:
- Breakfast: Blueberry almond butter smoothie
- Lunch: Mushroom brown rice pilaf
- Dinner: Salmon with lemon and dill, spinach salad, and a yummy dressing
- Tuesday:
- Breakfast: Lemon-raspberry baked oatmeal
- Lunch: Farro salad with cauliflower and chickpeas
- Dinner: Baked honey mustard chicken, roasted brussels sprouts, brown rice
- Wednesday:
- Breakfast: Baked eggs with spinach
- Lunch: Tuna sandwich on whole-wheat bread, strawberries
- Dinner: Slow cooker root vegetable stew, multigrain crackers or crisps such as Wasa
- Thursday:
- Breakfast: Parfait with low fat skyr, raspberries, and honey
- Lunch: Roasted red pepper pizza on whole-wheat crust
- Dinner: One-pan blackened cod, sweet potatoes, and zucchini
- Friday:
- Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries
- Lunch: Turkey sandwich on rye, apple
- Dinner: Salmon salad, whole-wheat toast
- Saturday:
- Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese and lox
- Lunch: Egg scramble with avocado and tomatoes, strawberries
- Dinner: Lemon pasta with chicken and peas
- Sunday:
- Breakfast: Whole-wheat pancakes with skyr and peaches
- Lunch: Quinoa bowl with shrimp and root vegetables
- Dinner: Mushroom-barley soup, multigrain Wasa crisps
Misconceptions About the Viking Diet
- Overemphasis on Meat: Many modern versions are extremely meat-heavy, almost like a variation of the Paleo or Carnivore diet.
- Ignoring the Grains: The historical Viking diet was certainly not low-carb.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP