FOTD

Multekrem or Cloudberries with whipped cream is a popular Christmas dessert in Norway. I heard about multekrem at my first Christmas party in Norway. Not only people in my group but many in my department praised the dish and encouraged me to try it. The taste was quite different than other berries but was fine.

Rubus chamaemorus is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to cool temperate regions, alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. In Europe, they grow in the Nordic countries but are rare in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). They occur across northern Russia east towards the Pacific Ocean as far south as Japan. Due to peatland drainage and peat exploitation, they are considered endangered and are under legal protection in Germany’s Weser and Elbe valleys, and at isolated sites in the English Pennines and Scottish Highlands. A single, fragile site exists in the Sperrin Mountains of Northern Ireland.

When ripe, cloudberry fruits are golden-yellow, soft and juicy, and are rich in vitamin C. When eaten fresh, cloudberries have a distinctive tart taste. When over-ripe, they have a creamy texture somewhat like yogurt and a sweetened flavor. They are often made into jams, juices, tarts, and liqueurs.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_chamaemorus

Last weekend we saw quite a number of people in small groups collecting multer or cloudberries on a local mountain. I picked just a few of them and leave the rest for the others. For some it’s a serious business and according to my neighbour people do not disclose the sight details 😍. Wild blueberry shrubs are easy to find as they are near every hiking trails but the cloudberry shrubs are in abundance on the flat surface at a height of 800 m above sea level (Six Word Saturday last week). It’s funny but I noticed them for the first time as we usually take the other route. My conclusion is for picking perfectly ripen cloudberries one has to be at the right place at the right time. Also hiking is something a child in Norway learns from it’s kindergaren days so it’s not a big deal.

What is your favourite dessert for Christmas?

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FOTD – berries