Coffee and the Foods of Norwegian Business

I once took an early morning meeting at the gleaming and massive Telenor (Norway's largest telecom provider) campus. As I was shuffled through the corporate maze of desks and endless hallways and eventually to a conference room, something was waiting for me there on the table.

It was a small arrangement of waffles, brown cheese, and jam next to a pot of coffee.

"Ohhhhh you must be someone important for them to have ordered this!" remarked the corporate foot soldier with me.

This struck me as a bit of an odd statement. Why was them going to the extra effort to provide food notable? And we aren't exactly talking about the royal spread here! Someone mixed some flour and milk together to make a waffle and said here's the best we got. Upon closer inspection I noticed they didn't even slice the cheese for us! We had to do it ourselves using some type of Viking cheese slicer.

—Welcome to Norway!

Norway's History with Food

In many other business cultures you tantalize and amaze your business contacts with veritable cornucopia of treats. Norwegians however share and appreciate food differently, especially in business.

This is driven much by Norway's history with food. Prior to the oil boom Norway was historically a rather poor country so having food was not about enjoyment but more about plain survival. While times have certainly changed economically these humble food traditions have remained.

The waffles in the Telenor conference are a perfect example of this and they can even be considered a luxury for Norwegians. Beyond the flour and milk a simple item like this is considered to be 'made with love' and the waffles carry that love throughout their delicious crevices.

The Business Lunch

The Norwegian business lunch is fairly unremarkable with little fanfare. Since the typical Norwegian office is more about efficiency lunches are meant to be quick (usually just 30 minutes). They also typically start at 11:30am, slightly earlier than most other business cultures. So by noon you're already done and back to work.

Lunch is also not meant to be enjoyable but instead you just need it to survive. The polar opposite of this would be the French business lunch which can run two hours and might even include some wine.

Drinking during a Norwegian business lunch is not typical and would likely be considered inappropriate. Norwegians in general like to save their drinking for the evening.

Waffles

Similar to Belgium waffles, Norwegian waffles are the Scandinavian version so they are of course much thinner and better looking than their heavy Belgian cousins. In the boardroom or by the campfire, these are always a hit. Slap a slice of Brunost (brown cheese) and a dab of jam to get the full experience. No syrup required.

Brunost (Brown Cheese)

As a newcomer to Norway many locals will ask if you've had the Brunost yet and what you think of it. It's high in sugar and it is like cheese so as an American that's pretty much our two main food groups. While technically not cheese it's more of a byproduct of cheese production itself. Most countries would throw it out but during Norway's more humble and poorer times they added sugar to provide additional food for the people.

The Cheese Slicer

Accompanying the Brunost you're likely to find a Viking cheese slicer. This utensil was invented by Norwegians and they're quite proud of that. Mastering the art of a good slice will also help to score you status points with your Norwegian colleagues. The trick is to grab the cheese firmly and pull the slicer towards you in a smooth motion.

Coffee Culture

Scandinavians in general drink a lot of coffee and rank among the top consumers per capita. They tend to take it black without milk which is perhaps another indicator of Norway's more modest economical past where milk was a bit of a luxury. Norway is also one of the few corners of the world where you won't find many Starbucks.