Apple with honey-roasted rye bread

In the Viking Age, only wild apples were available, and they were not nearly as large or as sweet as the apples we eat today.

In the Oseberg burial in Norway, dated to the year 834, a wooden bucket containing apples was found. This tells us that apples were harvested and eaten, and that they also played a role in Norse mythology. The goddess Idun carries a basket of magical apples that keep the other gods young and vigorous.

Apple with honey-roasted rye bread

Apple trees grow wild in many parts of the world, and the fruit’s exact origin is therefore uncertain. However, the wild apple, the crab apple, has been known and used in Denmark for several thousand years. The Vikings were well aware of the apple’s beneficial qualities, and in Norse mythology we hear, among other things, about the goddess Idun’s apples. Idun is the goddess of youth, and she guards the enchanted apples that keep all the gods young for eternity.

On the Viking farm, wild apples are also valued. They can of course be eaten raw as they are, but Frida also uses them in her cooking, where they add acidity and freshness to both savoury and sweet dishes.

Procedure

Make an apple purée from apples and a little water. Sweeten the purée with mead or honey.

Mix the rye bread, oats, and nuts.

Place the honey and butter in a saucepan or frying pan, and let it boil for about 10 minutes, until it becomes a golden, caramel like mixture. Take care, as it becomes very hot and will bubble vigorously. Add the rye bread mixture, and toast it over a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Tip the finished mixture onto a plate, and allow it to cool completely.

Chop the cooled rye bread mixture. Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks.

Serve in small bowls or on plates. Start with a portion of apple purée, then add the toasted rye bread mixture, and finish with a generous spoonful of whipped cream.

Ingredients

4 persons
  • 500 g apples
  • 1-2 tbsp water
  • Optional: a little mead or 2-3 tbsp honey
  • 250 ml double cream
  • 4 slices stale rye bread, crumbled
  • 1 handful oats
  • 1 handful hazelnuts, chopped
  • 70 g butter
  • 70 g honey

Cook's notes

You can choose to sweeten the apple purée with modern sugar instead of honey or mead.

Take care when boiling the honey and butter. It becomes extremely hot.