Svindland Spekemat

My Experience

My friend brought these back from a holiday in Norway months ago and I kept forgetting to try them. They're from Svindland Spekemat, a known producer over there. I'd never had any of these three meats before, so I was somewhat apprehensive.

First off, these are spekemat, traditional Norwegian cured meats. The process relies on salt as a preservative, so they are all quite salty. They are also fatty because the wild game itself is incredibly lean, requiring fat to be added for moisture and texture. Given how rich they are, it's difficult for me to consider them simple snacking meat.

The Reindeer (Reinsdyrpølse): 3/5

This is the most normal of the three, a good way to ease into game meat. It has a smokey, frontloaded taste and a slight sweetness throughout. It's like a more gamey version of a familiar cured sausage.

The Whale (Hvalpølse): 3.5/5

The Minke whale sausage is certainly a unique tasting experience. The meat is soft, filled with a rich iron-like mix of sea and game, and has a bit of sweetness. I was quite surprised by how distinct it was.

The Moose (Elgpølse): 2/5

The moose sausage differentiates itself with a strange texture. It's made with added pork fat, which creates a waxy film that coats your mouth. My problem is that this coating is just annoying. If you're having a few slices, it honestly just coats your taste buds and dampens the full flavour of each bite. Instead, you're left with just the rich, earthy aftertaste. The meat itself also had more gristly bits than the rest, which was not fun to chew.