In the magazine you will find a trove of information about the great Arctic culinary tradition, the proud history of the Hegelund clan, as well as discover our unique nature and way of life.
Author: Frode Klingenberg
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Cloudberry: The golden secret of the Arctic
The cloudberry is one of the rarest berries in the northern hemisphere, only to be found
in high altitudes of the vast nordic countryside. Because it can only be found in these
rare places up in the mountains it got its name – cloudberry – as it grows up in the
clouds.Its golden color, powerful nutrients as well as its seclusive harvesting spots make it one of the best kept secrets of the arctic. Growing in areas close to the arctic circle, the cloudberry can only be harvested in a few countries of the world, like Norway. The harvesting season of the cloudberry is very short in Norway and only lasts from July until
September. Since every plant has just one stem, it will bring out one flower with one sole berry in the end. [show_product]Throughout the past centuries, cloudberries were used traditionally by sailors and fishermen to ward off scurvy – a severe disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. Because the northern hemisphere is scarce in fruit and vegetables of high vitamin C contents, the cloudberries’ harvesting spots were a well-kept secret among local settlements.
Families, like the Hegelund family, kept secret spots to gather cloudberries to themselves for traditions to get through the dark winter times. Cloudberries were gathered in summer to make long-lasting jams for special fruity winter dishes – especially during Christmas time. Two of the most beloved cloudberry recipes among Norwegians are whipped cream, called Multekrem and a flavorful cloudberry soup. Here’s how to make your own tasty Multekrem, rich in Vitamin C:
Multekrem
For a tasty Multekrem you need the following ingredients:
- 350 ml Whipping cream
- 4 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 100 grams Cloudberry Jam
Mix all ingredients gently together after whipping the cream and serve the cloudberry cream ice cold after refrigerating for a while. Vanilla cookies complete the nordic taste experience.
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The Arctic Salmon War
Nowadays the Arctic regions of Scandinavia are generally thought to be among the most peaceful territories in the world, but few realize that it hasn’t always been so.
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Inside Tromsø
Tips by certified guide Lyonel Perabo. Features what to see in Tromsø, best places to see the Northern Lights, history, local food and gifts to bring home.
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Hegelund Profiles: the 16 hundreds
The Hegelund family originally hailed from the towns of Ribe, Viborg and Ebeltoft in the Jutland peninsula of Denmark. These Hegelunds that came to settle on the Northern edge of Arctic Norway were Morten C. and Mikkel C. Hegelund, the sons of the mayor of Viborg, Christen Sørensen Hegelund.
Together with the Figenshou family, the Hegelunds soon became one of the leading families in Karlsøy. These two families of civil servants were amongst the most notable and influential in their local community, and it did not take long before they began to inter-marry and forge powerful and enduring alliances with each other.
Soon, the gathering of Hegelunds and Figenshous essentially turned into a sort of integrated social system that formed the center of the local society.
Morten C. Hegelund (1600-1660)
Morten C. Hegelund got his start in life in Bodø as an aide to Frank Kass, the governor of the Nordland county. While living there, he met a local lady named Synøve Hansdatter with whom he fell in love and later married. As a reward for his excellent work in the county administration, Morten was rewarded by being made bailiff for the district of Troms.
He and his wife established themselves in the Elvevold farm in Ringvassøy island. He also leased land in Hessfjord, by the Langsund strait. The parish records show him as bailiff at Elvevold until about 1658.
The House of Hegelund family are all proud descendants from Morten C.Hegelund, the first in his family to establish himself in the Arctic coast of Northern Norway.
His brother, Mikkel C. Hegelund, became a priest in the city of Trondheim. Among his descendants we find one individual who would end up moving event further north and become the famed “Karlsøy priest.”
Mikkel J. Heggelund (1662-1729)
Mikkel J., descendant of Mikkel C. Hegelund of Trondheim, ended up establishing himself in Karlsøy, just as his relative Morten had done a few decades earlier. Thanks in part to his marriage to Rebekka Elisabeth von Mühlenport, heiress to a powerful German-Hungarian family, Mikkel J. was entrusted with the vicariate of Karlsøy, a position he held for close to 30 years, between 1694 to his death in 1729.
Mikkel J. was known in his time for being quite the character and having the tendency to get easily worked up. His moral integrity and social engagement, together with his somewhat rigid mindset, often led him to various conflictual situations during his time as a priest.
Together with his wife, Rebekka, Mikkel J. had no less than 6 children; 4 daughters and two sons. Another noteworthy figure in the Hegelund clan was his older brother:
Christen M. Heggelund (c. 1625–1694)
Christen M. Hegelund was known in his lifetime as the king of Skjervøy. In 1661, Christen obtained trading privileges making him a merchant citizen of the city of Bergen, the largest trading center in the country at the time. He later established himself in Skjervøy, a little trading post in the vicinity of Karlsøy, where he became one of the richest and most influential man in his community.
Not only did he command much respect and obeisance from the general population, even the local priest, Cornelius Hansen, was himself monetarily indebted to him. According to local legend, he would even take the priest’s Christmas donation from the church altar in plain sight of the whole congregation in order to repay himself. These questionable dealings quickly became so infamous that it was referenced by the priest-poet Peter Dass in his most famed epic poem The Trumpet of Nordland:
”Et røgte forleden i landet omdrog
At præsten udredning hos kræmmeren tog
Og var hannem skyldig en hooben.
Naar bonden en skilling paa Alteret gav
Sto kræmmeren bag og tog den deraf
Dat is na de dyvel to ioopen.”Despite not being particularly considerate towards the priest, Christen was nevertheless quite generous with the church. Over the years, he gifted a majestic Baroque altarpiece and a chandelier, as well as a painting of him and his whole family to the church (see picture on the left).
Christen M. Hegelund ended up establishing a large family. He fathered no less than seven children including one son, Michel C., who became, just like his father, a merchant citizen of Bergen after studying in Copenhagen, Hamburg and Bergen. A second son, Christen C., studied in Copenhagen and went on to become parish priest of Avaldsnes in southern Norway. A third son, Anders C. (1665-1710), also studied in Denmark to become a priest, and officiated there for some time before returning to Norway to overtake the office of his brother, Christen C., in Avaldsnes.
Sources:
Fjelde Larsen, Marion (2014). Næringsmangfoldet ved kysten i middelalderen. In Nils Kolle and Alf Ragnar Nielsen (Eds): Norges fiskeri- og kysthistorie, Fangstmenn, fiskerbønder og værfolk, fram til 1720. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget Vigmostad & Bjørke AS (233-260).
Bratrein, Håvard Dahl (1994). Karlsøy og Helgøy Bygdebok. Hansnes: Karlsøy kommune. -
Flake Salt:The unique taste of the Arctic Ocean
Since they established themselves on the Arctic coast of Norway in the 1600s, the Hegelunds have made good use of the rich local flake salt to spice up their family recipes and replenish their strength during the long and tough winters.
Sea salt has been harvested since the end of the Stone Age when it was, just like today, both a prized trade good and the most popular spice the world over. In Norway, traditional sea salt harvesting could be done in a number of ways, such as by drying seaweed, building salt ponds or freezing seawater, but these techniques were generally for domestic use only.
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This all changed when the Hegelunds settled down in the parish of Karlsøy, at 70 degrees north, in the 1600s, when Norwegian fish started to become a sought-after good on both sides of the Atlantic. To preserve the fish longer, much salt was needed. Some local Norwegian saltworks were established, but most of it was imported. In the Arctic world of the Hegelunds, Russian salt coming all the way from the White Sea was by far the most popular option.
Nevertheless, the traditional salt harvesting techniques remained very much in use and ended up being a core component of the Hegelund gastronomic code. Informed by centuries-old traditions and the pristine quality of the Arctic waters, a long-awaited product is finally seeing the light of the day: the House of Hegelund Flake Salt.
Manually produced and processed through environmentally friendly methods, the Hegelund Flake Salt is among the very best commercially available salt on the market. Its soft yet crispy texture beautifully compliments any dish. Gently crumble or scatter the flakes on lightly dressed green salads, raw or freshly grilled vegetables, fish and other seafood to draw the best flavours from your ingredients. With Hegelund Flake Salt, bringing the unique taste of the Arctic Ocean to your kitchen has never been easier.
Sources:
- Imsen, Steinar and Winge, Harald (Eds) (2004). Norsk historisk leksikon, Kultur og samfunn ca. 1500 – ca. 1800. Oslo: Cappelen Damm.
- Niemi, Einar (Ed.) (1992). Pomor, Nord-Norge og Nord-Russland gjennom tusen år. Oslo: Gyldendal.
- Raade, Gunnar (2017). Salt: utvinning. I Store norske leksikon. Hentet 26. januar 2018 fra https://snl.no/salt_-_utvinning.
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The Kvitnes Estate
The Kvitnes trading post on Vannøya in the Arctic was established by Jeremias Figenschau towards the end of the 1600s. Kvitnes would become one of the largest centers in the district, in part because it was located on the sailing route to Bergen, Norway’s main export harbor.
The old farm, which has been preserved to this very day, was built in 1826 by a descendant of Jeremias, Hans Figenschou, and his wife, Martha Margrethe Hegelund.
Husband and wife both descended from old families of traders and civil servants. As such, they belonged to the economic and social upper class of the region. The couple got married on the 17th of November 1825. The wedding, which had been officially sanctioned by the royal authorities, took place in the groom’s home, like customs would have it back in those days.
The wedding speech, performed by Vicar Rasmussen, who had made the voyage from Tromsø for the occasion, ended up with the following words:
Veledle brudepar! De vet det at mennesket ikke selv råder om sin lykke. Hvorledes det altså i denne henseende skal gå dem i deres fredtid, det står i altbestyrerens vilje. Men med hva sinn mennesket møter i sin skjebne, det står for en del i hans egen makt. Det er i dag deres hensikt at ville med ett og samme sinn dele livets skjebner med hinanden, og befordre hinanden gjensidig lykke.
O! Ved kjærlighet omhyggelig at være alt for hverandre, og ved mild overbærelse mot hinandens ufullkommenhet, oppnåes snarest deres gode hensikt, lettes livets byrder og forhøyes dets gleder. Og skulle De da ikke med frimodig tillit til skjebnenes styrer kunne gå deres fremtid i møte, skjønt et uigjennomtrengelig forheng skjuler for deres øye hva der skal møte dem i samme? Ja! Hvo der besjeles av dydige forsetter, kan alltid med sann ånds frimodighet tenke og si: Herren er min tillit og min styrke.
The old Kvitnes farm, which was, for generations, the home of the descendants of Hans and Martha Margrethe was later abandoned in favour of more modern housing. It later entered in the possession of another renowned family, the Gievær from Lyngen before being bought by the local Folk-museum (now called Perspektivet Museum). It was dismantled and reassembled on the south of Tromsø island, where it still is the centerpiece of the city’s folk park.
Sources:
Bratrein, Håvard Dahl (1994). Karlsøy og Helgøy Bygdebok. Hansnes: Karlsøy kommune.
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Company news
08 June 2019
House of Hegelund unveils a brand new concept
An exclusive taste of the Arctic
Ancient and delightful food traditions form the backbone of a new Arctic business concept: House of Hegelund will gather exclusive foods and deliver them to customers across the globe.
The Hegelund family has thrived on a diet of unique Arctic foodstuffs since the year 1635. Ancient food traditions, in combination with fresh and healthy ingredients from the far north form the basis of the concept of House of Hegelund, says Frode Klingenberg, Managing Director and family representant in the firm.
– We can now offer the entire world a taste of Arctic specialties based on old family recipes.
The company will, to begin with, distribute its products directly to international travelers to Norway as well as through its web-store. Frode Klingenberg and other members of the Hegelund family carefully selected only the most unique and flavorful products to be sold under the name House of Hegelund.
– Here up north we can find among other things berries that are as tasty as they are rich in vitamins. We offer several types of berry jams that work well together with Norwegian specialties like flatbread. These, together with flake-salt of the highest quality and fish-spice based of traditional recipes give the international market access to a real taste of the Arctic, explains Klingenberg.
House of Hegelund offers products in the higher price range and its selection is both thoroughly thought out and quality-controlled. Expanding the product-selection to include further exciting Arctic products will become a focal point of the company in the near future.
The Arctic world, characterized by its pristine nature and cold climate is uniquely-suited for the production of healthy and rich foodstuffs. Making full use of the riches of both the sea and the fells, the Hegelund family participated in the development of a one-of-a-kind gastronomical culture.
– Combining our cultural heritage with cutting-edge innovation has been a family tradition for centuries, a tradition that is very much alive today. It is precisely because of this culture that we are now investing so much to distribute local specialties to the rest of the world. Thanks to this unique background, House of Hegelund brand is assured to become synonymous with customer satisfaction and quality guarantee, concludes Frode Klingenberg.
Facts: House of Hegelund
Morten C. Hegelund emigrated from Denmark to the Tromsø region in 1635. The family has been established in the area to this day.
The Hegelunds have always been well-known for their social engagement, creativity and last but not least, their passion for food.
House of Hegelund aims to disseminate Arctic food traditions through both products and experiences and is oriented towards customers that appreciate quality.
House of Hegelund AS is registered in Karlsøy municipality in Troms county, Norway.
For more information:
houseofhegelund.com
Frode Klingberg
info@houseofhegelund.com
Related article:
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Some Surprising Facts about Norwegian Salmon
The oldest Norwegian document that describes salmon fishing is quite an odd one. It’s not a letter, not a manuscript but… a rock. More precisely, a runic stone which used to stand on a riverbank in Southwestern Norway, some 900 years ago. The stone told about a salmon fishing station in the river. The fact that people in the early Middle Ages felt that they had to claim their ownership of good fishing waters so publicly, proves that salmon has been a big deal in Norway for close to a thousand years.
Before the past few centuries, salt was an expensive spice for the rough fishermen who made a living catching and exporting salmon. Because of this, the fish had to be preserved in other ways. In the Middle Ages, the gravlax technique became widespread in Scandinavia but an even older technique can be found among Sámis from Finnmark. There, locals traditionally used a saltless smoking technique which consisted of drying the entire fish, heads and insides included, over a small fire for a longer period in order to trap the salmon’s tasty fat inside its meat. Once dried, such fish could be kept for weeks.
When it comes to historical fishing methods, these varied a lot between Northern and Southern Norway. Coastal Sámi fishermen used a combination of harpoons, nets, and the building of small temporary dams on the side of rivers to catch fish. In Southern Norway, the favored technique, born in the Middle Ages, was the varp. A varp was a river trap made of a giant net that could be closed by pulling a rope from the shore. In the 17th and 18th centuries, fishermen developed better nets and boats in order to gain access to the great salmon shoals in the open sea.
For the longest time, salmon was such a prized export good that very few fishermen had the means to serve any to their family. Yet, unwilling to disappoint them, fishermen would often resort to a sneaky strategy to surprise their loved ones: instead of using expensive salmon, they instead used much-cheaper pollock. They’d then dye it with red lobster powder before salting, smoking and sugaring it to make it look, and maybe even taste a bit, like salmon. That dish was traditionally called skomakarlaks (“cobbler’s salmon”) stressing that, in those days, salmon was not for low-class households. One can only be thankful that such a situation does no prevail anymore!
Sources:
- Andersen, Christian (1977). Tilberedning av laksefisk i gammel og ny tid. Ottar 35-39.
- Eikset, Kjell Roger, Heitmann Kari and Nielsen, Jens Petter (2001). I Storlaksen rike, Historie om Altaelva og Alta Laksefiskeri Interessentskap. Alta: Alta Laksefiskeri Interessentskap.
- Fjelde Larsen, Marion (2014). Næringsmangfoldet ved kysten i middelalderen. In Nils Kolle and Alf Ragnar Nielsen (Eds): Norges fiskeri- og kysthistorie, Fangstmenn, fiskerbønder og værfolk, fram til 1720. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget Vigmostad & Bjørke AS (233-260).
- Storeide, Moreno (1994). Fra Lofotkokkens Grytter. Stamsund: Orkana Forlag. 43.
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Gravlax: The Arctic Origins of a Legendary Dish
Gravlax is one of the few world-famous Scandinavian dishes out there, and while many know that it is basically prepared with salmon and herbs, few know its ancient, Arctic history.
The origin of gravlax can be traced all the way back to 14th-century North-Sweden. In the Middle-Ages, salt was expensive and most foods had to be preserved using alternative methods. In North-Sweden, peasants and fishermen developed a unique technique called gravad lax (“buried salmon” hence the name gravlax): The filleted salmon was placed in a hole in the earth, covered with birch bark and laid in a bath of water, the fish’s own blood and various spices and herbs. The result was a rather strong-smelling product that would be closer to todays infamous surströmming (fermented herring) than the gravlax that is eaten nowadays.
Over time, gravlax-making techniques evolved, and the introduction of salt and dill, among other things, lead to the development of a much gentler dish. In Arctic Norway, North-Sweden’s nearest neighbour, it soon became customary to make use of a curing blend made of salt, pepper, honey, local spirits and, of course, dill to soften and ripen the fish in a uniquely delectable way.
After about 72 hours of curing, the gravlax is generally ready to be served. However, in many North-Norwegian households, no gravlax dish would be served without a proper mustard sauce crafted from traditional mustard powder, oil, flour and extra dill. This somewhat more modern local variation on traditional gravlax was particularly popular among coastal communities such as Karlsøy, where it has been enjoyed by generations of Hegelunds for close to four centuries.
Sources:
- Kaspersen, Ardis (1990). Havgodt fra Nord-Norge. Oslo: Cappelen.
- Moe, Nils Harald (2007). Tradisjonmat fra nord. Tromsø: Vitus Forlag.
- Waldenström, Victor (2001). Laks!. Trans. Mette-Cathrine Jahr. Oslo: Cappelen
Related article:
Authentic Arctic Smoked Salmon à la Hegelund
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Authentic Arctic Smoked Salmon à la Hegelund
When Morten C. Hegelund arrived in Karlsøy in 1635, he brought much more than his own person and possessions; he took with him his familial culture of Danish refinement encompassing, among other things, traditional knowledge of smoked salmon, cooking and food preparation.
By the 17th century, smoked salmon was already a well-established fare, both in Scandinavia and further south on the continent. Traditionally laid in a salt bath, rinsed, and smoked for a period ranging from a few hours to several days, smoked salmon first became a staple food of the high society in France, before becoming popular throughout Northern Europe as well.
Now living right by the outstanding salmon-lakes of Ringvatnet and Skogsfjordvatnet, once owned of the powerful bishop of Trondheim, the Hegelunds were able, through trial and error, to fuse this aristocratic tradition with unique local knowledge.
Cold-smoking the fish over a juniper fire, adding various spirits to the filets during the smoking process, and other similar innovations ultimately resulted in some of the most-celebrated gourmet dishes on this side of the Arctic Circle.
Fueled by their customary passion for everything food-related and an uncommon pioneering spirit, the family slowly developed their own recipes and gastronomical traditions; traditions that survive to this day through the works of the House of Hegelund.
Sources:
- Fjelde Larsen, Marion (2014). Næringsmangfoldet ved kysten i middelalderen. In Nils Kolle and Alf Ragnar Nielsen (Eds): Norges fiskeri- og kysthistorie, Fangstmenn, fiskerbønder og værfolk, fram til 1720. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget Vigmostad & Bjørke AS (233-260).
- Johnsen, Henry (2005). Røking av mat, fra hobby til lidenskap. Oslo: Landbruksforlaget.
- Kaspersen, Ardis (1990). Havgodt fra Nord-Norge. Oslo: Cappelen.
- Waldenström, Victor (2001). Laks!. Trans. Mette-Cathrine Jahr. Oslo: Cappelen
Related Article:
Gravlax: The Arctic Origins of a Legendary Dish
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The Danish Origins of the Hegelund Clan
The family of Morten Hegelund, who relocated to the Arctic in 1635, comes from Viborg, Ribe and Ebeltoft on the Jutland peninsula of Denmark.
The Hegelund family history is especially tied to that of Viborg. In the 15th and 16th century, numerous Hegelunds reached prominent status in that city by taking on the positions of priests, civil servants, doctors, and even mayors.
The most ancient genealogy of the family of Morten Hegelund reads as such
Denmark
Morten Christensen Hegelund (by family tradition): Mayor of Viborg
Christen Mortensen Hegelund (*1475): Councilman in Viborg
Morten Christensen Hegelund (*1505): Unknown
Søren Mortensen Hegelund (*1540) Councilman in Viborg
Christen Sørensen Hegelund (*1570) Mayor of Viborg
Elvevold/ Hansnes
Morten Christensen Hegelund (*1600): Bailiff of the Troms district
Hans Mortensen Heggelund (*1631)
Søren Hansen Heggelund (*1683)
Morten Sørensen Heggelund (*1731)
Related article:
Hegelund Profiles: the 16 hundreds