Svele

Ingredients

Batter

• 300 gplain flour
• 500 mlbuttermilk or soured milk
• 2eggs
• 80 gsugar
• 1 tsphjortetakksalt, hartshorn, or 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 50 gmelted butter

To cook

• butter, for the griddle

To fill

• butter
• brunost, brown cheese, sliced thin
• or sugar
• or jam

Equipment

• a takke, the Norwegian flat griddle, or a heavy flat pan

To serve

• warm, folded, in paper

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs and sugar together, then add the buttermilk. Sift in the flour, raising agents and salt, and whisk to a smooth batter.
2. Whisk out the lumps but stop as soon as it is smooth, because overworked batter makes tough pancakes. Stir the melted butter into the batter. Now rest the batter for at least 30 minutes.
3. Grease it lightly with butter on a piece of kitchen paper. Now spoon rounds of batter onto the griddle, about 12 cm across. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side. Wait for bubbles to rise and burst across the whole surface and for the edges to look set and dry.
4. Turn once and cook a further 1 to 2 minutes. They should be golden brown with a slightly paler ring, and springy when pressed.
5. Stack them under a clean cloth as they come off. The cloth traps steam and keeps them soft, and svele left on a rack go dry and leathery. Spread butter on one half and lay thin slices of brunost over it.
6. Slice the brown cheese thinly with a cheese slicer, so it softens against the warm pancake rather than sitting as a slab. Fold the pancake over into a half-moon.
7. Serve them warm, in paper, eaten with the hands. They are best warm and they are also perfectly good cold the next day, wrapped for a journey.

Technique

• Hjortetakksalt is sold in Norwegian shops and gives the traditional texture.
• Brunost is the caramelised whey cheese, often sold as Gudbrandsdalsost.
• They are sold on Fjord1 and other west coast ferry routes.

Substitutions

• Baking powder and bicarbonate in place of hartshorn.
• Milk soured with a spoonful of lemon juice in place of buttermilk.

Variations

• Filled with butter and sugar.
• Filled with jam and sour cream.
• Made larger, as a full plate.

History

Sold on west Norwegian fjord ferries and coastal boats, a fixture of the crossing.

Frequently asked questions

What is Svele?

Svele is a street food from Norway: thick soft pancake folded over butter and brown cheese or sugar. Sold on west Norwegian fjord ferries and coastal boats, a fixture of the crossing.

How long does Svele take to make?

Svele takes 15 min plus 30 min resting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 12. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Svele?

Yes, within limits. Baking powder and bicarbonate in place of hartshorn. Milk soured with a spoonful of lemon juice in place of buttermilk.

What is the most important thing to get right in Svele?

Grease it lightly with butter on a piece of kitchen paper. Now spoon rounds of batter onto the griddle, about 12 cm across. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side. Wait for bubbles to rise and burst across the whole surface and for the edges to look set and dry.