Henriette Schønberg Erken – The woman who taught Norway to boil, bake, and brag about It
- Siri
- 27. juli
- 3 min lesing
Before blogs, before celebrity chefs, before anyone even said "Instagrammable," there was Henriette.
Henriette Schønberg Erken didn’t just write recipes — she wrote Norwegian food identity. With a pen in one hand and a ladle in the other, she published cookbooks that changed how Norway cooked, served, and thought about food.
As Madam Budeie — loyal defender of heritage meals and the holy power of brunost — I bow my apron to the woman who stirred a nation.
Who was Henriette Schønberg Erken?
Born in 1866 in Christiania (now Oslo), Henriette was a trailblazer in a starched blouse. While most women were expected to marry and mind the home, she chose to teach the home — and how to run it like a queen.
She studied domestic science, traveled Europe, and soaked up every crumb of culinary wisdom. Then she gave it back — in books, lectures, and butter-stained note cards.
The Cookbook that fed a nation
In 1914, she published “Stor Kokebok” — The Big Cookbook. And oh, was it big.Over 700 pages of:
Classic Norwegian dishes
Foreign recipes with a Nordic twist
Advice on everything from soup to sausage
Household management, etiquette, even how to set a proper table for 18
It wasn’t just a book. It was a culinary constitution.
By mid-century, her name was in nearly every kitchen — especially in rural Norway, where her work bridged old farm traditions and modern techniques.
Why she mattered (and still does)
Henriette didn’t just teach people to cook. She:
Empowered women through domestic education
Preserved regional Norwegian recipes in print
Believed that knowledge in the kitchen was power
Promoted hygiene, nutrition, and seasonality long before it was trendy
She even ran a household school at her own farm at Dystingbo (not far from Hamar), where women from across the country came to learn how to manage a kitchen like generals of gravy.
Madam Budeie’s favorite Henriette Moments
Her recipes often suggest “butter to taste,” which is a mood I support deeply
She wasn’t afraid to say no to French flourishes if they didn’t suit Norwegian taste
She saw the home kitchen as a place of pride, not a burden — and taught others to feel the same
Where to find her legacy today
Her cookbooks are still reprinted and collected with devotion
Her name appears in food museums and cultural archives
Many of her techniques live on in our grandmothers’ kitchens (and in some cases, yours truly’s)
She helped defined good food and everyday nourishment -made with care and confidence.
Final thoughts from the hearth
Henriette Schønberg Erken didn’t cook for fame. She cooked for function, family, and future generations.
She reminded us that recipes aren’t just about ingredients — they’re about identity. And in doing so, she left behind more than a legacy — she left behind a living kitchen tradition. Henriette was Norway’s kitchen mother. She was, quite honestly, a nation-builder in an apron — a woman who led a quiet food revolution. She traveled the country, teaching, demonstrating, and sharing her knowledge, one kitchen and one community at a time. No way trending om TikTok in those days - just hard work.
My grandmother had an old group photo from a housekeeping school hanging in her apartment. I remember thinking it looked a bit strange when I was little — all these women in white hats, standing so proudly. But she was proud of that education.
And some of the things we made together back then have stayed with me to this day — like Christmas cookies and sylte. Her homemade beer was legendary too.
(My uncle was always funny at Christmas dinners — and quiet the rest of the year. Strange..)
With a wooden spoon, and one of her old books in my hand, I salute her and Henriette.
I can’t wait to share a homemade beer recipe here on the blog. Want to join me for that?
Madam Budeie
From Fjord to Fork
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