We are now in our third country and are having fun walking through supermarkets and marveling at all of the different food choices.  Sometimes we will buy something based on a picture on the label- because we can’t decipher the name or ingredients.  So far this technique has worked in our favor.

Yummy Breakfast Foods -in a tube

In Norway we were introduced to the concept of “food – in – a – tube” .   Which, as gross as it might sound (and very processed) – was actually an advantage for us when out on the road. The tubes are easy to store and have an exceptionally long shelf life.

The foods that we tried in tube form are:

Caviar (yummy- salty)

Mayonnaise (all different kinds of flavors)

Liver pate’ (a common choice for kids- high in protein and vitamin D)

Mackarel in tomato sauce (yummy)

Smoked salmon (yummy)

Various cheeses

And last but not least cheese (ost) – lots of cheese!

Ost with bacon

Ost with Jalapeno peppers

Ost with Taco Seasoning (not our favorite)

Ost with bacon and pepper

Brown Ost

Light Brown Ost

An example of the nutrient breakdown for Bacon Ost:

The Bacon Ost (100 g – 6.7 tablespoons) = 250 calories: 75% fat, 8% Carbohydrate and 18% protein.  A nice addition to a bicycle tourists protein and fat intake on a long hard riding day.  And, well, it tastes like bacon.  It spreads easily- and stores for an infinite amount of time. A perfect addition to the bike touring kitchen.

Brunost

Brown cheese (Brunost) deserves its own explanation.  We were introduced to Brunost by Katie and Morten in Oslo.  It is a soft cheese with a slightly sweet taste usually sliced thin and eaten with toast and jam or butter.   The Norwegians typically eat Brunost as a sweet addition to their food.  Brunost is made from milk, cream and whey.  The milk sugars caramelize during cooking giving the Brunost its characteristic (and not very appealing) brown color.

We like our Brunost- and although we were informed of the traditional uses we found ourselves adding Brunost to any sandwhich – savory or sweet!  Then we found Brunost in a tube.  Fantastic.  Jay and I purchased our last tube of Brunost as we left Norway and it lasted all the way through Denmark.

A tower of Ost!

Alexa enjoying some cheese in a tube on a lunch stop