A clear, fragrant festive soup of tender mutton and small lamb-or-beef meatballs spiced with ginger and nutmeg, served with separately boiled potatoes and carrots. From Trøndelag, sodd is the traditional dish of weddings and confirmations and even appears in the 13th-century saga of Håkon the Good.
A protected regional specialty of Trøndelag in central Norway, sodd is documented as far back as the 13th century and earned protected designation of origin status (Festsodd fra Trøndelag) in 2012.
Deceptively delicate, sodd is a crystal-clear broth that tastes deeply of slow-cooked lamb. The meatballs are soft and warmly spiced, and the sweet carrots and floury potatoes round it into pure festive comfort.
Long gentle simmering extracts gelatin and flavor while keeping the broth clear, and cooking the vegetables separately keeps the soup limpid rather than clouding it with starch.
Variations
mutton-only, beef-and-lamb mix, with raisins added at the table (Trøndelag custom), served with flatbread
On the Palate
Where Sodd sits in the Norwegian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
7 steps · 30 min
- 1120 min
Simmer mutton on the bone in salted water, skimming foam, for about two hours until very tender.
Watch outKeep the pot at a bare tremble and skim the grey foam as it rises — a hard boil clouds the broth and toughens the mutton.
- 215 min
Strain and reserve the clear broth, then pick the meat from the bones into bite-size pieces.
- 38 min
Mix minced beef or lamb with ginger, nutmeg, salt and a splash of milk for the meatballs.
- 412 min
Shape small meatballs and poach them gently in a little of the reserved broth until firm.
Watch outPoach the meatballs in barely-moving broth just until they firm up and float; a rolling boil breaks them apart.
- 520 min
Boil the potatoes and carrots separately in lightly salted water until just tender.
Watch outCook the potatoes and carrots in a separate pot so their starch doesn't cloud the clear broth.
- 68 min
Combine the clear broth with the cooked mutton and poached meatballs, warming through and adjusting the seasoning.
- 75 min
Serve at the table, letting each guest add their own potatoes and carrots to the bowl of broth and meat.
