Sunday Brunch: Luck O' the Irish fed by the
Norse 'Cross the Sea
By Reuben Gutierrez
17 March 2013
Tis a lucky day indeed, for the day of St. Patrick,
falls on a Sunday this year so what better way to celebrate than
with a Sunday Brunch at the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe. Okay, while
seemingly not the most obvious choice, the connection between
Epcot's Norwegian bakery and the Irish holiday is actually quite
fitting. As it turns out, Ireland was heavily influenced by
Norwegian culture since Viking raiders in the 700s and later traders
and settlers in the 900s brought custom and culture to the island
across the North Sea.
In honor of the feast of St. Patrick, we'll have a
feast on some traditional food from the ancestors of the saint
himself. The Kringla Bakeri og Kafe is a small little bakeshop in
the Norway Pavilion of Epcot that serves a variety of traditional
Norwegian sweet and savory goods. Its name comes from the Old Norse
word for ring or circle as well as the kringla, the Scandinavian
version of a pretzel, which happens to be part of the sign for the
bakery as well as part of the menu!

image fromdisneyparks.disney.go.com

Sweet Pretzel pastries
While the pastries at Kringla are the main stars, I
recently discovered the caf' items deserve equal attention. I've yet
to try the traditional Norwegian Salmon and Egg Sandwich, but a few
weeks ago I sampled the Ham and Apple Sandwich. Slices of ham are
layered with thin apple slices, Jarlsberg and Muenster Cheese and
dressed with a sweet Apple Chutney between two slices of Multigrain
Bread. Guests can have their sandwich toasted, which I highly
recommend as this is the type of sandwich best enjoyed warm.

Besides Elvis Sandwiches, I
haven't really encountered fruit in sandwiches
and apple and ham makes for a delicious
combination. The Jarlsberg cheese ' a
traditional cow's milk cheese from Norway
'paired with the Muenster Cheese (a sharp
cheddar-like cheese) help to balance the salty
ham, though in my opinion it dominates the
essence of the apple a bit. I would like to have
more apple slices as the ones provided were
extremely thin. The apple chutney was amazing,
an equal balance of sweet, tart, and astringent,
but it was seriously lacking on the sandwich. If
any of the Kringla bakers are reading this,
please add more chutney to this delicious
sandwich!
With brunch down the hatch,
dessert was next and while I was longing for my
favorite School Bread, I chose to go with
something new: the Rullekake. The rullekake is
what the name looks like, a rolled cake. Made
from a sweet spongy yellow cake and rolled with
a creamy raspberry filling with actual
raspberries, I found this Norwegian jelly roll
quite satisfactory. The cake was very soft and
fresh and the filling bursting with raspberry
flavor. This pastry definitely deserves to be
among some of the best of Epcot's pastries for
it quality and simplicity. It's always a lucky
day when you try something new and it surprises
you!

The infamous School Bread


This St. Patrick's Day I hope
you give a toast to both the Irish and the Norse
as both cultures account for all that is
Ireland. After you've had your fill, be sure to
drop by for Brunch next Sunday as we explore the
other delicious delights at the Kringla Bakeri
og Kafe. Today's Sunday Brunch merely scratched
the surface of the tiny little leprechaun sized
bakery filled with a feast fit for a Viking
fleet.