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.