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Culinary Profile |
Arne Børresen
Arne Børresen: the taste of Hamar
Photo: Frederik Garshol
In a quiet corner of Hamar, Arne Børresen continues to uphold a legacy that began in the wake of war. As the sole remaining traditional butcher and sausage maker in the city, the company has become a symbol of craftsmanship, community, and unwavering commitment to quality. By Celina Tran
In the heart of Hamar, Arne Børresen AS is not merely the city’s last remaining traditional butchers, but a living piece of Norwegian food culture. From its traditional Norwegian medisterkaker (pork meatballs) to the award-winning wiener sausages, everything it makes carries the flavour of time, care, and local pride. While the rest of the industry races toward automation, Arne Børresen AS continues to work the old way. Meat is still hand-cut, sausages are hand-filled, and beef patties are fried by people rather than machines. “Our recipes haven’t changed much since the 1950s, nor has our commitment to quality,” says Marius Kjeldstadli, deputy manager at Arne Børresen AS. “We’re proud to remain an 32 | Issue 181 |
August 2025
artisanal business that uses few modern machines. Good old-fashioned craftsmanship is disappearing more and more, and it’s important to preserve it.” From fish-filled sausages to gold medals Arne Børresen AS was founded on New Year’s Day in 1946, in the cold dawn of
Photo: Lars Lillemork
post-war Norway. While most people were still recovering from the trauma of the era, Arne Børresen decided to open a much-needed butcher and sausage-making workshop. “Meat was still hard to come by in those early years after the war, so initially they were packed with fish, often herring,” says Kjeldstadli. “At a time when fuel was also hard to come by, Børresen borrowed a horse and cart, and rode from farm to farm in search of emergency-slaughtered animals that could not be sold on the open market but could still be used. He was one of the first who managed to get meat for the sausages, which made him very popular.” As the business grew, he invested in a moped with a wooden delivery box on the back; the most affordable delivery van he could get. Rain or snow, he would ride across Hamar, delivering sausages and other handmade products to restaurants, cafés and kiosks, truly making