Recipes
Honey-Glazed Wild Boar Roast: The Viking Feast Classic
Succulent wild boar roast with a honey-mustard glaze, Viking style: easy step-by-step recipe with a mead tip and a fun fact from the Norse world.
Whenever the sagas describe a feast, a roast steams at the centre of the table. Wild boar was both hunting trophy and festive dish for the Norsemen - and glazed with honey, their “liquid gold”, it turns into a meal that makes any modern table feel like a mead hall. This recipe comes from our cookbook Viking Feast and is written so it works in any modern kitchen.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs wild boar leg (1.5 kg, substitute pork if needed)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp mustard
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 onions, roughly chopped
- 3 carrots, cut into chunks
- 1 cup red wine or mead (250 ml)
- Salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary
Instructions
- Rub the meat with oil, salt and pepper.
- Sear on all sides in a roasting pan, then remove.
- Add onions and carrots, sauté briefly, deglaze with wine or mead.
- Return the meat, add the herbs, cover and braise at 325°F (160°C) for 2.5 to 3 hours.
- Mix honey and mustard, glaze the roast 20 minutes before it is done and caramelize under the broiler.
Fun fact: Vikings loved sweet-savory contrasts. Honey was their “liquid gold” - used in food, drink and even medicine.
The Skald’s Tip
For the full longhouse experience, deglaze with homemade mead instead of red wine - the sauce gains a subtle honeyed depth. Serve with fresh barley flatbread so not a drop goes to waste.
Why was the boar sacred in the North? The boar Sæhrímnir was eaten in Valhalla every single night, only to return whole the next day - read more in our article on the Norse gods.
