Ingrid Espelid Hovig (3 June 1924 – 3 August 2018) was a Norwegiantelevision chef and author of cook books.[1] Through appearances on her cooking showFjernsynskjøkkenet over 26 years, between 1970 and 1996,[2] she came to be considered the "culinary mother" of the country,[3][4][5] with the comparison "the Julia Child of Norway" often applied.[6]
Upon joining the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in 1962 as program secretary for nutrition and consumer material, she became part of the country's first generation of television celebrities. Between 1965 and 1998 she recorded 300 episodes of her cooking programme.[1]
She authored over 50 cookbooks.[3][5] She edited Den rutete kokeboken, which is considered a national cook book.[3] In 2008 the newspaper Dagbladet recognized her 1967 book Ingrid Espelid ber til bords as among the twenty-five most influential prose books in post-1945 Norway.[9]
After her retirement, she continued to accept assignments from publishing companies, and other short-term engagements.
In 2014, notable Norwegian chefs contributed recipes to a book honouring Hovig's influence in the country, titled 90 dishes for Ingrid Espelid Hovig.[12]
Personal life
At the age of 53 she married the architect Jan Inge Hovig, who designed the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø. He died of a heart attack a week after the wedding, aged 57.[3]
^ abAarnes, Helle (22 December 2007). "Tilslørt bondepike". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2009.