Norwegian food traditions have a somewhat vicarious reputation. Where some people find it downright disgusting, others boast unrestrainedly. Some of the most obscure dishes are something even most Norwegians have a strained relationship with - while others make us yearn for our own diet when we're abroad.

Main photo: Christian Roth Christensen – VisitNorway

To better understand our food, it's important to know a little about how dishes originated. Norwegian cuisine is shaped by both climate and geography - by long winters and local resources, by Christian holidays and ancient pagan customs. The traditions are characterised by frugality, ingenuity and not least the skill to use the whole animal – all year round. Many of our most distinctive dishes were created in a combination of necessity and creativity.

Norwegian food is also politics. Our politicians want the whole country to be populated, which is achieved through agricultural policy, among other things. The use of antibiotics in food production is controversial, and Norway is one of the countries in the world that uses the least amount of antibiotics on its animals. In addition, we want to preserve the cultural landscape, and recently food production has also become security policy through increased degree of self-sufficiency.

At the same time, Norwegian cuisine is constantly evolving. New impulses, globalisation and modern technology have given new life to old traditions - and some of the old classics are now being enthusiastically revisited in a slightly more modernised version.

Brown cheese on ‘everyone's’ lips!

Norwegian brown cheese is one of our most beloved food treasures. For most Norwegians, it is synonymous with the packed lunches of their childhood. For foreigners, it's first and foremost something that an overenthusiastic Norwegian has tried to force on them - with pride in his eyes and a hint of gloating in his voice.

Brunost, or whey cheese as it is technically, is believed to be introduced by a farm girl in Gudbrandsdalen, who in 1863 came up with the idea of adding cream to the whey. The result was a firmer, sweeter cheese with a caramel-like flavour and a beautiful brown colour. Today, brunost is a symbol of Norwegian food culture. It may not be a cheese in the usual sense - but a by-product of cheese production. In Norway, it is nevertheless part of the cheese shelf. We have several varieties: from the mild whey cheese from cow milk to the strong, brown goat cheese.

Brunost continues to make new friends - and is sold in the USA under the brand names Ski Queen Classic and Ski Queen Goat - and Norway as a whole is a growing cheese nation. Although we don't have the ancient cheese traditions of France or Italy, small-scale cheese producers have received a huge boost in recent decades. Farm cheesemakers are making award-winning cheeses that are now on the menus of Michelin-starred restaurants - both at home and abroad. In recent years, we have even had several Cheese World Champions;

• 2016 – Tingvollost – Kraftkar
• 2018 – Ostegården – Fanaost
• 2023 – Gangstad Gårdsysteri – Nidelven Blå

Experience Norwegian farm life: Daytrip - The Golden Route

The mother of Norwegian food traditions: the potato.

Few foods have been more important to Norway than the potato. When it was introduced in the 18th century, many people were sceptical. But when people gradually realised how robust, nutritious and easy to grow it was, it took root in both the soil and hearts. The potato saved people from starvation, and made it possible to survive on small farms - and it quickly became a cornerstone of the Norwegian diet.

Today we find it on the plate in most traditional dishes - from meatballs and mutton cabbage to lutefisk and rakfisk. It is served in countless variations; boiled or fried, as French fries or chips, mashed and in gratins. It is still much loved and deeply hated. And let's not forget that the potato is also the basis of our national drink aquavit. No potato, no Norwegian aquavit - and for many of us, no aquavit, no Christmas(!).

The story continues below the images.

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Not everything that glitters is gold. It can also be fish.

When fish congregate below the surface and sunlight breaks through the water, it can almost look like the sea is full of gold. But what's glittering out there is something far more valuable to Norway; fish. Ever since the first settlements along the coast, the sea has been our larder, and fish our currency. Today, salmon in particular has become a symbol of Norwegian exports - a salmon-pink success story that has conquered dinner tables around the world.

Norwegian salmon has even become a sushi star. Not everyone knows this, but raw salmon was not common in Japanese sushi until Norway launched a campaign in the 1980s. The result is a sensation that is now enjoyed all over the world - and has a natural place in Japanese cuisine.

But Norwegian fish is not just about exports and trendy food trends. We also have our own, far more odour-driven traditions. Rakfisk, for example, which is fermented for weeks and can set your nostrils on fire long before you put it in your mouth. Or Skrei - the majestic cod that migrates to the coast every year and is celebrated with respect, pea puree and bacon. Norwegian fish is for both everyday and festive occasions, and it still sparkles - whether in the sea, on the plate or on the stock exchange.

Meat is an important part of Norwegian food tradition.

Animals have an important place in Norse mythology, not only in the form of the Fenris Wolf and the Midgard Serpent, but also in the form of practical farm animals: The pig Særimne was slaughtered and eaten every night, but the next day it was good as new and alive again, and the goat Heidrun that was grazing on the roof of Valhall with mead flowing from it's teats. Today we have a slightly more pragmatic approach to livestock, but they still have a natural place in Norwegian nature.

Sheep and goats eagerly maintain the outfields. After a long winter, they are released and head out into the wild, where they graze on grass and bushes. But they can also be used for more useless purposes, such as sheep poo bingo in the infield. Sheep and lamb have an important place in Norwegian food tradition, and their flavour is influenced by where they graze. One example is Lofoten, which has a pasture base of nutritious herbs and lush grass, naturally salted with sea salt brought by the wind, and fresh seaweed is also part of the grazing base. This is the basis for the protected geographical indication ‘Lofotlam’ (lamb from Lofoten).

The Norwegian Red Cattle is the dominant cow breed in Norway. It produces a lot of good milk, has a good behaviour and very good health. All Norwegian cows are entitled to an eight-week summer holiday, which is why around 250,000 heifers and calves go out to graze in the countryside, and there are still over 900 small outposts of farms in operation in Norway. Trøndelag is one of the most important areas for agriculture in Norway, because while only 8.7 per cent of Norway's population lives in Trøndelag, in 2018 we produced 18.7 per cent of all cattle and 21.1 per cent of all milk for the whole country. The milk is said to be so good that chocolate giant Freia has stated that it would rather scale down production than import milk. Tip: If you're lucky enough to taste the chocolate Kvikk Lunsj, which is considered a national shrine, don't compare it to a Kit Kat - It immediately leads to a bad atmosphere. Feel free to think it, just don't say it out loud.