Food and drink in Norway .
Photo: Visit Norway / Trigger Oslo AS / Giants&Toys / Maverix / Drone: Øyvind Nordahl Næss / Karl Erik Brøndbo / Drone: Vi Duc Trong / Magga og Anders AS / Visit Geiranger

Norwegian gastronomy

There has been a formidable change in attitudes towards Norway’s food traditions in recent years. Today, we celebrate what is uniquely Norwegian in modern and untraditional ways.

When it comes to food and drink in Norway, a culinary revolution has been quietly taken place in the last few years. Restaurants and ordinary kitchens have seen a dramatic rise in local and organic food.

What really characterizes Norwegian cooking is largely found in our rather unique agricultural customs: sheep, cows and goats graze in outlying pastures along the coast and in the mountains. A cold climate and unpolluted land is ideal for slow growing vegetables and fruit and berries without the extensive use of pesticides. Modest farms and smallholdings that produce milk, cheese and beef in healthy environments are virtually disease-free and subject to strict regulations when it comes to animal welfare. And of course the extensive coastline gives Norway long and rich seafood traditions.

The hard work to instil pride at every level of the food chain has really paid off. New, small-scale producers of cheese, honey, pastries, cider and ecologically produced meats, among other things, are popping up all over the country. Not to mention the hundreds of microbreweries that are experimenting with different types of beer. Since Norway is among the world’s top three coffee consuming countries in the world, it’s no surprise that we are constantly trying to brew the best coffees on the planet.

At the same time, Norwegian chefs have obtained a formidable international reputation. Norway is the most awarded country in the history of the international cooking competition Bocuse d’Or. In 2016, Maaemo became the first Norwegian restaurant to be awarded all three stars by the Michelin guide.

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