There are quite different food traditions in the different areas of Norway.
What is mentioned in guides as "traditional Norwegian food" is mostly food from the farmlands north of Oslo. This is because it was politically decided what the Norwegian "traditional foods" should be in the 1880s, when the farmer's life was romanticized, and thus what passes as traditional Norwegian food today, is pretty much farmed meat and different versions of rotten fish – aka farmer's food from the eastern regions. It is interesting food, in the sense that it makes you wonder how people survived in this part of the world as farmers. Some of it is good, but I feel like it doesn't really represent most of Norway, but it surely represents the farmers from Innlandet, so it does represent A tradition.
What is more interesting traditional food, in my opinion, is the coastal food. 90% of Norwegians live by the coast, and in my opinion, REAL traditional Norwegian food is sea food (salmon, cod, shrimps, blue shells, crabs, lobsters, scallops, sea weed, and other sea creatures). Still lots of bread and potatoes, but a lot more colorful. And actually, my great grandparents and grandparents used a lot of spices. The coastal people were sailors, and often used spices they got from other countries. Normally not chili, so not so hot, but definitely a lot of other spices, more than in 2025. They also used a lot of the nature around them. Read more here if interested: https://ndla.no/nb/r/ravare-produksjon-og-kvalitet-rm-rmf-vg1/norsk-mattradisjon-krydder-og-urter/352ee29f9a
The Norwegian coastal regions all have their own specialities. Like the dialects, the food was quite different from one town to the next. In the South they still today fish and eat a lot of shellfish and shells (blue shells, scallops, heart shells, shrimps, crabs, lobster, in particular) – shellfish is more common here than in other regions. In the West they mostly eat fish and shrimp, and they make a lot of delicious fish soups and stews and Bacalao (northern parts of the west). In the North I know the traditions less, but I know they eat a lot of cod. Christmas Eve food in the south is typically cod, too, so I guess all of Norway eats a lot of cod, but the cod in the north is even more special. And salmon rivers exist all along the coast from the very south to the very north, so that was common foods. In the southernmost town in Norway, they had a rule in the 1600s to not feed servants and workers salmon more than maximum 6 days a week…. Salmon was in other words the poor man's food. I think in the west they used herring the same way (?). I wouldn't be surprised if it was some fish in the north as well.
I believe Norwegians are about to forget some of this all. Norway has had working moms for 3-4 generations now, and that has resulted in almost noone knowing how to cook anymore. Thus the new traditional food is frozen pizza and tacos. :-/
by mxp1001
8 comments
As a vegetarian immigrant to Norway, is there anything for me at all?
Your post came at the perfect time for me. I’m actually planning a trip to Norway this summer, and as a Moroccan, my first reflex was to make a list of all the dishes I should try so I don’t miss out during my stay, but then I discovered that boiled cabbage and mutton with black pepper (farikal) is considered a festive dish in Norway, and I gave up. So what would you recommend I try while visiting?
>I believe Norwegians are about to forget some of this all. Norway has had working moms for 3-4 generations now, and that has resulted in almost noone knowing how to cook anymore. Thus the new traditional food is frozen pizza and tacos. :-/
As someone having heritage from coastal communities in different geographical regions on both my mom’s and father’s side of the family, I beg to differ.
The major change is that what was a typical workday meal is now Sunday dinner. Even with good access to fresh seafood, a lot of traditional cuisine is based on stretching every resource as much as possible, and is as such too labor intensive during a hectic work week.
Some things might have fallen a bit out of fashion, like herring. But I’d say traditional cuisine still has a great and proud standing in a lot of rural communities.
And don’t even get me started on komle on Thursdays in the western regions, outside the major cities: kebab shops and Chinese restaurants serve komle on Thursdays as they wouldn’t get much business otherwise.
Lots of traditional food dishes in Norway.
If you think its pizza and Taco, you’re probably a 25 year old living at home.
I could mention ten dishes top of my head, that is fairly common to know how to make and to make a couple of times a year:
Hvalgryte, komler/raspeballer, pinnekjøtt, lutefisk, fiskegrateng, fiskesuppe, torsketunger, levergryte (lam), fårikål, svineknoker, lapskaus, rekelag, krabber (however your family makes them), finnbiff, rømmegrøt, sildekaker, trøndersodd, bidos, kjøttsuppe, blåskjellsuppe.
Ops. It turned into more than 10. Didnt have to think about it even.
Its not that we are forgetting the food traditions it is mostly that we either dont want to eat it or we can’t afford it and those who can afford enjoy it as much as they like.
We mountains of recipes in new and old books with traditional recipes that keep the knowledge alive but that doesn’t mean one should have to eat it because it was traditional for us several 100s years ago when it was all there really was food wise.
Many of us still cook homemade meals most days of the week as that is actually cheaper than buying frozen pizza, finished meals and taco most have those once a week. Unless you have large freezer like me and can stockpile a little when stuff is on sale than it really isn’t viable to be constantly watching finish pre made meals. Most us that freezer to stockpile the healthy stuff and meat and fish when they are on sale to lower their food cost as home cooked is expensive but premade is even more expensive so no idea how you figure no one is cooking.
Also have you readership how many rely on help on charity to get groceries now a days with the cost increase of the food and everything else. Charities don’t have enough to feed people and have to make priorities while the companies that have monopoly here in Norway are lining their pockets with billions every year… There is a reason why many are angry at food company monopoly and the fact the government isn’t doing anything about this at all. Many wants the monopoly stopped to get actual competition to lower cost and to stop them from constantly rising the price.
The are some who can and will buy a lot of premade food but in the long run this is much more expensive especially for families.
Also if just small minority only was cooking that would mean 90% of the foods in the grocery store would have disappeared and been replaced with finished complete meals but it isn’t as finished complete meals is a small portion of the store.
We still have cooking and food classes in school to teach cooking and health eating. It is mostly called Mat og Helse or something similar to it which starts at barneskolen. Many people like and enjoy cooking others don’t but cooking at home is still common place here in Norway and most do it 7 days a week as it is cheaper than premade.
> blue shells, crabs, lobster, scallops
Can’t speak for the south, but for areas North of Bergen those were simply not eaten. Not since the bronze age at least. Along with fish like mackerel and tuna. They were considered trash, to eat drowned sailors, and only fit as bait.
I think you wastly overestimate how different inland and costal food was. Looking at the coast of Trøndelag vs the inland you see mostly differences in the amounts of certain ingredients. The dishes themselves were very similar.
It’s not like things such as fermented fish was a purely inland concept either. We’ve had fermented lythe and herring as well, similar to rakfisk.
Yeah maybe let’s not blame the loss of food traditions on women…
You are missing the hidden coastal thing. Mutton. Specifically, sheep who live off seaweed.
Coastal people all eat mutton, “classic norwegian recipes” as defined here do not include them.
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