Fjord Food

The scandinavian cuisine is increasingly getting international attention - for its simplicity, variety and focus on the quality of the ingredients. Some of the best chefs in the world are Norwegian - just ask the judges in Lyon who four times have awarded norwegians the victory in the Bocuse d'Or, the equivalent of the World Champion Chef. The last one out was Geir Skeie in 2009. The young chef grew up in Fitjar - a beautiful archipelago out where the Hardangerfjord meets the North Sea. .

In Scandinavia, many food ingredients come from the sea, a fresh-water lake, or even the earth. There's even a bit of Scandinavian history behind Scandinavian food: The Vikings' meals always contained oysters or mussels, sometimes with some mutton, cheese, cabbage, apples, onions, berries and nuts.

Until modern times, it was common for western Norwegians to eat at least four meals a day. But by and large, we're still lean and trim. If you're travelling on a starvation budget, you can probably makedo with our lavish breakfast buffet.

Norwegians have long enjoyed the culinary delights of nature's first-rate food supply. Archeologists have found evidence that oysters and reindeer, for instance, were on the menu in the Stone Age as well. Whether you're dining at a fine restaurant, a farm you're visiting or a humble café frequented by the locals, prime ingredients are prepared in a way that lets the natural flavours come into their own right.

The sheep of Fjord Norway graze outside for a better part of the year, their natural diet including herbs that imbue the meat with a fine flavour. And any self-respecting teenager learns to make fårikål - mutton meat stewed with cabbage and black peppercorns - at an early age. Potato dumplings, called raspeballer or komler, often accompany sausages and salted meats and are served with mashed rutabagas.