What to Eat in Norway in 2026: The Best Food and Drink

Norwegian food is a fishing and farming culture that is currently being reimagined with great ambition. The traditional foundation is simple and direct: gravlaks (salt-cured salmon with dill), rakfisk (fermented trout, eaten on flatbread with sour cream and raw onion at Christmas in a tradition that predates refrigeration), and the dried and salt cod (klippfisk and stockfish) that once fed half of Europe during Catholic fasting seasons. Bergen's Fish Market, on the Bryggen quay, has sold fresh North Sea and Norwegian Sea catch since the 13th century. Brown goat cheese (brunost) — sweet, fudge-textured, made from whey — is the Norwegian breakfast staple that surprises visitors expecting something more conventional. The New Nordic movement, which originated in Copenhagen but carries deep Norwegian forest and fjord ingredients through its philosophy, has given Norwegian restaurants from Oslo to Ålesund an international following. Aquavit — caraway and dill-flavoured potato spirit — is the specific Norwegian drink. That's where it gets good.