Norway
The world's cleanest cold water turned into salmon and cod — and a surprising national weakness for cinnamon buns.
The sea does most of the work here, in water so cold and clean the fish tastes of little but itself. On a harbour in the north you'll eat skrei — the migrating winter cod — poached and served with its own liver and roe; further south, a side of gravlaks, salmon buried in salt, sugar and dill until it turns silky, sliced thin over a sweet mustard sauce.
Inland and upland, Norway eats to keep the cold out: fårikål, mutton and cabbage stewed slow with peppercorns until the whole house smells of autumn; thin slices of cured reindeer; a heart-shaped waffle folded warm around brown, caramel-sweet brunost cheese. And for all its reputation for restraint, this is a country that stops everything mid-morning for coffee and a cinnamon bolle — the daily ritual it quietly refuses to skip.
- gravlaks (cured salmon)
- skrei (winter cod)
- fårikål (mutton & cabbage)
- brunost (brown cheese)
- kjøttkaker (meat cakes)
- cured reindeer
- kanelboller (cinnamon buns)