Short answer: The five Norwegian foods not to miss are smoked salmon or gravlaks, a bowl of creamy Bergen fish soup, fårikål (the lamb and cabbage stew voted the national dish), a slice of sweet-and-salty brown cheese (brunost) on a waffle, and a cinnamon bun from a bakery. In the north, add Lofoten stockfish and king crab.
Norwegian food is shaped by a long, cold coast and a short growing season. For centuries people lived from the sea and from sheep, goats and reindeer on the mountains, and preserved everything for winter by drying, salting, smoking and fermenting. That is why you meet stockfish and klippfisk, cured meats, sour cream and brown cheese alongside some of the freshest fish in the world. Today a new generation of chefs uses the same local ingredients, from Arctic char and scallops to cloudberries and wild mushrooms. Meals follow a simple rhythm: a big breakfast, an open-faced sandwich for lunch (often a packed matpakke) and an early hot dinner. For the big picture, see our Norway travel guide.
Fish and seafood
1. Smoked salmon and gravlaks
Norway is famous for its salmon, and you will meet it at every hotel breakfast: cold-smoked salmon (røkelaks) with scrambled eggs, and gravlaks, salmon cured with salt, sugar and dill and served with a sweet mustard sauce. Try it on bread or with potatoes. Ask for wild salmon (villaks) in summer if you want to taste the difference from farmed.
2. Fiskesuppe (Bergen fish soup)
A creamy, slightly sweet soup of white fish, salmon, root vegetables and sometimes shrimp or mussels, finished with sour cream and chives. It is the classic lunch in Bergen, where restaurants around the harbor and the fish market serve it with bread. It is a filling and relatively affordable meal in an expensive country.
3. Tørrfisk (Lofoten stockfish)
Cod caught in the winter fishery and hung to dry on wooden racks (hjell) in the cold, windy air of the Lofoten Islands, with no salt. “Tørrfisk fra Lofoten” is registered as a Protected Geographical Indication in the EU. It is soaked and cooked in stews and traditional dishes, or eaten as a chewy snack. In Lofoten, you can see the racks full of drying cod from late winter to early summer, and a stockfish museum at Å tells the story.
4. Klippfisk and bacalao
Klippfisk is cod that is salted and then dried, a trade product exported for centuries to Portugal, Spain and Latin America. It came back to Norway as bacalao, a tomato, pepper, onion, olive and potato stew that is now a Norwegian home-cooking favorite, especially along the west coast around Ålesund and Kristiansund.
5. Fiskekaker (fish cakes)
Soft, pale fish cakes made from minced haddock or cod with milk and a little nutmeg, fried and served in a bun or with potatoes, raw grated carrot and brown sauce. Fishmongers and food halls sell them warm, and they make a cheap and quick lunch. Fiskeboller (fish balls) in white sauce are the old-fashioned version.
6. Reker (shrimp on the quay)
On summer evenings, Norwegians buy a bag of freshly boiled cold-water shrimp straight from the boat or fish shop and peel them on the quay with bread, mayonnaise and lemon. In Bergen and Oslo, look for shrimp sellers at the harbors. It is one of the best-value seafood meals in the country.
7. King crab
The giant red king crab lives in the Barents Sea off Finnmark in the far north, and its sweet leg meat is a luxury on menus across the country. In the north, near Tromsø and Kirkenes, king crab safaris take you out by boat to pull up the pots and then cook the catch. It is expensive, so a shared plate is a good way to try it.
Meat and home cooking
8. Fårikål (lamb and cabbage stew)
Mutton or lamb on the bone layered with white cabbage and whole black peppercorns, simmered for hours and served with boiled potatoes. Fårikål was first voted Norway’s national dish in 1972, and according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food it won again in a 2014 vote, with 45% of the votes. It is an autumn dish, eaten when the lambs come down from the mountains in September and October, so this is the time to find it on menus.
9. Kjøttkaker (meat cakes)
Large, flattened beef patties in brown gravy, served with boiled potatoes, mushy peas (ertestuing) and lingonberry jam. The runner-up in the 2014 national dish vote, they are everyday home cooking and lunch-café food. The sweet-sour lingonberries are the key to the dish.
10. Reindeer
Reindeer herding is part of Sámi culture in the north, and reindeer is a lean, gamey meat. Try finnbiff, thin shavings of reindeer sautéed with mushrooms and cream and served with mashed potatoes and lingonberries, or bidos, a Sámi reindeer stew. Around Tromsø, Sámi-run camps serve bidos in a tent (lavvu) on reindeer experiences.
11. Raspeballer (potato dumplings)
Big, grey dumplings of grated raw potato and flour, simmered and served with salted lamb or pork, sausage, swede mash and melted butter. Known as komle, kumle or klubb depending on the region, they are a west-coast tradition, often eaten on Thursdays in local homes and cafés. They are heavy, so come hungry.
12. Christmas plates: pinnekjøtt, ribbe and lutefisk
Christmas is when Norway’s oldest dishes come out. Pinnekjøtt is salted, dried lamb ribs steamed over birch sticks; ribbe is roast pork belly with crackling; and lutefisk is dried cod soaked in lye until it turns jelly-like, served with bacon, peas and potatoes. Restaurants serve Christmas menus (julebord) from late November through December, often with a glass of aquavit, the caraway-flavored spirit. Rakfisk, fermented trout from the Valdres region, is another winter specialty for the adventurous.
Sweets and everyday treats
13. Brunost (brown cheese)
Not really a cheese in the usual sense: brunost is made by slowly boiling whey, cream and milk until the sugars caramelize into a fudge-like, sweet and salty block. Norwegians slice it thinly with a cheese slicer (ostehøvel) and eat it on bread, crispbread or waffles. Try the goat’s milk version for a stronger taste.
14. Vafler (waffles)
Heart-shaped waffles, thinner and softer than Belgian ones, flavored with cardamom and served with sour cream and jam or with brown cheese. They appear at mountain lodges, ferries, cafés and family gatherings. Mountain cabins and ferry cafés are the classic places to have one.
15. Skillingsboller and kanelboller (cinnamon buns)
Big, coiled cinnamon buns sold in every bakery. In Bergen, the skillingsbolle, a large, sugar-crusted cinnamon swirl, is a local pride. Elsewhere, try skolebrød (cardamom buns with custard and coconut) and boller with raisins. One bun and a coffee is the classic Norwegian afternoon break.
Where to eat: Bergen, Oslo and beyond
Bergen. Bergen was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015, and its Fish Market has been a meeting place for fishermen and merchants since the 1200s, according to Visit Bergen. The indoor food hall at the market, opened in 2012, has permanent fish shops and restaurants that are open all year, while the outdoor market runs from 1 May and through the summer. Combine it with the old wharf of Bryggen, with fish soup and shrimp on the harbor. See our Bergen travel guide.
Oslo. In Oslo, Mathallen, a food hall in the Vulkan area, has more than 30 specialty shops, cafés and eateries, according to VisitOSLO. Grünerløkka next door is full of cafés and bakeries, and the waterfront at Aker Brygge and the shrimp boats by City Hall are good for seafood on a summer evening.
Stavanger and the west. Stavanger has a lively harbor dining scene, and the fjord villages of Flåm and Geiranger have local produce, cider, beer and goat’s cheese from the surrounding farms.
Lofoten and the Arctic. In Lofoten, eat fresh cod in winter, stockfish dishes and fish soup in fishing villages such as Reine and Henningsvær, and visit the stockfish museum at Å. In Tromsø, look for king crab, Arctic char and reindeer.
Food etiquette and tipping
Tipping is not expected in Norway, because service is included in prices; leaving 5–10% for good service is appreciated but optional, and our tip calculator works in kroner. Dinner is early by southern European standards, so check kitchen hours in small towns. Tap water is excellent and free, so ask for a jug.
Alcohol is heavily taxed and tightly controlled. According to Visit Norway, you must be 18 to buy beer and wine and 20 for spirits, supermarkets sell beer only until 20:00 on weekdays and 18:00 on Saturdays, and wine and spirits are sold only in the state-run Vinmonopolet shops. Norwegians say takk for maten (thanks for the food) after a meal; our phrase cards have more.
Eating on a budget
Eating out is where most visitors feel Norway’s prices: a meal at an inexpensive Oslo restaurant costs about NOK 200, and a three-course dinner for two about NOK 1,200 before drinks. Do as the Norwegians do: fill up at a hotel breakfast, pack a lunch from the supermarket, and have one hot meal a day. Fish cakes from a fishmonger, a bag of shrimp, bakery buns, hot dogs (pølse i lompe, a sausage in a soft potato flatbread) from kiosks and petrol stations, and lunch specials all help. For daily budgets, see how much a trip to Norway costs. Fish market tastings, seafood safaris and food walks are easy to compare in our tour finder.
Plan your trip
Match the menu to the season and the route: our top places to visit in Norway, the Norway itinerary and the best time to visit Norway (summer for shrimp and berries, autumn for fårikål, winter for skrei cod and Christmas food). Our AI trip planner can build a plan with food stops, and the Money exchange tool turns kroner into your currency.
Frequently asked questions
What is the national dish of Norway?
Fårikål, a stew of lamb or mutton and cabbage with black pepper. It was voted the national dish in 1972 and again in 2014, when the Ministry of Agriculture and Food ran a new vote and fårikål won with 45%, ahead of kjøttkaker.
Is Norwegian food spicy?
No. Norwegian food is mild, seasoned with salt, pepper, dill, sour cream and, in baking, cardamom and cinnamon. Flavor comes from fresh fish, curing and smoking rather than spice.
What do people eat for breakfast in Norway?
Open-faced sandwiches on wholegrain bread or crispbread with brown cheese, cheese, ham, liver pâté, smoked salmon, pickled herring or caviar paste from a tube, with coffee and milk. Hotel breakfast buffets are famously generous.
Is Norway good for vegetarians?
It is getting easier. Cities have vegetarian and vegan restaurants and many cafés offer a vegetarian dish, but in small towns and traditional menus, fish and meat dominate. Bakeries, supermarkets and Mathallen-style food halls make self-catering simple.
What is brown cheese?
Brunost is a caramel-colored cheese made by boiling whey, milk and cream until the sugars caramelize. It tastes sweet, salty and fudge-like, and Norwegians slice it thinly onto bread or waffles.
Is lutefisk still eaten in Norway?
Yes, mainly at Christmas. Lutefisk is dried cod soaked in lye and then rinsed, giving it a jelly-like texture. It is served with bacon, mushy peas, potatoes and sometimes mustard or syrup, and many restaurants put it on their Christmas menus.