A COUNTRY'S culinary traditions are shaped very much by its natural resources, and this is particularly the case in Norway.
From lakes, rivers and the sea come a plentiful supply of fish. From the woods and mountains come wild berries and plants. And although the cold, wet climate makes it difficult to cultivate grain, human ingenuity has devised ways of preserving and maximising the often poor crops which result.
The result is that Norway's food is, essentially, robust, honest and fresh.
Perhaps, it is for this reason that Norwegian food is seldom seasoned with spices. It is simply boiled or fried.
Think of Norwegian food and the first thing that comes to mind is probably fish. Cod, whiting, mackerel, salmon, trout, pike and eel are all highly popular but, in recent years, Norwegians have become aware of just how edible the less well-known varieties such as monkfish, wolffish and dogfish are.
In addition to the fresh varieties, Norwegians also eat a great deal of salted fish. They relish the liver and roe of several varieties of fish.
Meat has also traditionally played a large part in the Norwegian diet and, given the wide expanse of forest land, game has always been popular on the table.