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FOOD AND DRINK

EXPLAINED: Why Norway is so obsessed with salmon 

Salmon is seemingly everywhere you look in Norway - not just supermarket aisles - from business to politics, the fish makes a splash wherever it lands in the Nordic country. The Local explains why.

Pictured is a plate of salmon.
Salmon is a huge deal for Norway. The Local has explained what the fuss is about. Pictured is a plate of salmon. Photo by David B Townsend on Unsplash

Home to moose, reindeer, polar bears, puffins, and whales, Norway has plenty of iconic animals associated with it. 

However, salmon is probably the animal that has the biggest impact and influence on the country. 

When it comes to the economy, everyone knows that oil and gas make up a large chunk of Norway’s wealth – directly or because the revenues from oil and gas are invested all over the globe. 

READ ALSO: Norway’s 1.6 trillion dollar ‘oil fund’ explained

The seafood industry is Norway’s second biggest industry, and last year, Norway exported 172 billion kroner of seafood, according to the industry organisation, the Norwegian Seafood Council

Salmon dwarfed all other seafood exports in Norway as the fish amounted to 122.5 billion kroner worth of exports last year. 

Norwegian salmon can be found on dinner plates all over the world as the country’s largest seafood markets are Poland, Denmark, the USA, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain, China, Italy, and Germany. 

The numbers may not make for exciting reading, but monthly export figures and the movement of the seafood index make the news in Norway regularly. They are given similar attention to inflation or unemployment numbers by the press. 

When it comes to the Norwegian diet, salmon features heavily and figures from a Norwegian seafood industry organisation estimated that Norwegians eat around 5.63 kilograms of salmon a year – more than anyone else in the world

But why salmon? 

Taste is one factor in the popularity of Norwegian salmon. The fatty fish is famous for its mild and buttery taste. 

However, clever marketing has also contributed to the rise of salmon. 

The Norwegian seafood industry helped shape how sushi is eaten across the world. 

In the 1980s, Norway had a surplus of salmon that it could not shift. To try and move this massive stockpile of salmon, the country turned its efforts towards finding new markets – particularly getting Japan and other countries to use it for sushi. 

After some teething issues, the ploy worked, and salmon is now synonymous with sushi all over the world. 

There’s also availability. Many Norwegians would likely choose skrei, migrating Atlantic Cod, over salmon for dinner. In fact, in northern Norway, stockfish could be considered much more historically and culturally significant than salmon. 

But salmon wins out against the cod because skrei is seasonal, whereas salmon can be fished all year round. 

This availability is the result of salmon farming. Norway supplies around half of the world’s farmed salmon, and most of the salmon eaten in Norway is farmed. 

Are there any issues with Norwegian salmon? 

However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for salmon though. In 2011, China allegedly sanctioned Norwegian salmon for the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. 

Being such a key export, the Norwegian seafood industry was hit hard until restrictions were eased. 

Salmon farms themselves are also subject to much controversy. With salmon farming being such a massive industry, it is no surprise that business crosses over into politics. 

The most famous example is the salmon tax. The tax aims to ensure that the public benefits more from the vast sums generated by fish farms, with operating profits for these operations reportedly around the 45 percent mark in 2022. 

The result was the introduction of a 25 percent tax on top of corporation tax for the largest producers. 

Such a hefty tax on a critical industry led to a long political row that is still rumbling on, but the government has pointed to the lowering of kindergarten costs nationwide as one policy the increased windfall has paid for

Policy aside, fish farming has proved to be a controversial practice in itself. Fish farming can be harmful to the environment and its surrounding habitat in several ways. 

Furthermore, farmed fish have higher disease instances than their wild counterparts and may offer less nutrition and more toxins than wild fish. 

The diet of farmed fish is also becoming increasingly controversial. Due to overfishing and sustainability concerns, farmed fish are eating less fish in their food and are eating more and more plant-based food. 

This has two impacts. Critics of the practice say that fish and vegetables used in fish feed could be used for human consumption instead. 

Then there’s the impact that the changing diet has on farmed fish.

Farmed fish escaping is a big problem for the ecosystems in which wild fish inhabit. This is because farmed fish can carry diseases. 

Furthermore, the changed diet, lives and conditions of farmed fish compared to wild fish means that if they were to be bred with wild fish, the offspring would be less likely to survive in the wild, leading to dwindling populations. 

READ MORE: Why Norway’s salmon farms have turned to a veggie menu

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NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

What foreigners in Norway find confusing about May 17th 

Constitution Day, or May 17th, is a fantastic occasion in Norway. Foreigners living in the country also love getting in on the celebrations – but a few things about the day can be confusing. 

What foreigners in Norway find confusing about May 17th 

Often referred to as Norway’s national day, May 17th is much beloved in Norway. The parades and festivities are a must-see (and also pretty hard to miss) for anyone in Norway on the day. 

There are plenty of traditions that can seem strange from the outside looking in, including bunads, parades, singing the national anthem, and waving flags. Even after you’ve experienced them a few times, they can still feel puzzling. 

How to celebrate 

One aspect that can confuse foreigners, even those with a few May 17ths under the belt, is how exactly the date should be celebrated. 

While the parades are an obvious starting point, traditions can vary across families, cities and regions. 

Many will start May 17th with a combination of a typical Norwegian breakfast, with or without champagne, and then go to watch the parades. 

After that, things become more unclear. Some choose to celebrate the rest of the day with family, grilling or playing garden games. 

Others choose to party hard, whether at parties, bars, or special May 17th events. 

Meanwhile, some cities have large gatherings after the parades, torch processions, or fireworks in the evening. 

Our tip would be to choose what you like most about May 17th and go with the flow. 

Thankfully, as long as you don’t do something stupid like desecrate the Norwegian flag or spend the day antagonising people, there doesn’t appear to be a “right or wrong” way to celebrate the occasion. 

What to wear 

Outfit choice can be tricky on May 17th. People normally dress their best, be it in a traditional bunad, a suit, or other smart clothes. 

For foreigners, this can be tough. For starters, most probably do not feel Norwegian enough to wear a bunad but want to dress nicely for the occasion as a show of respect. 

Therefore, finding something that makes you feel comfortable, doesn’t feel underdressed, and is also appropriate for whatever the weather is can be a tricky balance. 

Some people wear folk costumes from where they are from, which for the most part goes down well as very few Norwegians hold an attitude of “this is our day and not yours”.

What other people are wearing

This is perhaps more the case for newcomers to Norway, but seeing a bunad for the first time can be strange. Seeing thousands of people decked out in “national costumes” (as they are sometimes referred to) can be overwhelming. 

Given that the costumes date back centuries, seeing the old mixed with the modern can also be surreal—for example, seeing someone in a bunad whizz by on an e-scooter. 

Even as you become more accustomed to seeing national costumes and learning more about them, you could confuse yourself trying to work out the origin of the bunad given the designs, colours and embroidery unique to different regions of Norway. 

The national pride

As the day marks the signing of the Norwegian constitution, it’s no surprise that its themes centre on national pride and identity and feature plenty of flag waving and singing of the national anthem. 

This can be puzzling for foreigners, as in some places, patriotism and national pride have been hijacked by populist and far-right movements and used as a tool to cause division.

Other foreigners may also be critical of the idea of a monarchy and how heavily they feature in the day’s proceedings. 

However, in Norway, no one really questions these things. This is just as well because, for the most part, May 17th demonstrates how you can celebrate a country’s essence without hijacking it for the wrong reasons. 

The locals in Norway generally choose to include those who also wish to celebrate May 17th rather than exclude them. 

It’s the fact that Norway is able to maintain a strong sense of national pride on May 17th while remaining inclusive that some may find confusing. 

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