1. Food experiences in Norway
  2. Traditional Norwegian food

Traditional Norwegian food

Norway has a lot of interesting traditional food, and any travelers visiting Norway would do well to sample some of the local cuisines. Culinary traditions in Norway have been dominated by meat, fish, and seafood that could be hunted or caught. These days the Norwegian food space represents an interesting mix of old and new due to culinary influences from all over the world.
2 min readUpdated: Feb 27, 2026By: The Fjord Tours team
A group of friends enjoying an outdoor meal at a cozy table with a white tablecloth, candle lantern, and small plant.

What is traditional Norwegian food?

Traditionally, Norwegian food has revolved around meat or fish, potatoes, and vegetables. Since fishing and hunting have always been fairly common in Norway, many Norwegians have historically caught their own dinner to serve at mealtimes.
With Norway’s extensive coastline, fish and seafood have long been an important source of sustenance. Seafood remains a big part of Norwegian cuisine, and no matter which region of Norway you visit, you’re likely to be able to sample locally sourced fish and shellfish.
This is especially true in Bergen, a city that has historically relied on fishing as an important source of income. Norwegian food traditions share many similarities with those of other Nordic countries, but there are also several uniquely Norwegian dishes that travelers may be interested in trying.
A friendly vendor at a meat counter, serving customers with a variety of cured meats and sausages on display.

What are some typically Norwegian dishes?

Over the last 100 years or so, traditional Norwegian dinner dishes have commonly included meatballs (made with beef, pork, lamb, or reindeer meat), lapskaus (a stew made with potatoes, vegetables, and leftover meat), and fårikål (a hearty stew made with mutton, this is considered by many to be Norway’s national dish).
Other traditional dishes include lutefisk (dried and salted cod), sodd (mutton soup), and pølse med lompe — a hot dog wrapped in lompe, a traditional potato flatbread.
While travelers usually enjoy sampling local cuisine in Norway, some Norwegian foods are more controversial. Norway is well known for smalahove, a dish that many travelers make a point of trying despite finding it off-putting. It consists of a boiled or steamed sheep’s head served with potatoes and rutabaga. Today it is considered a local delicacy, but historically it was eaten by people who could not afford to waste any part of the animal.
TraditionalSmalahove form Voss e with potatoes and yellow sauce on rustic wooden table, drinks in background.

Discover Norwegian food on guided food tours

Norway also has a strong tradition of eating bread with pålegg — open-faced sandwiches made with a single slice of bread and various toppings. Norwegians commonly eat bread or crispbread with toppings for breakfast and lunch.
Typical toppings include brunost (delicious brown cheese from Gudbrandsdalen), other cheeses, sursild (pickled herring), cured meats, and smoked salmon.
If you’d like to sample some of Norway’s most unique and traditional foods, joining a guided food experience is a great way to do so.
Woman in yellow sweater leans from green train window, gazing at autumn forest landscape.
A longer journey — with local food in Flåm

Norway in a Nutshell®

Looking for more than a standalone food tour? On Norway in a Nutshell®, you can add a food experience in Flåm while traveling through some of Norway’s most iconic scenery.
Read more

Norwegian food tours

Many of the food experiences below can be added to longer journeys through Norway.
Cozy glass-fronted waterfront restaurant glowing warmly at twilight, reflections shimmering on calm water surface.
Fjord cruise and dinner at Cornelius
Bergen • 5 hr
From 1695NOK
Available all year
Traditional Norwegian lapskaus stew served at Flåm farm
Hidden Gem in Flåm
Local food tasting in Flåm
Flåm • 1 hr
From 750NOK
1 May - 1 October
Silver bowl of shrimp with lemon wedges, surrounded by bread, plates, condiments, and napkins on a boat deck.
Oslofjord Sunset Cruise with shrimp buffet
Oslo • 3 hr
From 802NOK
1 May - 4 October
Musician playing traditional Hardanger fiddle during intimate concert in rustic barn at Flåm
Local Food & Concert in Flåm
Flåm • 2 hr 30 min
From 990NOK
15 May - 14 September
Elegant table setting with wine and food aboard cruise boat
Bestseller
Dinner cruise on the Oslofjord
Oslo • 2 hr 30 min
From 1490NOK
Available all year
Yellow Ulriken cable car ascending to mountain top restaurant in Bergen with fjord and city views below
Ulriken Gondola & lunch with a view over Bergen
Bergen • 2 hr 30 min
From 1081NOK
Available all year
Tourists on the boat deck on the winter cruise on the Geirangerfjord surrounded by a beautiful world heritage landscape
Geirangerfjord winter cruise
Ålesund • 9 hr
From 2933NOK
1 November - 31 March
Norwegian cider tasting with local food at Ciderhuset Balestrand overlooking Sognefjord
Cider & lunch in Balestrand
Balestrand • 2 hr
From 860NOK
4 May - 30 September
Family of three enjoying a meal by a fjord, with a boy reaching for a strawberry and adults laughing.
RIB boat tour with cheese tasting from Flåm
Flåm • 3 hr
From 1395NOK
1 May - 20 September
Red inflatable boat speeding through rippling water, carrying yellow-jacketed people, framed by snow-covered mountains.
RIB boat winter tour in Flåm
Flåm • 2 hr 30 min
From 1220NOK
1 November - 31 March
Cheerful pair enjoying waffles with cheese and jam at outdoor park, with sunny weather and surrounding trees.
Oslo street food tour
Oslo • 2 hr 30 min
From 1590NOK
Available all year
Two smiling kayakers in a yellow tandem kayak on calm blue water, surrounded by green hills and waterfalls in a peaceful fjord.
Sea kayaking day tour in Gudvangen
Gudvangen • 7 hr 30 min
From 1396NOK
6 April - 30 September
Table with cider glasses, bread, cured meat, and mountain backdrop, suggesting a relaxing moment in nature.
Cider tasting & lunch in Ulvik
Ulvik • 1 hr
From 795NOK
13 April - 14 October
People on boat raise arms watching northern lights.
Northern Lights cuisine cruise in Tromsø
Tromsø • 3 hr 30 min
From 1890NOK
Available all year
People in bright thermal suits and life vests on a boat, smiling and excited, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and icy fjord waters.
Winter fjord safari and viking dinner in Flåm
Flåm • 2 hr 45 min
From 1650NOK
1 November - 31 March
Fresh seafood platter with oysters, clams, and sea urchin on ice, served elegantly at sophisticated indoor event.
Fjord cruise and shellfish tower at seafood restaurant
Bergen • 5 hr
From 2295NOK
1 March - 19 December
Man pouring golden cider into glass at Ciderhuset fruit farm in Balestrand, Norway
Cider tasting in Balestrand
Balestrand • 1 hr 30 min
From 700NOK
1 June - 28 August
Viking dinner with 5 courses and beer tasting at Ægir Brewery in Flåm featuring local Norwegian ingredients
Viking dinner and beer experience in Flåm
Flåm • 1 hr
From 775NOK
1 October - 31 March
Two women smiling and conversing at a stylish bar in Oslo with cozy lighting, champagne in hand, and waterfront view.
Oslo food & beer tour
Oslo • 3 hr
From 1990NOK
Available all year
Geodesic dome tent illuminated from within, set against starry night sky with snow-capped mountains.
Glamping at Trolltunga
Multiple locations • 1 day 4 hr
From 4400NOK
1 May - 1 December

What foods are most popular in Norway now?

Historical food trends in Norway have centered around meat/fish paired with potatoes and local vegetables. However, Norway is a modern, multicultural society, and contemporary food trends are fairly different from traditional Norwegian eating habits.
Over the past few decades, international food influences have become increasingly popular. Tex-Mex–inspired dishes are especially common, with tacos now considered one of Norway’s most popular meals. Pasta and sushi are widely eaten, and American-style burgers and pizza are staples when dining out.
At the same time, traditional dishes such as meatballs, lapskaus, and fårikål remain firmly rooted in Norwegian homes and restaurants. Some places prepare these dishes according to old family recipes, while others serve them with a modern twist.
A traditional Norwegian cheese slicer with a block of Brunost, decorated with a jar of rhubarb apricot jam.

An inside look at traditional Arctic cuisine

In Norway's Arctic regions, a lot of the typical food that most people eat is either not available or is wildly expensive. Therefore, the Arctic lifestyle involves eating a lot of regional dishes that use ingredients that are more commonly found in the area. Here is a detailed look inside the world of Arctic cuisine.

Lots and lots of meat

It should come as no surprise that there are not a ton of fruits and vegetables that can be successfully grown in the frigid Arctic temperatures. Therefore, people living in this part of the world need to resort to other sources of food.
That is why meat plays such a big role in Arctic cuisine, with some of the most popular types of meat being reindeer, sheep, and snow hares. While Arctic residents used to hunt and eat polar bears as well, this practice has been outlawed in Norway since 1973.
Luckily, there is an abundant source of meat in the Arctic residents that visitors can enjoy. And this abundance doesn’t begin and end on land. In fact, a large portion of the meat that Norway is famous for is found in the sea.
Man in winter gear holds large fish on boat with snowy mountains behind.

World-class seafood

As mentioned above, seafood is also a big part of the Arctic diet because there are so many different sources of meat in the ocean. Some of the most common ones that you are likely to find served on a seafood dinner platter are snow crab, seifilet fersk (pollock, salmon, mackerel, or haddock), tørrfisk (dried cod), and, occasionally, seal.
Not only do Norwegians eat a ton of fish, they are also usually responsible for fishing it out of the sea, rather than just taking a stroll down to the local fish market. This is not something that is usually done with other sources of meat such as reindeer and sheep since they are often much harder to hunt and prepare.
Dried stockfish hanging on wooden racks in a traditional fishing village in Lofoten, Northern Norway, with red fishermen’s cabins and coastal mountains.

Herbs and berries

In order to try and avoid the adverse health effects of eating only meat, people living in the Arctic also tend to include a lot of herbs and berries in their dishes. This is especially true during the summer months when locals can find and pick an abundance of edible berries such as bilberries and cloudberries.
This also allows them to consume a lot of vitamins that they are missing out on due to the dark and sometimes extreme winter conditions in the Arctic that keep them indoors for long periods of time.
Cloudberries - Traditional Norwegian Arctic Food

Arctic & Norwegian cuisine

It is hard to find a dish served in the Arctic that does not involve at least one of the ingredients mentioned above. Together, they make up a traditional Arctic cuisine that thousands of people living throughout northern Norway consume every day.
If you would like to delve deeper into the Norwegian cuisine and sample the diverse and exciting food on offer in Norway, we highly recommend checking out one of our Norwegian Food Tours.

Articles about Norwegian food and cuisine

A group of friends enjoying an outdoor meal at a cozy table with a white tablecloth, candle lantern, and small plant.
Traditional Norwegian food
Norway has a lot of interesting traditional food, and any travelers visiting Norway would do well to sample some of the local cuisines. Culinary traditions in Norway have been dominated by meat, fish, and seafood that could be hunted or caught. These days the Norwegian food space represents an interesting mix of old and new due to culinary influences from all over the world.
Close-up golden sparkling cider poured into glass outdoors under bright sky with branches in background.
Norwegian cider’s rise in popularity
Cider brewing is a Norwegian custom that dates all the way back to the 13th century. However, once the Vinmonopolet or the Wine Monopoly came into effect, the practice largely died down. Despite this, Norwegians continued to brew cider in their homes and cellars. And now the drink is experiencing a surge in popularity yet again. If you’re a cider lover planning a visit to Norway, here’s everything you need to know!
Man in orange jacket reaches for fish mid-air on a boat at sea.
Top 3 Norwegian recipes to try
If you are a foodie or even just a lover of barbecue, then you will definitely want to make sure that you take a trip to Norway to experience the incredible local cuisine in places like Bergen and Røros. To give you a small taste of the kind of culinary experience you will get in Norway, here are three top Norwegian recipes that you can easily make at home.
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Sustainable eating trends
Norway is already publicly recognized by almost every foodie as being home to some of the tastiest cuisine options in the world, with some truly exquisite national recipes like lutefisk and pinnekjøtt originating in Nordic countries. But what you may not know is that Norway is also a leader in bio-farming and sustainable food production.
Under Restaurant in Lindesnes - this unique restaurant serves the dinner under water, a truly unique experience
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Wooden Viking-style table with food preparation, herb butter, wooden bowls and crackers, and historical figures in background.
What did the average viking eat?
When your every-day activities include pillaging villages and exploring the impressive fjords in Norway, you are going to need a lot of energy to sustain yourself. This means eating some pretty astonishing meals in order to maintain proper health with such an active lifestyle.
A block of brown Norwegian goat cheese sits on a plate with a cheese slicer resting on top, surrounded by jars and traditional food packaging.
What do you eat with Brunost?
Every culture will have its own set of unique food items that either impress or disgust visitors when they try it upon visiting. Norway is no different and offers an assortment of delicious Norwegian food that is unlike anything that can be found anywhere else in the world. Some of the more common examples include lutefisk and pinnekjøtt.
A rustic scene with rolling pins and dough being prepared for lefse, with flour on the surface.
What is lefse?
Whether you’re planning to visit Norway or are just interested in Norwegian culture and tradition, you’ll want to find out more about lefse. Lefse has a long-standing history as a traditional food in Norway, and it remains about as popular today as it was a hundred years ago. Let’s take a closer look at what this tasty, simple food is all about!