My first chunk upon touchdown in Bergen, Norway, was airport pizza—most definitely frozen earlier than being reheated on a type of squeaky, trundling conveyor belt ovens. It had a preponderance of pepperoni on prime, together with a couple of julienned slices of crimson pepper, and a hearty blanket of melty mozzarella. Was it the perfect slice I’ve ever had? No, in fact not—I’m a New Yorker. However wouldn’t it shock you that consuming such a slice was really on my Norwegian meals guidelines?
Right here’s a enjoyable truth in your subsequent cocktail social gathering: Norwegians eat extra frozen pizza than every other nation on the planet, at a whopping 25 kilos per capita. Perhaps it’s as a result of their winters stretch nearly interminably; perhaps it’s as a result of frozen pizza, objectively, is fairly scrumptious.
Nevertheless it was a rating I discovered fairly stunning till I frolicked this summer time exploring the nation’s second-largest metropolis. Norwegian delicacies, it seems, is pleasantly astonishing in some ways. And no place exemplifies the nation’s culinary historical past and innovation fairly like Bergen.
Perched on the west coast of the nation, Bergen has been a global buying and selling submit for the reason that eleventh century. As we speak, it’s most well-known for being the gateway to the fjords: these slender inlets of sea bracketed by towering cliffs (a placing consequence of glacial erosion from thousands and thousands of years in the past). Particularly throughout the excessive summer time season, guests flock right here to make use of the realm (inhabitants: just below 300,000) as a house base, then set out every morning by automobile or boat to discover famed passages like Nærøyfjord or Hardangerfjord.
And whereas the quiet majesty of the fjords can’t be overstated, vacationers do themselves a terrific disservice in the event that they ignore Bergen and its environment from a culinary perspective. Its maritime location and historical past as a buying and selling port imply that for hundreds of years, town has been one of the vital vibrant in Europe in relation to meals—at first from an agricultural and fishing perspective, and now with its tradition of cafes, eating places and bars that prize each Scandinavian approach and components in addition to these from the world over.
I visited this previous August and September, and my timing was intentional: perfect climate for outside adventures, in fact, and the perfect time to style the late-season bounty of many prized Norwegian crops like apples and pears. To pattern all that produce, my first cease within the area was really simply exterior town, to a lodge that I’d stumbled upon on Reddit known as Solstrand Lodge & Unhealthy (that final phrase signifying the presence of a spa and never one thing extra nefarious), which is near the realm’s famed apple orchards and cideries in Ulvik.
However first, we explored the lodge itself, which can also be identified for its culinary program. After a day spent unkinking my travel-weary muscle groups within the resort’s indoor and outside pool circuit, my household and I sat right down to eat on the lodge’s grand eating room, the place the prix-fixe menu included Nordic-inflected savory choices like deer sirloin and herb-baked trout. However we have been actually right here for the dessert buffet, which rivals any in Vegas when it comes to measurement, however definitely trumps these when it comes to high quality and taste. I let my nine-year-old select for us: she got here again to the desk balancing swirled ardour fruit mousses, chocolate desserts filled with espresso cream, lemon desserts topped with prized native strawberries, and panna cottas punched up with a jewel-toned array of fruit compotes. Norway might not obtain the identical acclaim that a few of its Scandinavian neighbors do for its meals, however sampling my method by desserts that first night time assured me it’s not for lack of modern (and scrumptious) choices.
The following day, rental automobile keys in hand, we explored the winding roads round Hardangerfjord, identified for its placing crystalline waters as a lot as its orchards. The realm has been producing apples and cider for the reason that late 1800s and, as you’ll hear from many a producer as you journey by the Ulvik cider route, Hardanger cider is called the champagne of the drink. The nation is so pleased with it, actually, that the beverage was the primary alcoholic product in Norway to be given a protected standing. My favourite got here from Syse Gard, a small, hillside operation with sweeping views of the encompassing hills and valleys, and loads of cider by the glass or in pattern flights.
After loading up the automobile with bottles to take residence and loads of rhubarb jam, we then drove into Bergen correct. Understanding we had restricted time within the metropolis itself between journeys out to the fjords, I labored with journey firm Scott Dunn to craft a one-day, culinary-focused itinerary. Our morning began with a personal meals tour, the place we hit lots of the metropolis’s most buzzing markets and stands: a tasting of award-winning Norwegian cheese at meals corridor Mathallen (together with the oddly candy and nationally beloved Brunost or brown cheese); extra-long reindeer sizzling canines at 3-Kroeneren, topped with crispy shallots, mustard and lingonberry sauce; and meaty crab claws at Dr. Wiesener, a former bathhouse that’s been transformed into one of many metropolis’s coolest pubs.
We grabbed a fast snooze at our lodge, the minimalist Skostredet, after which dressed up for a ship experience out to Cornelius, one of the vital well-known seafood eating places in all of Scandinavia (and in addition the idea for the restaurant within the horror flick The Menu. However solely due to its distant location on a personal island, not due to something untoward that occurs with its friends). Our tasting menu that night time was “meteorological,” as our waitress instructed us, that means that the dishes modified on daily basis each in line with the climate and what fishermen have been capable of catch that morning. Our distinctive meal included every part from trout to fried crab balls to skate, and I’m additionally happy to report that each visitor made it off the island in a single piece.
We celebrated our final night time in Bergen with a meal at Lysverket, a Michelin-starred trendy Norwegian restaurant situated inside the previous headquarters of Bergen Lysverker, the facility firm. Run by chef Christopher Haatuft, the serene, trendy house channels minimalist Scandinavian design, however the meals is much from easy. Among the most notable programs have been pairings like razor clams with a bracing rhubarb and celery granita, or a pan-seared scallop served atop recent noodles and a sofrito sauce. And, in fact, we completed with loads of subtly candy, ruby-red Norwegian strawberries for dessert.
Whereas I didn’t handle to nab one other slice of frozen pizza earlier than we left, I’m pleased with how a lot of town I used to be capable of discover by its meals, whether or not that was a road stand sizzling canine or langoustines at a white tablecloth spot. However there’s a lot left to find: a lot cheese to eat, ciders to drink and lots of extra pizzas to microwave. I’m already planning my subsequent journey.
