Norway has a long history of fishing, although much of the high quality shellfish and other species caught off the coast are exported. However, fish remains a staple, along with meat, potatoes and other root vegetables, although tastes have altered in recent years to encompass a wider international choice, including pizzas and burgers. The favorite traditional hot snack is the
pølse, a form of sausage, sold at numerous outlets.
The roadside
kro (traveller’s restaurant) is a good choice if one wants to sample traditional Norwegian fare.
Breakfasts are often
enormous with a variety of fish, meat, cheese, sweet whey cheese and bread served from a cold buffet with coffee and boiled or fried eggs. Open sandwiches are topped with meat, fish, cheese and salads. Popular dinner dishes include meatballs (
kjøttboller or
karbonader) with boiled potatoes, boiled fish and
bacalao, a spiced dried cod stew. Alcohol tends to be limited in availability and expensive, although beer and wine are generally available in restaurants. Licensing laws are strict and alcohol above 4.7% ABV for home consumption is sold only by the state through special monopoly stores. Beer and cider is sold in general stores. Illegal moonshine spirit is widely consumed.
National specialties: • Brunost (a sweet brown cheese made with whey).
• Roast wild elk, or reindeer.
•
Lutefisk (baked preserved cod).
• Grøt (a form of porridge).
• Multer (cloudberries - a summer delicacy).
National drinks:
•
Aquavit (schnapps).
• Pils (light lager).
• Lagerøl (lager with less than 2.5% volume)
Legal drinking age: 18 (beer, wine and other drinks up to 22% ABV), 20 (drinks over 22% ABV).
Tipping: Waiters expect a tip of no more than 5% of the bill.
NightlifeTraditionally, due to the scattered nature of the population, entertainment in rural areas is largely home-based, but this has been changing in recent years. Most villages of any size have at least one
cafe/restaurant where it is possible to eat and drink out.
In the bigger towns and cities, the story is quite different, with a thriving arts scene including
theater,
music and
cinema.
Restaurants and
nightclubs tend to be concentrated in city centers, while in recent years the
pub culture has been gradually arriving in Norway, often pioneered by the international ‘Irish’ pub phenomenon. Cities like Bergen, Oslo, Stavanger and Trondheim are nowadays well supplied with a wide choice of watering holes, many of which offer food that is competitively priced compared to the restaurants.
Oslo’s nightlife centers on the
Aker Brygge waterside area, the city center, and the
Majorstua district.
Most Norwegians tend to go ‘out on the town’ only on Fridays and Saturdays, the rest of the week being fairly quiet. This is in no small part due to the high prices of food and drink, and the fact that the working day starts early. And at weekends, it is normal for the Norwegians to enjoy a
forspiel (drinks at home), before venturing out as late as 2300.
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