The Fish Market at Bergen

This is my second post on Norway.My first is "Eating My Way Through Norway".It's a country that everyone who visits, falls in love with! 

We made Bergen our base.It is located in the southwestern part of Norway.There is a scenic railway connecting Oslo and Bergen.Some people prefer to take a cruise from here to places in the north.Flights are always there.

  The Fish Market at Bergen is fascinating! It changes with the season with maximum stalls in summer.This place has historical value as this is the very place where fishermen have been selling their wares to the locals since the 13th century!!
 There were two restaurants that caught my attention in the inner hall...Fish Me and Fjellskall.
Fish Me has a display of local cheeses and caviar.Brunost,the brown cheese made of whey, cream and milk was available in goat milk and cow milk option.It also serves sushi and local delicacies

There was a Brown cheese on display that had Aquavit (the local potato and caraway liquer) which gave it a mature taste.The texture was soft but the cheese had a darker colour.

I tried all kinds of caviar....Salmon,Longfish,Herring and the Tube Caviar.The salmon one I loved the most.No,sturgeon wasn't available as it is much too expensive.

There was a variety of smoked fish.Smoking is a way of preserving fish and meat.Here there was Smoked Salmon with cognac and pepper,chili-mango and wild salmon were some of the options I saw.A friend of mine had recommended trying the Lutefisk which is white fish soaked in water, slaked lime and lye for couple of days.I chickened out :D I need not have worried.It is a Christmas speciality.Doubt if I would have found it in April.I did spot Gravlax and in case you are wondering what it is, here's a lovely article on it, pointing out how it differs from lox and smoked salmon.Basically it is salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill.

The stalls outside with picnic tables were packed with people.All items were on display to help you make a choice.

Opposite the Fish Market was a local deli with meat and cheese.Though we didn't speak Norwegian,it wasn't hard to communicate.Most people know English.The person at the deli explained the various items to us.There was a tourist centre close by where you could get information about walking tours, food tours and art museums.Bergen has a lovely aquarium, an icebar and an art gallery

There was another fish cake and fish soup shop we saw but it shut down early so we missed trying the food there.Our cab driver had told us it was his favourite.

We stayed at the Hotel Clarion which is at the harbour and has spectacular views.We could watch boats go by from our room.Not five star but it had good service and food

The hotel has a restaurant called Kitchen and Table.You can step out on the deck and eat as well but you have to be careful not to leave food unattended as there are seagulls around.We ordered Grilled Cod and Panfried Trout and both dishes were exceptionally good.

Another place we liked was Fjellskall at the Fish Market where we tried Crabs,Mussels and Cod.

If you go on a weekend to Bergen then you will come across the Farmers Market with goodies and another weekend market closely with bags, clothes and Norwegian baked items

The smoked salmon was the best ever that I have had! The aromas that surround this market are intoxicating! 

The Nordic Diet has sustainably farmed,locally sourced foods with more seafood and cellulose and less sugar and fat as compared to other Western diets.More like the Mediterranean diet but the oil used here is mostly canola

Whole grains,nuts,berries,lean meat and dairy are all an important part of their cuisine.There is a lot to eat and a lot to see in Norway.

#Seafood #Norway #Bergen #FishMarket #Holiday #Travel #Summer #Salmon #Farmers' Market