2. Fish
The fish in the Norwegian Sea has been essential for the
development of the community here on the West Coast.
Through the times fishermen have been out fishing to
feed their family.
Because of the northern climate, you can find several
species of fish, that you can not find further south.
Earlier they did not have the same possibilities as we
have today when it comes to conserving food. They
started to experiment with different ways of conserving,
and found out that salting and drying the fish were good
ways to keep it from decomposing.
3. Atlantic cod
The cod (latin: Gadus Morhua) lives in the Northern
Atlantic Ocean and usually stays close to the coast. The
fish can be up to 1,8 m long and weigh 55kg.
The cod is well known for its characteristic chin barbel. It
is one of the most important fish in Norway, when it
comes to nourishment.
4. Atlantic Herring
The herring (latin: Clupea Harengus) is, like
the cod, located in the Northern Atlantic. It
can become nearly 50cm long, but the usual size is
between 25 and 35cm.
The fish swims in shoals of herring and is then catched in
big fishing nets. Here in Norway, herring is often eaten
with bread, especially during the Christmas.
5. "Lutafisk"
This is a traditional, norwegian course that has been
served and eaten by norwegians through generations.
It is salted and prepared with lye before you start
making the dish. This is what you will need:
• 2 kg "lutafisk" Trimming
• 1 tbsp salt •200 g bacon
•600 g almond potato
Mushy peas •Coarsly grounded pepper
• 3 dl dried peas
• 1 dl milk
• 1 tbsp wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
6. Preparation Mushy peas
•Leave peas in water
"Lutafisk" overnight
• Set the oven to 200°C •Boil in water until tender
• Cut the fish in suitable bits, •Make a thickening of flour
and milk. Stir in the
and put them in a roasting tin
thickening and let it boil for
or a ovenproof dish with the
five to six minutes.
skin side down
•Taste with salt
• Sprinkle salt over the fish and
cover it with a lid or tin foil
• Put the dish in the oven for
about 30 minutes
7. Serving
• Serve the fish with fried bacon in cubes, mushy peas
and almond potatoes
• "Lutefisk"isisalso served during easter until New
Year, but
usually served from october
• The first day ofand is mostislikely the day we consume
"lutefisk"-day,
christmas traditionally the big
the most "lutefisk"
8. Runde
On the island Runde is the biggest bird colony in Scandinavia.
The island is situated in the outer reaches of the sea in Herøy,
and is a part of the industrial coast of Western Norway.
Around 700 000 birds live here, and more than 250 different
species are registered in this area.
The reason why Runde has such a rich birdlife is because the
water surrounding the island is a well suited spawning place
for fish. This makes the quota regulations for fish important
9. Puffin
The puffin (latin: Fratercula arctica) is
the main attraction on Runde. It is the most
characteristic of the birds in the colony, and
has gotten the nickname "Sjøpapegøya"
("the Sea Parrot").
Puffins feed on fish, clams
and crustaceans, and it gets about 25
years old.
The top season for puffins is in the
nesting time (April-August), where it stays
in Lundeura on the west side of the island.
For the rest of the year they are mostly out
10. Black-legged Kittiwake
The bird colony on Runde contains one of the
largest colonies of the kittiwake (latin: Rissa
tridactyla) in Norway.
Kittiwakes are about the size of puffins. It
mostly eats small fish and crustaceans that it
finds in the water surface, and it can live for approximately 12 years.
Charasteristic for the kittiwake is their complaining calls that sounds similar to the
bird's English name "kittiwake".
The numbers of kittiwakes are threatened, being several years since the last time
they got fledglings. Theories about this are that the birds now have poorer
access to food because of the climatic changes or that the small fish roving
pattern has changed.