OCEAN CITY

Bergen, City of Gastronomy

 

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Bergen is one of 18 cities worldwide entitled to call itself a “Creative City of Gastronomy”. Seafood lies at the heart of Bergen’s culinary culture.

In 2015, Bergen became the only Norwegian member of UNESCO’s international network of creative cities. This gives Bergen the right to use the title “Creative City of Gastronomy”. In collaboration with 17 other cities, including Parma in Italy and Chengdu in China, Bergen has pledged to develop itself as a centre of gastronomy in a creative and sustainable way.

Creative culinary artists
Fresh seafood lies at the very heart of Bergen’s culinary culture, from traditional fish soup, smoked salmon or pressed cod to the raw delights of salmon, halibut or scallops. Bergen also has a professional culinary community that includes a growing number of world-class chefs. Creative culinary artists are the key to preserving, developing and communicating the local cuisine and love of food.

In recent years, several of the city’s new restaurants have won international acclaim for Bergen and its surrounding region. For example, the renowned restaurant guide The White Guide found as many as six eateries in the Bergen region that met their stringent quality standards. The city’s Food Festival, the sharp increase in voluntary organisations focusing on food culture and the Farmers’ Market are also examples of the growing fascination with food in Bergen.

Our message is simple: Visit the restaurants and markets, and taste what they have to offer!

The UNESCO network is one of the initiatives designed to help reach the UN’s global sustainability goals. A number of other cities are collaborating in areas such as film, music, literature, design, digital art and folk arts and crafts, but they all share a common goal: Creativity and culture stands at the centre of their urban development.

The City of Bergen took the initiative to apply for membership on behalf of a partnership with Hordaland County Council, Hordaland Farmers’ Association, the Office of Hordaland’s County Governor, Innovation Norway, the University of Bergen, Bergen Tourist Board, the Bergen Master Chefs’ Guild, the Directorate of Fisheries and the NCE Seafood Innovation Cluster.

Photo above:
Photo: Lerøy Seafood AS

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21

Km

Norway’s fish farms cover a combined surface area of 21 km2. In 2013, the amount of salmon and trout produced per km2 averaged 58,949 tonnes.

(Source: Nofima)

50,6

million tonnes

In 2030, the world will need 50.6 million tonnes more fish for human consumption than it produces today.

(Source: Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

60

Norwegian fish farming is regulated by 60 statutes and regulations.

(Source: Ocean Forest)