Bent Stiansen won the highly regarded Bocuse d'Or award in 1993. Much of the inspiration for Norwegian cooking at this level comes from French cuisine, but more recently our chefs have been tending to combine continental with characteristically Norwegian, even regional, elements. Arne Brimi, the master chef from Lom, has been a pioneer in this respect. The dishes grandma made are reappearing, and an amazing pride is being taken in Norwegian raw materials and cooking traditions which to foreigners often smack of a rather exotic heritage. Historically, diets in Norway varied from region to region depending on local resources.
Some people seem to find eating almost a nuisance, something to be got out of the way.
With Norwegian consumers seeking pure foods, Norwegian manufacturers are seizing the opportunity to do what they are best at, and producing food from the world's purest raw materials. Imagine two foreigners travelling in Norway. One has brought his own food supplies for the journey, while the other eats at the roadside restaurants and caf s, goes to the local bakery, buys freshly boiled shrimps straight from the fishing boat, and perhaps even gets invited to someone's home. In southern Norway in May, a tourist can enjoy fried mackerel and stewed rhubarb. In the summer, there are fresh berries and vegetables everywhere, the latter often served with salted or smoked meats.