Bergen’s Fish Market In the heart of the center of the city is Bergen’s Torget, which means market. Besides its famous fish market that has been in operation since 1200s, you can eat fresh fish, seafood, meat, local fruit‐berries‐ vegetables and buy flowers. The market is open year‐round. During the milder months from May to September, the market is open 8am until 11pm. Many of the markets include prepared dishes for eat‐in. As the city grew, by the 1500s, as the Hanseatic league was trading in Bergen, the locals decided to move the fish market to prevent the Hanseatic group from gaining too much power. The market’s popularity gave way to more growth in the central district during the 1700s and 1800s. In 2012, an indoor fish market opened next to the open‐air fish market. Norway’s fjords, lakes and rivers are some of the cleanest waters in the world. In fact, while we were there we drank Norway’s tap water throughout our tour of Norway. In terms of seafood, it is bountiful. Cod, salmon, trout, sea trout and crab are just some of the most common fish delights. From fresh, marinated and smoked fish, there is many interesting specialty fish such as mussels, scallops, crayfish, sea urchins and whale steak (grilled in a fillet, dried or smoked.) Norwegian Cod is known as Norway’s “white gold.” It is the most common and economically important marine fish in Norway. ‐fromnorway.com It is wild‐caught year‐round with the prime season being January through April. Drying the cod makes it more marketable. Typical catching methods are trawling, gill net, longline, Danish‐seine and hand‐line. Danish‐seine is using nets to haul from shore or a boat. The Arctic Barents Seas and Norwegian coastal waters are fished for cod during the first half of the year. After that time, the fish move towards the Polar regions. Whale meat harvesting is highly regulated in Norway. Only 500 Minke whale can be caught each year. The whale is a baleen whale (whalebone whale). Baleen whales range in size from 20 to 112 feet and 6,000 pounds to 210 short tons. They can swim very fast, up to 23 miles per hour. Historically the meat, blubber, baleen and oil were used by the Arctic people. Today they are a protected species. Norwegians hunted Minke whales as early as 800, by the 1979 there was a noticeable decline which led to a 1986 moratorium on hunting them worldwide. ‐ wildwhales.org The market also sells reindeer and moose meat. Reindeer is a low‐fat meat with high B‐12; it also includes omega‐3 and 6 and essential fatty acids. ‐ http://sciencenordic.com Please see acuri.net – Sami Culture. In a study done by Joh Lykke, “Selective Harvest Management of Norwegian Moose Population,” moose has been in Norway some 10,000 years ago and hunted by humans. Moose hides were exported during the 1100s. Hunting regulations were in place by the 15th century and scarcity of moose was noted by the first half of the 19th century. The regulations caused a concern of over‐population by 1960. Harvesting of moose has been based on location, predators, land use and numbers of moose. Today hunter education, stipulations of ages of the moose, forage availability, density, weight and price of license have been used to manage future populations. ‐ flash.lakeheadu.ca Moose meat is leaner than beef. The size of a moose and getting it to your freezer is a concern to not allow the meat to become contaminated with bacteria and parasites. Care, as you can read in all‐about‐moose.com, makes this an important concern in hunting and bringing it to your table. This photo program takes you to the Bergen Fish Market. Note: The exchange rate $1 = 8 Norwegian Krone (8/2018)

Moose and Reindeer meat

Prepared foods to take‐out or eat‐in

Sources: http://www.bestnorwegian.com/bergen_norway.html , https://en.visitbergen.com/things‐to‐do/fish‐market‐in‐bergen‐p822253, https://norwaytravelguide.no/norwegian‐culture/seafood‐in‐norway, https://fromnorway.com/en‐us/norwegian‐seafood/products/norwegian‐ cod/, https://www.hanen.no/en/utforsk/45. http://www.richtrek.com/2014/09/fresh‐whale‐meat‐at‐bergen‐fish‐market.html, http://wildwhales.org/speciesid/whales/minke‐whale/, http://sciencenordic.com/reindeer‐meat‐healthy‐fish, http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~arodgers/Alces/Vol41/Alces41_9.pdf and https://www.all‐about‐moose.com/moose‐meat.html. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Bergen’s Fish Market