Stockfish is an exclusive Norwegian product, rich in tradition. It is made of cod that is dried under natural conditions by sun and wind. This unique raw material from Lofoten ranks at the top of the gastronomic scale in Italy. As a 100% environmentally friendly product, stockfish is increasingly in demand in other parts of Europe as well. 

 

Schools of spawning cod make their way to Lofoten in large numbers. The cod has the perfect consistency – and is as if created for hanging and drying. It is the best in the world. For one thousand years, the residents of Lofoten have harvested cod and conserved it by drying on racks.

 

The raw material is the same today as it has always been, as is the conserving method and the product.

 

A clear ocean, clean air, cool breeze, and fresh cod drying on racks: Lofoten has the best environment in the world for the production of stockfish. The cod is harvested from the clean, clear ocean, which undergoes constant renewal due to the tides and ocean streams. The cod is subsequently air-dried on pure, cool winds, which prevent deterioration during the first and most crucial phase of the process.

 

When the world’s best cod connoisseurs assess stockfish and sort them into a wide array of quality groups it is called vraking, or grading. The cod is not only to be looked at and squeezed – the odour is just as important. These graders know that stockfish from Lofoten is the best in the world. In no other place in the world is stockfish manufactured of the same high quality as in Lofoten.

 

Italians are known for their many delicious Norwegian stockfish dishes. The Italians know better than anyone else the difference between real stockfish from Lofoten cod and other kinds of stockfish. These highly particular, Italian gourmets have no doubts about Lofoten stockfish being their first choice. Buon appetito! © Kjell Ove Storvik/Norwegian Seafood Export Council	© Kjell Ove Storvik/Norwegian Seafood Export Council