The Traveling Professor recently spent a small group tour in Norway traveling to Oslo, Flam, and Bergen.  One of the pleasures of travel is enjoying the food along the way.  Most people have heard of herring, Norwegian salmon and similar foods.  In this blog post, The Professor shares the foods he liked best on this small group trip.

The Professor is sure that some of these selections will surprise!

Roast Beef on Potato Salad Open-Faced Sandwich:  What a great light lunch option and what a simple and delicious idea.   Take a nice piece of bread, put some nice potato salad on it and top it with generous thin slices of roast beef.  Delicious.  In fact, The Professor made one for himself here at home today.

Food Halls:  The Vippa Food Hall in Oslo is a terrific place to go for scenic outdoor seating or indoor seating.  The variety of food is outstanding. The idea is to grab a table either indoors or outdoors, scan the different pavilions for the food that is most tempting, and then go to it.  But first, stop at the bar for a Hansa beer or glass of wine.   In the food hall is a wide selection of international foods from Marrakesh, Polish dumplings (The Professor's choice), Indian street food, crepes, fallafels, Japanese selections and foods from other countries. 

Breakfast Buffets:  Every hotel we stayed in had an overwhelming breakfast buffet.   Breakfast is the main meal of the day for Norwegians.  The one at the Thon Opera Hotel was too big to describe in words, so see the video here.   The Fretheim Hotel in Flam has a big buffet with outstanding views of the fjord for both lunch and dinner.  See it here.  There are all sorts of food including fresh baked breads, salmon, sliced meats from goat to salami to reindeer.   Plenty of different cheeses. It is almost too much!

Pølse:  A pølse is the Norwegian word for hot dog.  They love 'em.  They are one of the more inexpensive meals in Norway and the most famous place to get one is at Tre Kronerren in Bergen.   The most popular is probably the reindeer hot dog but to be honest, any hot dog with these toppings is going to be good. 

Milk Shakes:  While on vacation in Norway, there is nothing better than a creamy and fresh milkshake from Hallaisen Ice Cream Parlour & Cocktail Bar.  

Norwegian Pancakes with Jam:  Now this is an authentic Norwegian dish.  Think pancakes covered with