Italy is crazy about Norwegian salmon: imports have tripled in the past ten years. In the city of Tromsø (it is written just like this, with a bar on the final “o”), beyond the polar circle, at the National Association of Fish Exporters they explain that the boom does not concern only Italy but also other markets, and it is also due to the strong increase in production, thanks to the expansion of breeding; thus salmon became more abundant and less expensive. In a Norway that mainly produces oil and has (thanks to hydrocarbons) the richest sovereign fund in the world, ahead of that of Abu Dhabi, salmon exports make a significant contribution to the national economy, amounting to around ten billion yearly and in further recent growth.
Salmon are raised in these large “baskets” immersed in the Tromsø sea
Wandering around the fjords of this Arctic offshoot of Europe you can see the huge “baskets” in which salmon are raised everywhere. But Norway, on Italian tables, is also synonymous with cod (salted cod and dried cod). In Italy, commercial flows pass mainly through Genoa and Trieste, but the southern market is also important, with qualities of cod varying in length and color according to regional tastes.
Tromsø nights are long this season but can be illuminated by the Northern Lights
The Italian commercial network follows the lines of a historical geography that refers to the maritime republics: from Genoa and Venice they came here to buy stockfish already in the Middle Ages, as it was a food suitable for long voyages.
Tromsø gets cold in winter, but not as cold as you might expect beyond the Arctic Circle: here comes the extreme offshoot of the Gulf Stream (meaning, the warm Gulf of Mexico)
A surprising news learned on the spot: between Tromsø at one end of the fish supply chain, and Genoa and Trieste at the other end, a tradition of exchanging children between exporting and importing companies has been established; the aim is to make the offspring have a commercial experience abroad, but then, you know, what comes from, and so over the generations there have been several mixed marriages, and dynasties of Italian-Norwegian blood were born. Galeotto was the salmon.
