Now globally recognised for both its nutritional value and taste, salmon sushi has played a vital role in establishing a global preference for raw salmon. According to estimates from the NSC, around 30 percent of Norwegian salmon ends up as sushi and is consumed raw, but this trend can be traced back four decades.
As NSC recalls, in 1985 a delegation of Norwegians travelled to Tokyo with the intent to sell fish to the Japanese. The project developed into a mission to convince the Japanese that raw Norwegian salmon could be incorporated into sushi dishes. Today the popularity and reach of sushi globally is closely interlinked with the pink, popular fish from Norway – and vice versa.
While sushi is a traditional Japanese dish, with over 500 years of history, the use of raw salmon in the cuisine is a more recent addition, introduced by Norway in the 1980s according to the NCS.
Bjørn Eirik Olsen, who was involved in NSC’s “Project Japan” during the 1980s as head of market analysis and strategy, remembers those early efforts to promote Norwegian salmon. Reflecting on the global rise of both sushi and Norwegian salmon today, he says: “I never dreamed that salmon as a sushi-topping would be such a huge trend all across the world.”
This year NSC is shining a light on the shared culinary history of Japan and Norway, highlighting the 40-year anniversary of Project Japan and the introduction of salmon sushi. Combining the two countries’ shared love for quality food and distinctive cuisine, today Norwegian salmon sushi is an international staple.
“Norwegian salmon wouldn’t be the global favourite it is today without the help of sushi. This year we want to celebrate the shared history between Norway and Japan, as well as highlight 40 years of salmon sushi,” said CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council, Christian Chramer, in a press release.
Project Japan: a decade in the making
Demand for sushi in Japan in the 1980s outweighed the supply of tuna, which at the time was the most popular sushi ingredient. As Japan struggled with its tuna stocks, Norway saw an opportunity to introduce salmon to the market. This led to the Project Japan initiative, led by former Minister of Fisheries Thor Listau.
Project Japan experimented with salmon in sushi dishes, serving it to importers and restaurants, and at dinner parties at the Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo. The dedicated team also launched a salmon campaign with the few resources they had available.
While the initiative was not immediately successful, the long-term impact is clear: in 1980, Norway exported 2 tonnes of salmon to Japan; 20 years later it was exporting more than 45,000 tonnes to the country annually.
Following 10 years of continued relationship-building, trust and innovation, Norway successfully boosted salmon consumption in Japan, which in turn led to Norwegian salmon's popularity worldwide.
Now, Norwegian salmon is not only the most popular fish among global consumers, but also one of the world's most popular sushi fish. This is largely thanks to the Japanese cuisine that introduced raw salmon to the world.
“Norway played a crucial role in introducing salmon as an ingredient in Japanese sushi during the 1980s and 1990s. Through Project Japan’s efforts, Norwegian salmon became a preferred choice in Japanese cuisine, initially as part of a trade and relationship-building initiative,” said Johan Kvalheim, NSC country director to Japan.
“Then, Japan brought Norwegian salmon to the world, establishing it as a staple of international sushi culture and making it popular globally. This partnership between Norway’s high-quality salmon production and Japan’s refined culinary traditions helped shape one of today’s most celebrated food trends."
