How the Norwegian government invented salmon sushi in the 1980s

In the 1980s, Norway faced a unique challenge: it had successfully bred a docile, fast-growing Atlantic salmon but struggled to sell it to its largest potential market, Japan. The Japanese traditionally disdained raw salmon, considering it unpalatable and potentially parasite-ridden, preferring fish like tuna for their sushi.

To overcome this cultural barrier, the Norwegian government launched "Project Japan," an ambitious 10-year marketing scheme. The goal was to convince the Japanese public and culinary industry to embrace salmon sushi. This effort involved persistent wooing of importers and restaurateurs, offering samples, and overcoming deep-seated culinary preferences.

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It's like selling sand in the Sahara.

The campaign, combined with the growing global awareness of Omega-3 fatty acids in the 1980s and 90s, proved remarkably successful. Salmon sushi gradually became a staple in Japanese cuisine, paving the way for Norway's salmon farming industry to explode onto the global stage. What was once a difficult sell became a symbol of Norwegian ingenuity and national pride.

Today, Norway is the world's leading supplier of Atlantic salmon, with its industry significantly larger than others globally. This success has reshaped Norway's coastlines, transformed fishing villages into industrial hubs, and created thousands of jobs. However, the article notes that the country is now grappling with the ecological and ethical consequences of this massive salmon boom, a testament to the complex legacy of its own success story.

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Now you can go to every street corner in big cities in the world and you buy salmon sushi. I mean, that has been the reason that salmon has been such a big success.