Oslo is Home to the Next Crop of Incredible Scandinavian Food
«I am not a chef,” Andreas Viestad says, for the fifth time since I’ve met him. As he speaks, he’s carefully stirring beets and barley in a cast-iron crock with one hand while plating sweetbreads with the other. I semi-accept what he tells me, but that willingness vanishes the moment I try his food. Not only is Viestad a chef, but he’s also a terrific one. He’s a famous Norwegian cookbook author and television host as well, and, generously, he has offered to be my guide to the fast-emerging Oslo food scene.
In preparation, he’s cooking me dinner tonight at his house, located on a farm within an enormous city-center park. That property serves double duty as an educational center, where local children can learn about how food is grown, and, Viestad hopes, about a Norwegian farming heritage that’s quickly being lost. As I hear more about what’s happening both onthe farm and in Oslo as a whole, I realize that Viestad’s protests about not being a chef have a particular resonance.»
I met up with Tom Downey from Food & Wine Magazine to talk about the restaurant scene in Oslo.
Photo by Marte Marie Forsberg.
andreasviestad.com 