NORWEGIAN farmed cod is a good fish according to the results of a market test involving 32 chefs in France and Sweden.
Each restaurant received a box of fresh, farmed cod, which they could prepare and serve as they wished. When the completed dishes were ready for serving, they were evaluated by the chefs with respect to freshness, odour, appearance, colour, taste, texture and overall impression. "This study shows that there is every reason to be satisfied with the quality of farmed cod," says Senior Scientist Jens Østli at the Norwegian research institute Nofima.
"On a scale from one to seven, where one was extremely poor and seven was extremely good, the farmed cod scored an average of six in France and five in Sweden. The chefs thought it was a very good product," he added. Participants in this market test included large and small eating establishments alike, ranging from top-class restaurants with stars in the Michelin Guide through to hotel restaurants, bistros and cafés.
In Sweden, many of the chefs had already tried farmed cod, but in France few had tried it before. "I got a great first impression. The fish did not smell and the skin colour varied as it should do," said the chef from one of the restaurants with Michelin stars that participated in the test. The study also shows that there are some major differences in how the French and Swedish restaurants market seafood to their guests.
In France, it seems unthinkable to use the word farmed ("elevage") on the menu, regardless of the product. But it is quite common to use the product’s provenance. In Sweden, the public seem to be aware of the overfishing in the Baltic Sea and therefore demands product information enabling them to avoid endangered seafood products. Consequently, it is common to inform on Swedish menus that the cod is the product of aquaculture.
In Sweden, participating eating establishments ranged from Umeå in the north to Helsingborg in the south, while in France the emphasis was in the Paris area. Restaurants in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France’s most important fishing harbour, also participated in the test.
A total of 32 restaurants fulfilled the test, 16 in each of the two countries.
The market test was financed by Innovation Norway through the Marine Value Creation Programme.
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