-Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... [ Wind blowing ] Seafood from Norway.

♪♪ -Telemark -- a world of culture and history where nature knows no bounds, with the flavors of local delicacies.

Adventure awaits in Telemark.

[ Airplane roars ] ♪♪ -Autumn is the perfect season to visit the Hardangerfjord.

It's the busiest time of year where everyone in the little charming villages strives to harvest these wonderful apples.

Thanks to perfect soil, moist, and long light summer nights, these apples will turn into tasty juice and wonderful, appetizing cider.

[ Crunch ] Welcome to "People of the North."

♪♪ Join me on a journey where we will meet people who live, work, and enjoy life right here in the far North.

I'm Arne Hjeltnes and I'm going to show you some exotic places and interesting people up north.

-I'm Stig Bareksten, and I will find good beverages and the nice flavors of the North.

-I'm Sigrid, and I'm looking for some lovely local ingredients for a good meal.

-Welcome to "People of the North."

♪♪ ♪♪ One of the most popular tourist attractions in Hardanger is the manor house in Rosendal.

♪♪ -This is one of the very few castles we have in Norway.

-We are modest people.

We don't throw castles around the countryside in Norway.

-This is very special, with a beautiful large garden around, very well kept and so many different rose types.

Beautiful.

-And the garden is pretty old, I think.

-300 years old.

-Wow!

-It was a couple, Karen and -- -Ludvig.

-Ludvig, who got this property for their wedding.

-As a wedding gift.

-That is a wedding present!

-Yeah.

So now it's a café.

And they have different arrangements here.

-A lot of, of course, classical music concerts.

-Everyone can come and see this beautiful garden and beautiful house.

♪♪ -They named the castle Rosendal, and hence the name of the town.

The village of Rosendal, the valley of the roses.

♪♪ We are enjoying refreshments at the beautiful and traditional Rosendal tourist hotel.

Our plan is to return here.

But first we are venturing to the other side of the Folgefonna Glacier.

Here we are in a very narrow valley, very close to the Folgefonna Glacier.

But your ancestors have been in tourism for a very long time.

-Yes, my family started with tourists in 1870.

The tourists from the cruise ship came into Odda and they need a destination here in Buer.

-But you have lifted it.

They didn't have a bar like you have.

Or the same cuisine as you are serving people who come into the valley today.

-No, I think we have raised up some steps from that.

-But you go a long way in taking care of people in this fairly remote valley.

-It is.

It's still a very popular place.

It's about 35,000 tourists coming during three months.

So it's high activities up here.

-Elisabeth, how do you want people to feel when they come into Buer, in this narrow valley today?

-We want to show people the real life, a real farm with real people and really good food.

And we want to give them an experience of what is the modern Norwegian way of farming.

-But still, it's not a regular restaurant.

We're talking really top end of what you can experience in Norway.

So it must have been quite demanding to put this together.

-We have been planning it for 17 years.

And we didn't know the exact way to go, but, I don't know, if you put a lot of effort into it.

Good things happen.

I guess.

-The fantastic dinners they serve here is what Stig is curious to examine.

He's at the kitchen with Chef Erlend Stueland, who is preparing this evening's culinary treats.

-So what are you going to impress us with there today?

-Today, Stig, we are going to try some of our dishes from the menu right now.

We have some local venison.

So it's a tartar.

So it's just a raw and parts of the venison with some apple cider vinegar.

A little bit of salt.

And just stir it together.

So just start with taking the venison and push it on the plate.

Then we have porcini mushroom mayonnaise.

And then we have some salted almonds which we top it off.

And then we have a little bit of shiitake mushroom which we pickled.

And this has been cold pickled for one year.

And then we finish it off with a lot of fresh, nice cress on top.

-Wow.

-Before we head in and eat, I think we need to do some exercise.

And, Ola, you will take us up in the mountain?

-Yes, I will take you up Buerdalen and the mountain farm.

We have to go with the sheeps and cows.

-Yeah.

-It looks like a steep trip.

-Little bit, then it's okay to go.

-Yeah!

I think that's perfect for us, Sigrid.

-At least for me.

-[ Laughs ] ♪♪ For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Hey, hey, hey!

We're at the top.

♪♪ While we are struggling up the steep hills, Stig and Erlend is working hard with our taste buds.

-Okay, so now this is the main course.

-Yes, Stig.

-So what do we have here?

-It smells amazing.

-Right here we have the most local produce of everything.

It's our own lamb from our farm.

[ Bleats ] So most of the time they live in the basement underneath the kitchen.

But now we have them as a main course on the menu.

So we start off with a little bit of celeriac puree, which is in season right now in Norway.

And then we have our lamb.

Some green cabbage, which is just lightly pan fried, potato chips, which is just crushed.

Then we have some pickled small red onions.

And I know you really like pickled stuff, Stig, so this is for you.

Then we have a little bit of the sauce which we braised the lamb in.

So we just finish it up a little bit on the side.

And then we have a little bit of fresh cut parsley.

Then we, of course, finish it off with some flowers, Stig.

-Before Erlend is ready with the main course, we are enjoying a rest at the mountain cabin with a local appetizer, of course.

There's lovely greens, these wonderful tomatoes.

-So tasty.

-So high up.

And even with some cider from the Hardangerfjord.

-Bubbles!

Mm!

-Can't get better than this.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

-[ Clink ] -Mm!

Skal!

-So now it's the final.

The sweet.

-Yes, Stig, this is the last course of the menu, which is dessert.

We start off with the caramelized hazelnuts, and then next is a little bit of sea buckthorn juice.

And then next up is our homemade milk ice cream with meadowsweet.

So we pick it locally here in Hardanger in the summer.

♪♪ A little bit more of caramelized hazelnuts on top.

-This looks super delicious.

♪♪ -Wild guess -- cider from Hardanger.

-Mm!

-And I can confirm it.

-Lovely.

It's the Norwegian champagne.

-Mm.

-Looks lovely.

This was a taste of a western Norway Valley.

-Mm.

And the colors.

Autumn colors.

-Mm.

-Mm.

-But I've been in the kitchen today and I would say there is more local food than this here tonight.

-The lamb from the farm.

-Yes.

-There's a lot of greens.

It's a very beautiful dish, Erlend.

-Thank you.

It's nice with some variation of colors in the dish as well.

-Enjoy.

-Thank you.

♪♪ -Wow.

♪♪ -So this is the golden end of this fantastic meal, Erlend.

-Yes.

So, homemade meadowsweet ice cream.

-Ooh.

-Enjoy.

-With some gold on it.

-Yes.

-[ Laughs ] -Ooh!

-Ooh la-la.

♪♪ -Mm!

-It's worth the trip.

-Mm.

-This place they call Hardanger.

Make sure you stay off the main roads and get into the valley.

And don't let the bad road fool you.

[ Sigrid laughs ] There is reward at the end of the road.

For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net Stig has more local delicacies he's eager to try.

In nearby Sveio, there is a new distillery he just has to stop by.

-Yeah.

-Welcome to Hiernagla.

-This I'm really, really looking forward to, because I need a gin to make a martini later today.

-Oh, then you're lucky today.

I have the perfect gin for you.

-Uh-huh.

-This is our first gin.

Vaerbitt Skogsbaer gin.

It means forest berries.

-Yeah.

-It's with local forest berries.

And it has a strong juniper flavor.

-Ah.

-So we have this in competition in San Francisco World Spirits competition.

And we got a double gold medal.

-That's the highest you can get.

-Yeah.

For our first product.

So we are very proud of it.

-Oh it smells super nice.

Quite intense and fruity as well.

Oh, this is gonna make a perfect martini.

-We're back at the other side of the Folgefonna Glacier.

Rosendal, the center of Kvinnherad municipality.

It's a very popular destination.

You can travel by the local route from Bergen and explore the beautiful nature and the magnificent fjord landscape.

We are going to find out how people make a living here.

Vilde, you're our local guide.

You're from Rosendal and can you explain a little bit where are we now?

-Now we are standing by Myrdalsvatnet, it's this lake we have behind us.

And we can now start to paddle towards the glacier from here.

-And that's kind of dangerous?

-It's not dangerous as long as you have some distance to the glacier.

You're not supposed to go all the way to the glacier front because that can be dangerous.

-It can fall off, parts of the glacier, make a wave.

-Yeah.

Without warning.

So you shouldn't do that.

[ Laughter ] -And we're gonna have some sturdy safety equipment in order to do this.

-Yeah.

You have gotten a dry suit, and some boots, a life jacket.

-The water temperature, how much is it?

-Around two degrees Celsius.

-It's ice cold.

-That's -- That's pretty close to -- freezes at zero.

-We're not going in.

Let's go.

-Yes.

♪♪ -But you also do other stuff than gin here.

-Yeah.

We got inspired from a sales trip to Scotland for the distillery.

So our main product is whiskey.

-Yeah.

-And whiskey takes time.

So while the whiskey is getting mature, -we make gin while we wait.

-Ah.

-So our first whiskey we're going to release 1st of November this year.

And we have decided to call it Ravnafloke.

-Can we try the whiskey as well?

-Yeah.

Of course.

-Fantastic.

-Follow me.

-Whiskey.

I'm really, really looking forward to this.

Whiskey is what's closest to my heart when it comes to hard liquor.

-Yeah, whiskey is our main product and our main focus.

And finally, now we can release our first whiskey.

It's only about four years old, but it's really great anyway.

♪♪ -It's amazing.

Super fresh and clean as well.

Nice.

Probably have to taste it as well.

-So this is a 58%.

-Sweet, kind of honey as well.

This is -- this will be a success.

-Oh.

Thank you.

♪♪ ♪♪ -I find it both exciting and a bit scary to go kayaking in the ice cold water so close to the glacier, while Sigrid is always ready for some fun.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ After surviving the glacier water, we continue on a similar action adventure.

Downwards, downwards on two wheels only.

The nature by the foot of this glacier has really a full range of adrenaline activities all year round.

♪♪ On the other side of the fjord lies Onarheim, where the family Alsaker have created a living for a whole region based on aquaculture.

Sigrid meets up with Malene Kristine, who is continuing the family tradition.

-Malene Kristine, we are here at Onarøy.

And what kind of location, what is -- what is this?

-So this is a is a fish farm called Onarøy.

-Yeah.

-This location is a steel construction.

And it is in Onarheim's fjord, which is right outside Onarheim.

The place where we come from, we have our main office there, and we also live there on our own.

-You grew up -- -I grew up here.

Yeah.

-And this is a family business.

-Your father started it in '86?

-Right.

-And you were the oldest.

-Yes.

-Is this a given path or how is it?

-It is and it isn't.

-And I think that for me it falls naturally.

-Yeah.

-But it's also something that you -- that I choose -and that I want to do.

-Mm.

-And that, to me, this feels very, very, very natural.

-Yeah.

And it is a good business.

-It is.

-So that makes it easier, I guess.

-[ Laughs ] Yeah.

-And the salmon behind us here, I can see when they jump up and down and they look very happy.

It's a good size on this one.

-Yeah.

So these are getting close to five kilos.

We have begun to take them out.

-Yeah.

-For slaughter.

-Yeah.

-They can get quite a bit bigger.

-Yeah.

-It would be great.

-But we've started.

-Yeah.

-So, because we have 23 locations.

-Yeah, this is only one of them.

-This is only one of them.

And we make sure that we can deliver salmon to the market every week throughout the year.

So we need to take some out.

-Yeah.

-Sigrid is on the hunt for ingredients for a real fjord meal.

OnarTun, which is built by the Alsakers, has both a general store and a cozy cafe.

Perfect for those of us who are waiting for dinner.

At the top of the island, there is a camp with a great view of this little kingdom.

-Now we're going to try something exciting.

We're just gonna clean up in the bonfire a bit, take them out to the side, and then in the middle here, it's a flat stone.

And now it's been in the bonfire a while, so it's really hot, and we're just going to put a full side of salmon, fresh salmon from just down here, and then into the bonfire.

And I think that will be perfect.

Here comes the salmon.

-Perfect.

Thank you so much.

-Okay.

Let's have a look.

Oh la-la!

Fresh salmon from just out there.

Perfect.

Ooh!

Nydelig!

We're just gonna have some salt and some pepper.

And then we're gonna try something that you may or may not haven't tried before.

And that is plum and rhubarb jam.

Makes a nice acid.

A local product, of course.

And then you can tell me afterwards -if you like it or not.

-[ Laughter ] -Okay.

And then into the bonfire.

♪♪ ♪♪ I think it's ready.

I think it's well done.

Woo!

Cool!

-Our meal at Blueberry Hill is about to be ready.

Stig and I are eager to contribute.

He with a drink, and me to get some of the famous Tysnes blueberries.

Stig, we're at Blueberry Hill, overlooking this fantastic fjord.

And since it is Blueberry Hill, I found some blueberries.

-Can you use these?

-Absolutely.

Because the gin I'm using has forest berries as well.

-Oh, wow, wow.

-This is from Sveio.

So Hiernagla... -Weather-beaten is actually what it's called.

Vaerbitt -- -Can you translate that to English?

-I think it's called something like weather beaten.

It means that when you really are affected -by the rough weather.

-Ah.

-But today it's beautiful.

-It's beautiful.

-So just a little bit of vermouth to take off the bite, since it's still early.

Stir this.

I think it's cold enough already.

-Yeah.

♪♪ I think this will go perfect as a starter before the salmon.

-Absolutely.

-Hand-picked blueberries, Stig.

That's a phenomenal taste.

♪♪ -I have to add some freshness to it as well.

-Stig's local version of a dry martini is ready.

Malene Kristine and Sigrid are using the campfire, -even for dessert.

-Whew!

Hot.

So this is apples from Hardanger, of course.

And butter, honey, and almonds.

-Right.

-Easy as that.

-Okay, Gerhard, now we can taste what Stig has made on your Blueberry Hill.

-Thank you.

I look forward to that.

-So now we have a dry martini garnished with blueberries -from the Blueberry Hill.

-From the Blueberry Hill.

-It's a dry martini with a view.

-Yes, it is.

Skål.

-Cheers.

-Skål.

-Cheers.

-I'm looking forward also to taste your salmon from out there, Gerhard.

-I'm sure it will be tasty.

-It's on a fire over there with your daughter and Sigrid and they are soon ready to serve us, I think.

-Hope so.

[ Laughs ] -Cheers.

-Cheers.

-Skal.

♪♪ -For more inspiration, visit our website -- peopleofthenorth.net ♪♪ -Wow!

-A-ha!

-Ooh, ooh, ooh.

-Fresh, beautiful salmon grilled on an open fire with plum and rhubarb.

And now I'm going to serve you in a little, tortilla with some tzatziki and some edible flowers from a beautiful garden.

-It's perfect, Sigrid.

-Uh-huh.

-You are really a master chef today.

Very good.

Very good means very good in Norwegian.

[ Laughter ] The 148th largest language in the world.

[ Laughter ] Important to know a few words.

If you come to Norway and have this great salmon from Onarøy.

-It's lovely.

-An autumn trip to the mouth of the Hardangerfjord is a lovely journey waiting for you.

There are excitement, lovely food, and interesting villages to be found.

Fresh salmon and great blueberries is a perfect way to say goodbye.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Tellus Works.

-For more inspiration, visit our website -- peopleofthenorth.net -Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... [ Wind blowing ] Seafood from Norway.

♪♪ -Telemark.

A world of culture and history where nature knows no bounds, with the flavors of local delicacies.

Adventure awaits in Telemark.

[ Airplane roars ] ♪♪