Sushi and salmon have become favourites at Italian eateries. Salmon dishes are now almost as popular as meat dishes, according to a new survey.
While pizza and pasta are synonymous with Italy for Norwegians, salmon has become synonymous with Norway for many Italians. This is because of their appetite for smoked salmon, sushi, and poke with salmon as the main ingredient.
Italy is among the countries with the most sushi restaurants in all of Europe. In Milan alone, there are so many that the city is among the world leaders in terms of the number of sushi restaurants per capita. Additionally, there are about a thousand eateries where poke bowls are the main menu item. By the end of 2025, it is expected that the number will increase to 1,500.
Partly due to the popularity of sushi and poke dishes, Italy has become Norway’s third-largest market for salmon consumption. Nearly 10% of all salmon produced in Norway ends up in Italy. Estimates show that Italians consumed nearly 140,000 tonnes of Norwegian salmon last year, compared to around 84,000 tonnes in 2017.
Salmon is one of the things Italians associate the most with Norway. As of today, Norwegian salmon is also the best known and most preferred among Italian consumers, with a market share of over 90%.