A Taste of West Sweden

To help promote its foodie prowess, the West Sweden Tourist Board helped set up the Taste of West Sweden (Västsvensk Mersmak) scheme in 2000. Ten years on, 25 restaurants and a number of producers are involved in the scheme, which highlights the best eating experiences in the region. Local cuisine is an important part of a country's culture and history and the availability of ingredients and changing seasons contribute to the eating experience wherever you are.
  
In West Sweden, perhaps the most famous ingredients come from the Bohuslän coast – the so-called Big Five of lobster, oysters, mussels, crayfish and prawns. These delicacies have a natural place in all major festivals and holidays, and are often part of everyday life too, such as eating prawns straight from a paper bag while sitting on the end of a jetty in summer.

Forest, field and lake provide opportunities for just as tasty meals and play their part in local culinary traditions too. The wilderness area of Dalsland, known for its lakes and deep forests, offers a selection of game (including moose, deer and even beaver), freshwater fish (including whitefish, pike and perch), and mushrooms and berries from the forest.
 
Västergötland, an inland area of rolling countryside, is noted for its cheese production (the area around Falköping has the highest cow population in Sweden), while fish come from its big lakes.