‘It’s useful to think of China as you might think of Europe,’ says Sigmund Bjørgo, NSC country director for China. ‘Greek people are quite different from Norwegian people for example. You have the same diversity here. People from Beijing are very different from the Shanghainese, who are again very different from those from Guangzhou. And that is just touching on the biggest cities – mentalities are different from city to city, tier to tier and from urban to rural.
Interview with Sigmund Bjørgo
NSC Country Director China"Sashimi offers everyday, affordable luxury we see elsewhere."
NSC Country Director China
Everywhere you go, there are different food cultures. China has eight ‘Great Cuisines’ but of course there are many more. ‘There is no ‘Chinese food’ in China.’
This means both tradition and flexibility: a particular taste might be based on centuries of culture but, because there is also so much variety, consumers are open to trying new things. In fact, this is very much ‘part of the Chinese philosophy of always being on the path of learning,’ says Sigmund.
‘This openness has only increased over recent decades as Chinese spending power has grown’. This attitude extends to imported food too, he explains.
But do imported foods always need to cater to local flavours and tastes? In the case of salmon Sigmund says that’s a no.
‘So far, salmon isn’t really about adapting to local tastes,’ he explains. ‘Salmon equals sashimi - full stop. And sashimi is, by definition in China, a foreign food. It is Japanese food and most people ate it for the first time in a Japanese restaurant.’
There isn’t even much focus on sushi, he continues. ‘That is a small slice of
the salmon category. It really is mainly sashimi.’ And that is despite raw fish being an alien idea.
‘Just like in Europe, Chinese people grew up knowing fish should be cooked well to kill germs and parasites. So it took some time to convince Chinese people that it is ok to eat some fish raw – and that it also tastes very good.’
Now convinced, Sigmund talks of the shift he has seen since his first, pre-pandemic stint in China and the way people eat salmon today. ‘The big change we have seen is in home consumption, which is growing very, very strongly,’ he notes.
Salmon is riding the tails of a broad, post-Covid shift to home eating, combined with modern retail that offers ‘mint-condition delivery’ from ‘sashimi-certified factories or traditional fishmongers that cut the salmon for you before sending it via a delivery app’.
‘Salmon in China is quite easy to understand: it represents the same everyday, affordable luxury that we see elsewhere. It is something you can buy to have that little treat at home.'