Those fish ponds you see from the road are for farming trout – the raw material for Valdres's most famous and perhaps most challenging delicacy: rakfisk.
Rakfisk is fermented trout. The fish is salted and left to ferment in barrels for anywhere from three to twelve months. The result has a strong, distinctive smell that divides opinion sharply. Norwegians tend to love it or avoid it entirely. For visitors, it's one of those foods you really should try at least once.
Valdres produces over 80 percent of Norway's rakfisk, and the tradition here goes back to the 1600s. In 2006, "Rakfisk fra Valdres" became a protected geographical designation – like Champagne or Parmesan. Only fish spawned, raised and processed in Valdres can carry that label.
Noraker Gård is one of six certified producers in the region. The farm has been in the same family for over 500 years. Mountain water is piped down from 900 metres to the ponds – the fast-flowing current keeps the trout active and healthy. The actual fermentation happens inside, where temperature, salt and hygiene are carefully controlled.
Traditionally, rakfisk is eaten on lefse – a soft flatbread – with raw onion, sour cream and dill. Most Norwegians wash it down with aquavit. The combination works surprisingly well.
The farm has a shop if you want to try some, though they're not the only place in Valdres selling it.