Ut på tur, aldri sur – out on a walk, never sulky!

What do you remember most from your childhood? Many Norwegians will nod in agreement when I say, ’’being on a mountain walk and getting to eat a ‘Kvik lunsj’ chocolate bar for the very first time.’’ Beyond the 20th century it became more and more common to be a tourist in your own country. Wide plateaus and mountains were invaded by hiking and ski loving families during holiday times. Their rucksacks were filled with packed lunches, hot cocoa, oranges and of course ‘Kvik Lunsj’ chocolate bars. After many hours walking in the fresh and cold mountain air, this became a long awaited meal and a reward for the effort. ‘Kvikk lunsj’ was introduced in 1937 by the Freia chocolate company and since then has become the whole country’s go to hiking chocolate. The advertisements for ‘Kvik lunsj’ have always encouraged people to embark on a walk and given them good advice along the way. During the 1960s the mountain weather rules were printed on the chocolate wrapper and since then they have conveyed walking tips, information on attractions and the Norwegian Tourist Associations cabins which are located all over this naturally beautiful country. The famous English author Roald Dahl, wrote the book “Charlie and the Chocolate factory” after being inspired by the Freia chocolate factory in Oslo and when Norway held the winter Olympics in 1952, an amazing 10 million ‘kvikk lunsj’ were sold.