Faroese Food History

Historical period

Norse settlement from the 9th century, possibly preceded by Irish monastic presence; Norwegian rule from 1035 and Danish thereafter; the Reformation; the DANISH TRADE MONOPOLY, which ran until 1856 and controlled what the islands could buy and sell; the 19th-century shift from subsistence farming to deep-sea fishing, which transformed the food economy; British occupation in the Second World War, which brought different supplies and closer ties to Britain; home rule from 1948; and the modern salmon-farming and fishing economy.