It was probably fishermen from the Iberian Peninsula who came up with the idea of salting and drying cod. They needed a way to preserve the fish they caught along the coasts of Newfoundland in the late 15th century. The idea spread to Norway, and it was with the Dutchman Jappe Ippes that they started with large-scale production of clipfish. This happened in Kristiansund. From the 18th century, the city became the centre of clipfish production in Northern Europe.
Much of what happening in trade in Norway goes through the city of Bergen. Bergen is the gateway to the European continent for anyone who wants to trade in fish products. Soalso, in the 16th and 17th centuries. Large amounts of both stockfish and clipfish were shipped out of the ports of Bergen, and when the bacalao (bacalhau) became a common dish at most Portuguese tables, the trade between Norway and Portugal escalated.
Until 1702, Bergen's old town hall was the site of this trade. The trade was done at the ground floor and afterward they celebrated with clipfish and Portuguese wines in the basement. Today the same is done with bacalao and Olaf red wine.