Despite signs offering whale and puffin tasting menus on Rekjavik’s main drags, Icelanders steer clear of much-loved animals when it comes to feeding. Tourists (and whale-eating countries like Japan) can keep these industries alive at home, but when it comes to living like locals, visitors should focus on more sustainable seafood options and even eat a hot dog or two. The following foods are what Icelanders are proud to call Icelanders and they eat regularly. Except for the rotten shark. That annual consumable is entirely based on tradition.
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Fresh fish
Iceland’s strong fisheries and aquaculture industries are important to the country for both dietary and export purposes. The country’s surrounding fisheries are about seven times the size of the land mass, and if you’re ordering Arctic charr anywhere in the world, it likely originated in the waters (or responsible fish farms) of Iceland – the country leads the world in production of the species. But there is nothing like enjoying a fresh piece of Atlantic salmon, Atlantic cod or charr in the same place where it was produced. Today Icelanders eat almost 50kg of shellfish per person per year according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – that’s more than 100 pounds per person, divided into about twice a week.
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Skyr
Don’t call it yogurt and don’t tell an Icelander you’ve tried it anywhere else. This skim milk product is technically closer to cheese than yogurt because it is strained and concentrated during the centuries-old production process; think of a spicier version of Italian mascarpone. Skyr is naturally high in protein and low in fat and Icelanders are obsessed with it; the sandwich appears on both the breakfast and dessert menus (skyr cake, anyone?) and on convenience store shelves (packaged to look suspiciously like yogurt). Such a perfect dish is certainly in high demand – most of the cattle raised in Iceland are farmed for the country’s dairy industry.
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Rotten shark
If an Icelander encourages you to try the local delicacy that is the rotten shark, you can assume the joke is yours. The “delicacy” (if something that smells and tastes so bad it can be called delicacy) is a traditional food of the ancestors of Iceland, but it is so stale that today it is only eaten in memory during the ancient month of Þorri, which falls between the end of January and the end of February. Lucky for contemporary Icelanders, the country no longer depends on fermented meat for its livelihood, but curious tourists still give it a try to see it on their Iceland to-do list. Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir, the country’s best-known food writer, wrote an entire book on certain traditional Icelandic dishes, including the Rotten Shark and Roasted Sheep Skull called Does Anyone Really Eat This? So maybe I will take your cue and not do it.
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Brennivín (“Peste Negra”)
If you’re still wondering how horrible rotten shark is, consider this: It’s traditional to wash off the flavor of fish with successive shots of Brennivín, a locally distilled brandy known as “Black Death.” The liquor is an 80o-proof grain of alcohol that is infused with caraway seeds, which gives the herbal drink a flavor between licorice and rye bread. Drink the injection as cold (and as fast) as possible; at Matur og Drykkur, a Reykjavik restaurant specializing in traditional Icelandic cuisine, which means served in glasses made entirely of ice.
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Hot dogs
Hot dogs are unofficially recognized as Iceland’s national dish. However, these are not just hot dogs. No, Iceland takes the fast food staple to the next level by filling a nimble natural wrap with a combination of locally raised lamb, pork and beef and topping it with a seasoning combo that includes raw, crunchy onion, ketchup, mustard. sweet and brown. a remoulade of mayonnaise, capers, mustard and herbs. They are available at almost any gas station in the country, but the most famous are at Baejarins Beztu, a small stand in Reykjavik that has served sandwiches since the 1930s.
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Lamb Soup
Icelanders are proud of their lamb. The country’s 2,000 sheep farmers allow their animals to roam freely through the wild countryside from late spring to fall, during which time the sheep graze on Icelandic moss, wild grass and berries, and take on a unique terroir of the nation. islander. When fresh meat is available in September and October, locals struggle to make it disappear. And as the amount of daylight begins to wane as winter rolls around, a warm bowl of lamb soup (stocked with veggies like carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and onions) is just as comforting and nostalgic for Icelanders as the beloved noodle. chicken in the United States. .
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Smoked Lamb
Turns out, the same lamb that freely grazed and got fat while foraging for berries and then making a great hot dog or soup makes good cold cuts too. Thin slices of smoked bread are eaten on top of buttered flatbread throughout the year and especially during the summer camp season. Smoked, salty and dried meat takes center stage on Christmas Day when it is served as a main dish and topped with a creamy white béchamel sauce.
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Fishery products
Half of Iceland’s annual cod catch is cured in salted fish factories that dot the circumference of the country’s coastline, and salted fillets appear on menus at top Reykjavik restaurants like Kopar Restaurant and Snaps Bistro and Bar. You can also expect to find locally smoked salmon and trout in select restaurants, and bags of dried fish jerky (literally translated as “hard fish” – locals soften it by sprinkling butter on top) at any convenience store. And if you’re truly committed to experiencing the Icelandic way of life, you should start each day with a tablespoon of Lysi cod liver oil for a dose of omega-3s and vitamin D (essential during the short winter days). Lysi has been producing fish oil in Iceland since 1938.
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Tomates Friðheimar
Almost all fruits and vegetables consumed in Iceland are grown under UV light in greenhouses, which means that farm-fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and basil are available all year round – a real treat during the dark Nordic winters. Friðheimar, a family owned and operated farm situated in a prime location on the Golden Circle, is arguably the most famous greenhouse farm in the country, and a true testament to Iceland’s sustainability efforts. Knútur Rafn Ármann and his wife Helena Hermundardóttir bought the farm in 1995 and began growing tomatoes in a geothermal greenhouse; Today, after years of facility improvements, the farm produces 370 tons of fresh tomatoes each year. Visitors can sample the produce right next to the vine during a tour of the property, and then feast on the on-site restaurant, which uses tomatoes on just about everything on the menu: tomato soup, tomato beer, and even ice cream. of tomato.
