I started this blog to chronicle my travels and my passion (eating) as a way of learning about other cultures. The food that local people eat is very telling of the history, geography and character of a city/country. Iceland, while so gorgeous with its waterfalls and glaciers, is a big challenge when in comes to food production. Its frigid condition does not make it conducive to growing and raising veggies/livestock for consumption. What they have, though, is all the bounty that seas have to offer.
I will start with this because I feel like should be receiving an award for having eaten this. My dedication to food knows no bounds. Exhibit A.
Hakari is made from the meat of a Greenland shark, which is naturally full of noxious chemicals, similar to antifreeze, so that it can survive in the cold depths of the ocean. Are you kinda throwing up yet? Here’s more…The shark is caught, and then cut up and literally allowed to rot for approximately 6 months. AND I ATE IT. They were not kidding about the strong chemical smell. Locals recommend that this is eaten with Icelandic vodka. I actually brought some home so I can pair it with the Russian vodkas that i prefer. Where’s my award?
Harðfiskur or dried fish is a traditional Icelandic food often served at the start of a meal along with bread, butter, and other meats, similar to a charcuterie plate. This preserved fish preparation, usually made of cod, haddock, or catfish, is thought to have originated from the Vikings as they required foods that would keep for months at sea. While there are other cultures that preserve their fish, there is nothing quite like fish from the clean Icelandic waters dried in their fresh air. For my Bisaya friends, this is similar to our very own “bulad”, but not as salty. Of course, I bought some to take home and i had it with breakfast porridge(arroz caldo). Amazing.
For breakfast, as a snack, in a sauce at dinner, skyr is everywhere in Iceland. Made with fat free milk and a culture, skyr looks and taste like yogurt, but is actually a cheese. It is tangy like Greek yogurt, but much creamier. Good news, I found one in Trader Joe’s and tried it last night and it was good!
Yes, you read that right. RAM’S TESTICLES. The lamb carpaccio is twice-smoked (with dried sheep dung — yup, not a typo—dung). The liver sausage is the most pedestrian here, I’ve tasted similar ones in Germany. The ram’s testicles…oh boy. The testicles are pressed onto blocks, boiled the cured in whey. The end result is a sour, spongy meat that surprisingly goes well with beer. This is sold in many grocery stores. This is a pack I found in the airport which i, of course, brought home. Have I written about my many mis(adventures) in bringing meats to the US? I really hope no one from customs is reading this.
Let’s move on to something not so disgusting. It’s a dark bread with a very particular taste, that’s slightly sweet. To bake this bread is to put the dough into special wooden casks in the ground close to a hot spring and pick it up the next day. Absolutely delicious!
Búðardalur (west Iceland) specializes in the making of mold cheeses. The hard cheeses are made in the northern part. The dala cheeses are usually, brie, blues, camembert taste-alikes. I love how they are all over grocery stores. We had these for breakfast.
This, I can totally make. I can’t believe I never thought making this, considering how much I love lamb. It’s cooked they way one would with run-of-the-mill beef soup—carrots, potatoes, onions. Rich flavor and very comforting. We had this after the glacier hike.
Lava cheese is a crunchy cheese snack made from Icelandic cheddar, which is then dried, baked and seasoned. It is similar to the parmesan crisps you see in Whole Foods.
I found this while wandering around the airport prior to departure. The black lava salt is an Icelandic geothermal flaky sea salt blended with activated charcoal. The activated charcoal is a natural detoxifier that has health benefits.
Last, but not the least …
Don’t be fooled by the innocent appearance of this pasta dish. While you have the palate-friendly lobster and shrimp, it also contains tongues of a fish. Actually they’re a fleshy, triangular muscle behind and under the tongue, if that seems less disgusting. It really is good. It is best incorporated in a seafood dish such as this one. It brings a lot of “seafood flavor” and an interesting texture. No actually “street food”, we had this at a restaurant. Still worth the mention since we area on a roll here with weird foods.
I had to include this. Iceland has the best water. This is a bottle we got from our flight. Same quality as that come out of the tap. Beans wants this as Christmas gift. Seriously.
There you have it. My Icelandic street food experience. I hope you learned a thing or two, if not of their food and culture, then the fact that I will literally try anything, just for the taste of it. If you’ve read this far, I might as well tell you how an admin of a Facebook food group in Houston, shot one of these pics down. Her words—“I can’t have you post that. Why would Houston foodies want to know about Iceland anyway”. Uhm…because if you’re a foodie, you would be interested in what the rest of the world eats? And to that I click “leave group”. I can’t stand close-minded people. Thank God I can afford to have my own blog…
