![]() The most common types of fish to eat are cod, haddock and salmon, but you will find many varieties that you can try including Pollock, salmon, trout, and halibut. Whether it’s grilled, fried, boiled, stewed or roasted, fish has been a daily part of the Icelandic people’s cuisine for centuries. In Iceland over 340 species of fish have been recorded in the waters around the country. Iceland is a country of high-quality fish and the preparation is kept simple, with fresh fish, herbs, potatoes and traditional Iceland accompaniments like Rugbraud. This led to dishes that were smoked, cured, salted or fermented and in some cases preserved in gelatin. In times gone by Icelanders had to be creative with their means of food storage. Icelandic food is known for its fresh ingredients and for playing with the new Nordic cuisine. The horses roam the mountain areas of Iceland and are free of hormones and for the most part antibiotics. These horses are raised for their meat which is lighter than beef and much more tender. Horse meat is another meat that you may find in Iceland. The head is usually smoked and served whole with mashed potatoes. Svið or sheep’s head is another Icelandic traditional food, these days it isn’t as common but you will still find it on some traditional menus. You take a bite of the shark meat then a good glug of Brennivin and hope the cumin-flavoured liqueur kills the aroma and taste of the rotten shark meat. Hákarl is often found alongside the Icelandic beverage Brennivin a type of aquavit or Icelandic Schnapps. Hakarl is the national dish of Iceland Anthony Bourdain once described it as “the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing” that he had ever eaten, and Gordon Ramsay couldn’t even swallow it. ©Austin Matherne from Minneapolis, United States, CC BY 2.0 This fermenting process was invented to reduce the toxicity of the meat and make it possible for humans to consume it. ![]() Hákarl is a traditional dish in Iceland where the Greenland shark is prepared and fermented in a sand pit. The most famous food in Iceland and one that many foodies are curious to try is Hakarl, also known as fermented shark meat. Wildlife in Iceland and sustainable tourism Hákarl – Fermented Shark And this is due to two major factors: the rise of whale-watching as one of the top contributors to the tourism economy and the growing consensus about whales among modern Icelanders. Nevertheless, there has been a drastic reduction in the number of whales being killed now. ![]() One of them hunts fin whales for exporting to Japan, and the other hunts minkes to supply meat to the local market. Whaling in Iceland hasn’t ceased completely, with two companies leading the industry. This continued right until 2018, with almost 900 minks killed through the years. Subsequently, Iceland resumed the whaling of minks and fin whales in 2006 under a special commercial status. A ban was formulated for this purpose, but Iceland got leeway in the form of a “scientific” whaling project. The International Whaling Committee (formed around the 1940s to protect the global whale population) pledged in the early 1980s to stop commercial whaling within the next 6 years. And the carcasses would be pulled out of the water a few days later, mainly for consumption and harvesting the body parts. This was primarily in the form of spear-drifting, where marked spears would be thrown from open boats to hit the whales, thereby killing them slowly. The first instances of whaling in Iceland can be traced back to as early as the 12th century. Sadly in Iceland, the puffin is still allowed to be hunted but the hunters are strictly limited on the numbers allowed. Puffin MeatĮveryone’s favourite bird the puffin is found all over Iceland and now that the colonies have been reduced by breeding issues the Atlantic puffin is protected in other countries from being hunted. There are some pretty controversial Icelandic foods that a few tourists would like to try such as fermented shark or puffin meat but these foods are now considered contentious and are not easily available. The food of Iceland is known for its fresh ingredients and new Nordic cuisine. Controversial Icelandic Foods – Five Traditional Icelandic foods you don’t want to eat Read on to discover traditional Icelandic food and things to eat in Iceland. These days Icelandic cuisine still focuses on traditional meats such as fish, and lamb and the Icelandic yoghurt Skyr. What do Icelanders eat? Icelandic meals are usually meat-based due to the need for high protein to survive a rugged environment and the fact that there wasn’t arable land for farming in the past. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Controversial Icelandic Foods – Five Traditional Icelandic foods you don’t want to eat.Traditional food of Iceland – 36 dishes to try. ![]()
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