Icelandic cuisine

A fisherman's hut in Reykjavík in 1835 with fish hung outside for drying.

Important parts of Icelandic cuisine are fish, being in an area where fish is plentiful, lamb and dairy. Popular foods in Iceland include skyr, hangikjöt (smoked lamb), kleinur, laufabrauð and bollur. Þorramatur is a traditional buffet served at midwinter festivals called Þorrablót and containing a selection of traditionally cured meat and fish products served with rúgbrauð (dense dark rye bread) and brennivín (an Icelandic akvavit). Much of the taste of this traditional country food is characterised by the preservation methods used; pickling in lactic acid or brine, drying and smoking.

The thing that defined Icelandic subsistence farming from the middle ages well into the 20th century, was the short production period (summer) compared to the long cold period. Apart from occasional game, the food produced in the three months of summer had to suffice for nine months of winter. It has been estimated that using these methods of subsistence Iceland could support a population of around 60,000. During all these centuries, from the onset of the Little Ice Age when it became impossible to harvest cereals in Iceland and sheep became the dominant livestock instead of cattle, farming methods changed very little and fishing remained confined to hook and line from rowboats constructed from driftwood. As the boats were owned by the farmers, fishing also remained confined to periods when the farmhands weren't needed for farm work. Fish was not just a food, but could also be readily exchanged for products brought by foreign merchant ships, especially cereals, such as rye and oats, transported to Iceland by Danish merchants.

A lot of regional variation existed in subsistence farming according to whether people lived close to the ocean or inland. Also, in the north of the country the main fishing period unfortunately coincided with the haymaking period in the autumn. This lead to the underdevelopment of fishing compared to the south where the main fishing period was from February to July. Some authors have described Icelandic society as a highly conservative farming society where the demand for farmhands in the short summers led to fierce opposition among tenant farmers and landowners, to the formation of fishing villages. As fishing was considered risky compared to farming, the Alþingi would pass many resolutions restricting or forbidding the habitation of landless tenants on the coast.

Another result of the dominance of subsistence farming in Iceland was the lack of specialisation and commerce between farms. Interior trade seems to have been frowned upon even from the age of settlement as testified in some of the Icelandic sagas. Trade with foreign merchant ships was lively, however, and vital for the economy, especially for cereals and honey, alcohol and (later) tobacco. Fishing ships from the coastal areas of Europe would stop for provisions in Icelandic harbors and trade what they had with the locals. This would include stale beer and biscuits sold for knitted wool mittens, blankets etc. Merchant ships would also arrive occasionally from Holland, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Spain, to sell their products, mainly for stockfish, prominently displayed in the royal seal of Iceland. In 1602 the Danish king, who was worried about the activities of English ships in what he saw as his own waters, instituted a trade monopoly in Iceland, restricting commerce to Danish merchants who were, in turn, required to regularly send merchant ships to Iceland carrying trade goods the country needed. While illegal trade flourished in the 1600's, stricter measures were taken to enforce the monopoly in 1685. The monopoly existed until 1787. One of its results was the predominance of rye produced in Denmark, and the introduction of brennivín, an akvavit produced from rye, at the cost of other cereals and beer.

Types of food

Iceland offers a fine variety of all kinds of foods produced locally. The quality is excellent, in part because of a very clean environment.

Fish

Fish dishes in Iceland are Icelandic fish which is caught in the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Fresh fish can be had all the year round. Icelanders eat mostly haddock, plaice, halibut, herring and shrimp.

Meat

Perhaps the best is lamb meat (Icelandic: lambakjöt), mostly because the sheep range freely in the mountains. Iceland has strict regulations relating to meat production and the use of hormones is strictly forbidden. Poultry farming is considerable in Iceland. The most common types of bird reared are chicken, duck and turkey. Certain species of wild birds are hunted, including geese ducks and ptarmigan.

Traditionally the main source of meat was the domestic sheep, the most common farm animal in Iceland. However, sheep were also used for their milk and wool and thus were worth more alive than dead. This meant that once a sheep was slaughtered (usually the young rams and infertile ewes) most or all of the carcass was used for making food, which was carefully preserved and cherished. Horses were not eaten after Christianisation except as a last resort, but this attitude started changing after the middle of the 18th century and horse meat, usually salted and served boiled or in bjúgu, a form of smoked sausage, has been common in Iceland from the 19th century onwards.

Seal hunting, especially the more common harbor seal, was common everywhere farmers had access to seal breeding grounds, which were considered an important commodity. Whereas mutton was almost never eaten fresh, seal meat was usually eaten immediately, washed in seawater, or conserved for a short time in brine.

A potential source of meat, whaling was not possible in Iceland until the 20th century due to the lack of ocean-going ships. Beached whales were eaten, however, and the icelandic word for beached whale, hvalreki, is still used to mean a stroke of good luck.

Dairy products

Dairy products are very important to Icelanders. In fact, the average Icelander eats about 100 gallons of dairy products in one year. A wide range of cheeses and other dairy products are made in Iceland. There are over 80 types of cheese made, some of which have won international awards. Skyr (which is something between yogurt and the German "Quark") and mysa (whey) are specialities that have been made in farms through the centuries in Iceland.

Fruits and vegetables

Even though Iceland is situated near the Arctic Circle, many garden vegetables are grown outside, including cabbage and potatoes. Some other vegetables, fruits and flowers are grown in geothermally heated greenhouses.

Þorramatur

Hákarl hanging near Bjarnahöfn, Iceland.

Main article: Þorramatur

Iceland has a range of traditional foods, known as þorramatur, which are enjoyed seasonally from January to March. These traditional foods include smoked and salted lamb, singed sheep heads, dried fish, smoked and pickled salmon, cured shark and various other delicacies. Breads include laufabrauð (deep-fried paper-thin bread), kleinur (similar to doughnuts) and rye pancakes.

Hákarl

Main article: Hákarl

Hákarl (meaning ‘shark’ in Icelandic) is rotten shark meat. It is part of the þorramatur, the traditional seasonal Icelandic foods. It is known for its pungent taste and smell of ammonia. As such, eating hákarl is assoiciated with hardiness and strength. It is often accompanied by brennivín, a local schnapps.

Catering

There is a wide range of high quality restaurants in Iceland, serving specialities including freshly caught seafood, meat from naturally reared animals and prize game from the countryside.

External links

• Icelandic cuisine website Note: This website is subscription only.