# The delights of Icelandic cuisine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408 "2011-12-07T20:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/1 "2011-12-07T20:11:14Z")
After a bit over four decades on this rock, I decided that enough is enough ; I have to get a stamp in my passport. So, around late March, I’m going to drive to JFK, park the car, hop on a flight to Reykjavik, and spend a week around the Arctic Circle. Okay … technically that part of Iceland is still in North America, but culturally speaking, it’s Europe. Besides, I can rent a car for a day, and cross the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, along with checking out some of the other Golden Circle attractions. Icelanders boast about everything in their country being “best i heimi” – best in the world . After reading about their food, though, I gotta’ ask “what the hell were they thinking?” It seems like Icelandic cuisine was the result of Vikings trying to one-up each other in a each other in a Saga-era Fear Factor-like contest of consuming grossout foods. I stumbled across [this page](http://www.lyza.com/2010/03/15/iceland-a-challenge-even-for-the-cuisine-bold/), which describes some of the culinary delights that await visitors to Iceland. > [@](#): > > Kæstur hákarl, putrefied Greenland shark > Súrsaðir hrútspungar, the testicles of rams pressed in blocks, boiled and cured in lactic acid. > Svið, singed and boiled sheep heads, sometimes cured in lactic acid > Sviðasulta, head cheese or brawn made from svið, sometimes cured in lactic acid > Lifrarpylsa (liver sausage), a pudding made from liver and suet of sheep kneaded with rye flour and oats > Blóðmör (blood-suet; also known as slátur, meaning slaughter), a type of blood pudding, which is made from lamb’s blood and suet, kneaded with rye flour and oats > Harðfiskur, wind-dried fish (often cod, haddock or seawolf), served with butter > Hangikjöt, (hung meat), smoked and boiled lamb or mutton, sometimes also eaten raw. > Lundabaggi, sheep’s loins wrapped in the meat from the sides, pressed and cured in lactic acid > Selshreifar, seal’s flippers cured in lactic acid Have any Dopers tried Icelandic cuisine? Were you able to hold it down? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/2 "2011-12-07T20:20:05Z")
The only one of that bunch that gives me pause is the kakarl. If it’s anywhere near as bad as the Swedish dish _surströmming_ (and it looks to be worse from all accounts), wow. Liver, blood pudding, boiled sheeps heads, head cheese, etc. I eat that stuff or similar (though not Iceland versions) fairly regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/3 "2011-12-07T20:26:16Z")
Here’s Hákarl (fermented shark). From [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A1karl): > [@](#): > > Hákarl is an acquired taste and has a very particular ammonia-rich smell and fishy taste, similar to very strong cheese slathered in ammonia… > > Those new to it will usually gag involuntarily on the first attempt to eat it … > > Hákarl is traditionally prepared by gutting and beheading a Greenland or basking shark and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly-sand…The shark ferments in this fashion for 6–12 weeks…Following this curing period, the shark is then cut into strips and hung to dry for several months. During this drying period a brown crust will develop… > > Chef Anthony Bourdain, who has travelled extensively throughout the world sampling local cuisine for his Travel Channel show No Reservations, has described shark þorramatur as “the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing” he has ever eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/4 "2011-12-07T20:41:46Z")
Cmon, how bad could it taste. Oh, you said _Hakarl_. Much worse than a Hot Carl. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/5 "2011-12-07T20:49:08Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Icelanders boast about everything in their country being “best i heimi” – best in the world . Surely that’s just the Tourist Board doing that? ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/6 "2011-12-07T20:58:32Z")
Just as an aside, isn’t Reykjavik still crazy expensive compared to places like Brussels, Berlin, Barcelona or Bratislava? Have you checked out any other European destinations besides Iceland? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/7 "2011-12-07T21:07:53Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Just as an aside, isn’t Reykjavik still crazy expensive compared to places like Brussels, Berlin, Barcelona or Bratislava? Airfare from the States is reasonable (RT about $600 to $700), as are hotel rooms ($60 to $80 a night will get you a very nice room in downtown Reykjavik; about two-thirds to one half the price of an equivalent room in upstate New York). Restaurant menu prices seem about 50% more expensive than their American equivalents, and clothing, alcohol, and rental cars are a lot pricier. Thank the collapse of Iceland’s banking system for the country’s new-found affordability. If I wait a few more years, hot dogs might be back up to $6, another reason to go ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/8 "2011-12-07T21:42:09Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Airfare from the States is reasonable (RT about $600 to $700), as are hotel rooms ($60 to $80 a night will get you a very nice room in downtown Reykjavik… That is good to hear, as i was under the impression that a room in Reykjavik was closer to $300 per night, but obviously I was WAY off. It sounds like a great trip; Hope you have a blast, and if there is one thing I have learned on my assorted travels, if the local food is not sitting well with you, no matter where you are, there is ALWAYS pizza somewhere in the nearby vicinity… Enjoy your visit!!! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/9 "2011-12-07T21:50:56Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > After a bit over four decades on this rock, I decided that enough is enough ; I have to get a stamp in my passport. So, around late March, I’m going to drive to JFK, park the car, hop on a flight to Reykjavik, and spend a week around the Arctic Circle. Okay … technically that part of Iceland is still in North America, but culturally speaking, it’s Europe. Besides, I can rent a car for a day, and cross the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, along with checking out some of the other Golden Circle attractions. > > Icelanders boast about everything in their country being “best i heimi” – best in the world . After reading about their food, though, I gotta’ ask “what the hell were they thinking?” It seems like Icelandic cuisine was the result of Vikings trying to one-up each other in a each other in a Saga-era Fear Factor-like contest of consuming grossout foods. I stumbled across [this page](http://www.lyza.com/2010/03/15/iceland-a-challenge-even-for-the-cuisine-bold/), which describes some of the culinary delights that await visitors to Iceland. > > Have any Dopers tried Icelandic cuisine? Were you able to hold it down? May I point out that the ‘cured in lactic acid’ means it is soaked in a container of whey [left over after cheesemaking] and is roughly like being pickled in vinegar? if it helps, think of it like pickled pigs feet or pickled eggs and beets. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/10 "2011-12-07T22:00:17Z")
Yum! Having lived in the Northen Hebrides (Scotland, not currently) foir years, I’ve had several similar foods. Black aka blood pudding - countless times and I like it. Especially with runny eggs and hot sauce. Haggis (sheep guts ground with pepper and oatmeal) - LOVE good haggis. Liver sausage aka liverwurst, sure. Hung meat, raw meat and air-dried fish, yes, also can be good. Better if smoked, though. Head cheese yes. Bull and lamb testicles, yes, prepared several ways (tastes like kidney and I don’t care for it.) What sort of vegetables and fruits do they eat in Iceland, I wonder? At any rate, I’m jealous of your trip. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/11 "2011-12-07T22:02:00Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > That is good to hear, as i was under the impression that a room in Reykjavik was closer to $300 per night, but obviously I was WAY off. Yeah, as **elmwood** says, there was a pretty big financial collapse in Iceland a couple years ago. To give you an idea, in 2007, a buck would buy you about 60 Icelandic Krona. In December of 2008, you got about 150 for a buck (!). Currently, it’s at about 120. Iceland suddenly got affordable. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/12 "2011-12-07T22:14:50Z")
I think you had better pack pbj to go. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/13 "2011-12-07T22:16:28Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Yum! > Having lived in the Northen Hebrides (Scotland, not currently) foir years, I’ve had several similar foods. > > \ > Bull and lamb testicles, yes, prepared several ways (tastes like kidney and I don’t care for it.) > > \ Where were you getting bull’s testicles in the “Northern” Hebrides (I assume you mean Lewis)? The best black pudding comes from there though. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/14 "2011-12-07T22:32:42Z")
If I remember correctly, after the Reykjavik episode of No Reservations (and it’s like, the second or third episode ever filmed) Anthony Bourdain had it written into his contract that there would be\* no more\* Scandinavian episodes. Your mileage may vary. But this is the man who ate unwashed warthog rectum. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/15 "2011-12-07T22:45:15Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > If I remember correctly, after the Reykjavik episode of No Reservations (and it’s like, the second or third episode ever filmed) Anthony Bourdain had it written into his contract that there would be\* no more\* Scandinavian episodes. “Hypothermia, bad. Shelter, good.” ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/16 "2011-12-07T22:47:30Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Where were you getting bull’s testicles in the “Northern” Hebrides (I assume you mean Lewis)? The best black pudding comes from there though. Isle of Skye. The bull testicles were in Colorado actually; sheep/lamb balls in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/17 "2011-12-07T23:01:36Z")
Just forget all that weird stuff and order the lamb. The lamb in Iceland are delicious. They have a unique two-way breed that’s equally good for meat or wool. Also, the skyr is very good. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/18 "2011-12-07T23:06:40Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Isle of Skye. Oh, right. Skye is Inner Hebrides. Where did you spend years again? ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/19 "2011-12-07T23:16:09Z")
Regarding hakarl: some people say that it tastes like a mild cheese. I went for a long weekend-the people are incredibly friendly-booze is super expensive, but the seafood is geat. Don’t miss the Blue Lagon-imagine, a giant outdoor swimming pool-with the water at 85F! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408/20 "2011-12-07T23:21:20Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Oh, right. Skye is Inner Hebrides. Where did you spend years again? Sorry, poor choice of wording on my part. Doesn’t change the location though. Seven years and I graduated high school there. And was at the boarding hostel in Portree. Which would explain the lots and lots of black pudding. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-delights-of-icelandic-cuisine/605408.md?page=2)