I’m sure there are plenty of good food items to enjoy in Iceland but I’ve been driving around in a motor-home for the past week and have been cooking our own meals. We’ve only eaten out twice so far. Once a Subway stop which happened to be next to the Bonus supermarket near the camper pick up spot and another time we picked up one of the national dishes of Iceland – a Pylsur or hot dog. The dogs are served on a panni pressed bun, slathered with brown mustard and crunch fried onions. Very good and cheap as well as plentiful from any N1 gas station.
But there are a number of Icelandic delicacies that I would pass on if offered. Here are the top five:
- Kæstur hákarl (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈhauːkʰardl̥]) (Icelandic for “fermented shark”) is a national dish of Iceland consisting of a Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) or other sleeper shark which has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for four to five months. Kæstur hákarl has a strong ammonia-rich smell and fishy taste.
- Cod Tongues – Gellur. Walnut sized chunks.
- Svid – Half singed sheep’s head cut down the middle. Go for the cheeks and lips.
- Puffin – smoked, pickled or served raw.
- Whale – hvalur – Minke whale, tough and rank. Served almost raw.
Honorable mentions include Hrutspungar which is ram’s testicles pickled in whey, Slatur which is left over lamb parts cooked inside a lamb’s stomach lining and Horse (hestur) which can be found in stews or even served very rare even raw.
No thanks, I’ll stick to the $37 pizza.