Cuisine of Iceland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 the Icelandic national food.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] External links
- Icelandic cuisine website Note: This website is subscription only.
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