Hákarl

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Hákarl up for drying in Iceland

For the species of shark see Greenland shark

Hákarl or kæstur hákarl (Icelandic for "fermented shark") is a food from Iceland. It is part of Þorramatur, Iceland's national food.

1 Consumption
2 Preparation
3 Reactions
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Consumption

The shark itself is poisonous when fresh due to a high content of uric acid and trimethylamine oxide, but may be consumed after being processed (see below). It has a particular ammonia smell, not too dissimilar from many cleaning products. It is often served in cubes on toothpicks. Those new to it will usually gag involuntarily on the first attempt to eat it due to the high ammonia content. It is often eaten with a shot of the local spirit, brennivin. Eating hákarl is often associated with hardiness and strength.

It can be reddish or white. Hákarl, especially the red variety, is considered easy for those with ulcers to digest.

[edit] Preparation

Hákarl is prepared by gutting and beheading a Greenland or basking shark and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly-sand, with the now-cleaned cavity resting on a slight hill. The shark is then covered with sand and gravel, and stones are then placed on top of the sand in order to press the shark. The fluids from the shark are in this way pressed out of the body. The shark ferments for 6-12 weeks depending on the season in this fashion.

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, which is removed prior to cutting the shark into small pieces and serving. The modern method is just to press the shark's meat in a large drained plastic container.

[edit] Reactions

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.

Chef Gordon Ramsay, after challenging journalist James May to sample three "delicacies" (Laotian snake whiskey, bull penis, and hakarl), finally vomited after eating hakarl. May's only reaction was "You disappoint me, Ramsay."^[1]

On season 2's Iceland episode of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Andrew Zimmern described the smell as reminding him of "some of the most horrific things I've ever breathed in my life," but said the taste was not nearly as bad as the smell. Nonetheless, he did note that hákarl was hard core food and not for beginners.