Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Icelandic Cuisine
If people know anything about Icelandic food, it's usually the punchline of a
plucky population tucking into boundary-pushing dishes such as fermented
shark or sheep's head. It's a pity the spotlight doesn't shine as brightly on
Iceland's delicious, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients, the seafood bounty
hauled from the surrounding icy waters, the innovative dairy products (hello,
skyr
!) or the clever historic food-preserving techniques that are finding new
favour with today's much-feted New Nordic chefs.
Food Heritage
For much of its history, Iceland was a poverty-stricken hinterland. Sparse soil and cursed
weather produced limited crops, and Icelandic farmer-fishermen relied heavily on sheep,
fish and seabirds to keep from starving. Every part of every creature was eaten - fresh or
dried, salted, smoked, pickled in whey or even buried underground (in the case of shark
meat), with preserving techniques honed to ensure food lasted through lean times.
Fish, seafood, lamb, bread and simple vegetables still form the typical Icelandic diet.
Local food producers and chefs are redicovering old recipes and techniques with a renewed
sense of pride in the country's culinary heritage, and the results can be quite special. The
strong Slow Food movement prioritises locally grown food over imports, with restaurants
proudly flagging up regional treats.
North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland
, by chefs Gunnar Karl Gíslason and Jody Eddy,
is a beautiful new book that profiles traditional Icelandic food producers, many of them sup-
pliers to Gunnar's first-class Dill restaurant.
