National cuisine of Iceland for gourmets

Iceland is a small northern country whose population is just about 340,000 people. However, the country's culture is unique and exceptional, which can also be said about the traditional food of Icelanders. Local cuisine reflects the country's limited resources. Since Iceland is an island country, fish is the basis of the national cuisine. There are more than three hundred species of fish in Icelandic waters, including salmon, catfish, mackerel, haddock, pike, and others, so the choice is really vast. A very popular dish is “harðfiskur”, dried fish with salt, often cod or haddock, which is usually eaten with butter. It is served in almost all restaurants in the country, and it can be found in any supermarket.

"Hákarl" is a very exotic dish for tourists consisting of shark meat. Its cooking recipe is unusual: first, the meat is buried in the ground for 3 months, then dried for about 6 months. The ready-to-eat meat is cut into cubes and served as a snack. Shark meat can also be found in many shops. Icelanders also eat whale meat. Locals also eat the Atlantic puffin bird, tender lamb meat, and a special dish often terrifying guests of Iceland - this is “svið” or a boiled sheep's head. This dish has a history that goes back to the days when poor Icelanders could not afford to throw out any eatable animal parts. On holidays, especially on Christmas, people eat smoked salmon, reindeer meat, and smoked lamb.

Icelanders like sweets, especially ice cream. Here you can find absolutely any kind of this sweet cooling dessert, including well-liked "lúxusdýfa", ice cream with blended caramel and chocolate. As for pastries, we should mention “Kleina”, small sweet dough buns fried in animal fat or vegetable oil, often washed down with coffee. In the summer, locals eat blueberries and cream, berries are also baked in rolls, muffins, and cakes or eaten fresh. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Icelandic rye bread is eaten with many dishes, especially fish. Sometimes an old method is used to bake it - burying raw dough near a heat source. Skyr is an ancient dish that has been eaten in Iceland for many centuries, a light yogurt made from skimmed milk. Today this dairy product can be found in many shops in Iceland with a variety of added flavors, it is normally served for breakfast.

Icelanders always eat French fries with special Kokkteilsósa sauce. It is made from an equal amount of sour cream and mayonnaise (100 grams of each per serving), which are mixed until a homogeneous mass. Then, 3-4 tablespoons of ketchup and 2 teaspoons of sweet mustard are added to the mixture. Brennivin, or “Svartidauði” (“Black Death”), is a traditional Icelandic beverage made from mashed potatoes and seasoned with cumin. Reyka is an Icelandic vodka, one of the purest in the world, because it is made from the waters of an arctic spring flowing through a lavender field, which is more than three thousand years old.

The Icelanders' behavior at the table may shock foreigners. Icelanders often eat very fast. It is perfectly normal to leave the table while others are still eating, use a toothpick right at the table, talk with one's mouth full, and put more food on the plate before it was offered. Also, Icelanders always stretch for salt or food across the table because asking others to pass anything is considered bad manners.

There are many places in Iceland where you can enjoy the local and international cuisine. Hot dogs are especially popular in Iceland. Baejarins Beztu Pylsur is a chain of hot dog stands in Reykjavik. There are always crowds of people in front of them - that's how good these hot dogs are. Sweet tooths should definitely visit "Ísbúð Vesturbæjar", a small ice cream shop in the capital. The best ice cream in all of Reykjavik has been sold here for more than a decade. Those who prefer classic restaurants will appreciate Old Iceland, a family restaurant in the heart of the capital, where, among other things, clam cream soup with white wine and wonderful Almond Cake are served. In the port city of Seydisfjörður, you'll find an excellent top-level sushi bar, “Norð Austur” (“Northeast”), using only the freshest fish caught by local fishermen.