Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.08.2008, Qupperneq 16

16 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 12—2008
ARTICLE BY MARcuS wALSH — pHoTo BY gAS
Grapevine met with two local chefs – Hrefna Rósa
Jóhannsdóttir Sætran, owner of the restaurant
Fish Market on Aðalstræti, and Stefán Úlfarsson,
from the family-run 3 Frakkar, on Baldursgata – to
learn their approach to contemporary Icelandic
cuisine. Stefán also provided us with an easy five-
step recipe that anyone can try for themselves at
an agreeable cost.
vOCAL ABOuT LOCAL fOOD
As travel guides talk about Icelandic food in terms
of putrefied shark and whale steaks, I was curious
about how often Icelanders eat these dishes and
whether or not these stereotypes are warranted.
As a visitor, I wanted to sample something simple,
current and obtainable that I could legitimately
cook for myself. Everybody mentions fish and
the lamb as being the fundamental quality pro-
duce. The chefs confirmed that these are indeed
the main strengths of Icelandic cuisine. “Our
animals are ranged and not farmed,” mentioned
Stefán, while Hrefna pointed to the quality of life
of lambs: “They can run around eating grass and
fresh herbs”. This is a far cry from factory farm-
ing and harsh living conditions that much of the
world has come to witness.
The simplicity of using
what is locally available is
very important to the chefs.
The international reversion
back to organic produce, as
championed by chefs like Ja-
mie Oliver in the UK, is similar
in helping reinforce regional
identities, but in this corner
of the globe a progression
towards minimalism has oc-
curred. “This has been the
general Nordic movement for
over three years now,” com-
mented Hrefna. “We only use
things that grow around us.”
OH MY COD!
The fish in Iceland are so palat-
able because of the short time
they spend out of the water
before being served. They tell me that freshness is
a fundamental facet to modern Icelandic seafood
dishes, be they cod, halibut or lobster, and that
sauce is always minimal, mainly for enhancing the
raw material. I also learn that cod has a lesser rep-
utation abroad due to inferior
treatment of the fish. “When
you eat cod in London the
likelihood is that is has been
sitting around for a few days,
but here it makes it to the
plate a lot faster” said Stefán.
Easy-access to fish is also a
crucial proponent in the eyes
of Stefán: “We use what is in
our neighbourhood, here up
north in the Atlantic”.
Both chefs specialise in
seafood and focus on mod-
ern simplicity in courses like
halibut with lobster sauce,
redfish with wasabi or even a
mother’s favourite like hashed
fish. They simultaneously
retain important customary
roots and keep things simple,
without being plain, which in itself is creative.
Stefán concluded: “We bring some of the old and
new styles together and put them in a different
uniform.”
icelAndic cuisine prepAred: we're eAsy on the sAuce.
Food for Thought
Local chefs explain Icelandic Cuisine
ARTICLE BY JAMeS cRugnALe
While many right now are cheering on Iceland’s
Olympians competing in Beijing, there still re-
mains great national pride and honour in remem-
bering that unforgettable moment in time when
the country won its very first medal.
While Iceland’s Olympic history goes back
to 1921, when their Olympic committee was first
started and becoming officially recognised by the
IOC in 1935, it wasn’t until 1956 at the Melbourne
Olympics that an Olympic dream was finally rea-
lised.
Vilhjálmur Einarsson – known throughout
the country today as “Silver Man” – stunned the
world when at Melbourne he sprang a Herculean
leap, bounding 16.26 meters in the men’s triple
jump. This miraculous achievement set a world
record briefly until Adhemar da Silva eclipsed it
shortly after.
Einarsson says that the Silver medal win
came as a huge shock for him AND the country.
“I remember that before the ’56 Olympics started,
a famous journalist wrote that Iceland shouldn’t
send anyone to the Olympics, as there was no
point to it because there had been many previ-
ous disappointments. ‘Why waste all that money
sending an Icelander halfway across the world?’”
he says. “It was quite a big surprise in Iceland for
me to win a medal.”
At the time, Einarsson was two years into col-
lege at Dartmouth University and enthusiastically
participated in the school’s track and field team.
Through this experience, he got into excellent ath-
letic form, ready to take on the world. Einarsson
recalls that in the run up to the Melbourne Games
during the qualifiers in Sweden, he broke the
Scandinavian record for the triple jump, and then
continuously got better and better. “I improved my
personal best by a meter and then another meter,”
he says. “This was a very big improvement in such
a short period of time!”
After accomplishing a silver finish in Mel-
bourne, Einarsson continued his Olympic ambi-
tions to the next games set in Rome in 1960. He
remembers the buzz at the time was high and the
pressure was on him to go for the gold. However,
a heat wave struck the city during his competition
and a Russian triple-jumper strategically delayed
his jump by 10 to 15 minutes, intentionally upping
Einarsson’s stress level before he was to take his
turn. As a result, he suffered the agony of fifth
place. “I remember the whole stadium booing the
Russian, it’s one of my strongest memories of the
games,” he says.
Great Moments
in Icelandic
History
RECIPE
Cod with Mild Mustard Sauce
Grill or fry 2 cod fillets with the
skins still intact on medium for
7-8 minutes
Salt and flip over for a further 2
minutes
Add butter to ensure even
cooking
Mix 3 tbsp Sweet, 2 tbsp
Wholegrain and 1 tbsp Dijon
mustards together with 2 tbsp
cream and heat in a pan on low
for 2 minutes
Serve with lettuce, boiled po-
tatoes, lettuce and season with
parsley
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Iceland gets its first Olympic
medal