Reykjavík Grapevine - 22.05.2015, Blaðsíða 49

Sushi Samba
Þingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík
Tel 568 6600 • sushisamba.is
Our kitchen is open
17.00–23.00 sun.–thu.
17.00–24.00 fri.–sat.
Amazing
7 course menu
A unique Icelandic Feast
Starts with a shot of the Icelandic
national spirit “Brennivín“
Puffin
Smoked puffin with blueberries,
croutons, goat cheese, beetroot
Minke whale
Minke whale with tataki
Arctic charr
“Torched“ arctic charr with parsnip
purée, fennel, dill mayo
Lobster
Lobster cigar with chorizo, dates, chili jam
Reindeer
Reindeer slider with blue cheese, portobello,
steamed bun
Free range icelandic lamb
Lamb with coriander, pickled red cabbage,
fennel, butternut squash purée, chimichurri
And to end on a high note ...
Icelandic Skyr
Skyr panna cotta with raspberry sorbet, white
chocolate crumble, passion foam, dulche de leche
6.990 kr.

FOOD
FOR THE SOUL
ticular, Hildibrandur says the liver, a
300-350-pound slab of which is found
in each Greenland shark, seems to have
the highest concentration of benefi-
cial nutrients, and laments the missed
opportunity in health marketing, as it
could be a way to restore the shark liver
to its glory days of the 19th century,
when every European metropolis was
lit up with burning shark oil.
Huffing bags of raw shark
The museum doesn’t look like much
from the outside but it’s actually quite
a fascinating little place. The space
is jam-packed with antique tools and
weapons, boats, shark info sheets, shark
skeletons, shark stomach contents, and
stuffed local fauna.
On the hill above the museum sits a
drafty wooden shack where the shark
meat hangs. It’s the size of a large ga-
rage, made of worn-out wooden planks
with wide gaps between them. “We
pack the meat into boxes for six to eight
weeks for fermentation without salt
or other preservatives. Temperatures
can’t go over 5°C but the lower limits
are not an issue because of the shark
fat’s natural resistance to frost. Then
we hang it from the rafters of the hut
in early spring where it is left exposed
to the elements for four to five months.
The meat takes on a thick dark crust
but underneath you will find the famil-
iar pallid yellow colour.”
As mentioned, the ageing and fer-
menting is essential, as the meat is
chockfull of urea and neurotoxins. A
little further research tells me that the
Greenland shark neurotoxin is trimeth-
ylamine oxide, which breaks down into
trimethylamine and can cause a feeling
of drunkenness. Now, I am not advocat-
ing that teenagers start huffing bags of
raw shark in alleyways, all I’m asking is
that they consider it.
Anthony Bourdain is a big
old sissy
So, we have toxic, urine-soaked sea
monsters from the freezing abyss. The
next logical question is: What does it
taste like?
Fermented shark most resembles
durian, a ten-pound fruit that looks like
a spiked ball and smells like leprosy. It's
known to some as the Burzum of the
fruit kingdom. When raw, shark has
the same texture and creamy colour as
durian flesh. It is encased in a similarly
spiky exterior—and once it has experi-
enced weeks of controlled rot, it starts
to take on a similar smell.
It’s hard to describe the flavour of
fermented shark, but a tangy cheese
comes close. It’s far less fishy than
you’d expect, although visits to the fer-
menting shack are not for the weak of
stomach. Celebrity chef Anthony Bour-
dain famously called “hákarl” the worst
thing he had ever eaten. This may have
been coloured by an overall miserable
visit to Iceland or by the fact that An-
thony Bourdain is a huge sissy.
Don’t listen to Bourdain, go try some
hákarl. And if you have the chance,
make the trip up to Bjarnarhöfn to visit
Hildibrandur and get it straight from
the shark’s mouth. Just remember to
pack some snow chains.
1,000 ISK buys you access to the mu-
seum and a free tasting of hákarl and
Brennivín. The museum is located
about two hours from Reykjavík on the
Snæfellsnes peninsula and is easily ac-
cessed during the warmer months.
Opening hours: 9:00 – 18:00
Phone number: 438-1581
Website: http://www.bjarnarhofn.is/
Words Ragnar Egilsson
Vísir reports that the head of the
farm-to-table organisation in
Iceland is less than pleased with
budget supermarket chain Bónus
labelling their pork as farm-
to-table. The pork is sourced
from the farm of one Geir Gunnar
Geirsson, who also happens to be
the CEO of Stjörnugrís, the larg-
est pork producer in the country.
We’re guessing that factory-farm-
to-table just doesn’t have the
same ring to it.
Grocery stores, supermarkets,
and restaurants alike continue to
suffer the pangs of chicken with-
drawal due to the strike of veteri-
narians and food scientists. They
have provided exceptions for cas-
es where the welfare of animals or
humans was at stake but that does
not extend to slaughtering meat.
Cattle, poultry, and pig farmers
are struggling and grocery stores
are running out of frozen meat.
Vegetarians break out that bottle
they’ve been saving for a special
occasion.
Two well-established food trends
are finally making their way to
Iceland’s shores. First Fosshótel
announced that their hotel behe-
moth by Höfðatorg will feature
Iceland’s first beer garden, with
a 120-person capacity. Then Le
Bistro (don’t let the name confuse
you—it’s a French bistro) is the
first restaurant to offer BYOB
with a corking fee of 2,900 ISK.
We at the Grapevine just need to
figure out where we’re going to
find that kind of money.
Finally, a pair of Hungarian green
tea enthusiasts have opened a pop-
up tea house serving rare teas
from East Asia at art gallery Men-
gi (Óðinsgata 2). Now you can too
can enjoy a cup of Gyokuro Shiun
with your ambient-drone concert.
This Month
In Food
May / June 2015