Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.08.2016, Side 55

Awards For Best Thai Food Every Years
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BanThai
N E W A W A R D
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 6
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ATTENTION :
Th
e
fo
od
an
d
se
rv
ice
w
ill
b
e
slo
w
er
w
he
n
th
er
e‘s
a
fu
ll h
ou
se

O
ur
fo
od
is
m
ad
e
fre
sh
fr
om
sc
ra
tc
h,
it
‘s
no
t p
re
-m
ad
e
All food is gently cooked from fresh ingredients
and that he keeps its nutritional value and original avors well.
it takes time to cook all the food, nothing is ready
Please prepare your time before you come and enjoy your meal
R E S T A U R A N T
Food
DISH OF THE ISSUE
Bingo Balls
The quintessential Icelandic "nammi"
Words ISAAC WÜRMANN Photo ART BICNICK
Mackerel has never been a popular
fish in Iceland. It’s used primar-
ily as bait or saved as a snack for
Swedish friends. It’s an oily fish,
which means it has to be fresh and
prepared properly or it can have a
strong taste and smell. At Bryg-
gjan, they make it perfectly: crispy
skin with tender meat that pulls
out onto your fork. They serve you a
whole mackerel, not a fillet, and it’s
presented on a oval plate with a side
bowl of potato salad. On the menu
they say it’s a large enough portion
for two people. I prefer it for one.
Mackerel and other oily fish are
being lauded for their healthy and
sustainable properties. Planning
one or two servings of oily fish a
week is a more effective way to get
omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and
vitamin B12 than taking supple-
ments or drinking Lýsi. In recent
years, North Atlantic mackerel
populations have moved further
west—causing Icelandic and Faro-
ese fisherman to lately catch more
than previously agreed upon with
neighbouring countries. This has
been a debate for the last six years
and is officially Iceland’s second
war, The Mackerel Wars.
There was some slight over-
fishing while new terms were
being agreed upon and mackerel
lost its sustainable status. Which
means Icelanders went over the
tacitly agreed upon quota because
they were able to catch mackerel in
more abundance (until 2008, there
were almost no catches reported
in Icelandic or Faroese waters).
Iceland is allowed to dictate its own
fishing quotas and doesn’t have
to follow EU guidelines. Has this
abundance transformed Icelandic
dinner plates? The short answer is
no.
That’s why Bryggjan’s mack-
erel is such an important option.
It should be available on more
menus. I would like to see it avail-
able at grocery stores and fish-
mongers too. It could be a chance
for a culinary change, a chance
to enjoy the spoils of war. Up un-
til 2009, Icelandic blue mussels
weren’t on menus or found at the
dinner table, but now you can buy
them by the kilogram and even
order a “moules frites in beer” off
Bryggjan’s menu and many other
menus around town. Change can
happen if we believe in it.
We don’t want to be like the
USA, fighting wars and not ben-
efitting from the resources ac-
quired. Iceland fought this war by
continuing to do whatever it want-
ed and letting the other countries
figure out what they had to do in
order for the mackerel popula-
tions to be sustainable again.
That’s as much a win as Iceland’s
tie with Portugal. Þetta redast.
If you find another place with
mackerel, or a grocery store that
sells it, shoot me an email at
york@grapevine.is. If you experi-
ence a dish that has to be talked
about or tried, send me an email.
SHARE: gpv.is/bi12
Icelandic Candy
54The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 12 — 2016
THE NEW
LEGEND
NEW VERSIONS OF THE
ICELANDIC HOT DOG
INGÓLFSTORG
Organic bistro
EST 2006
Tryggvagata 11,Volcano house
Tel:511-1118
Mon-Sun 12:00-21:00
www.fishandchips.is