Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.07.2019, Qupperneq 6

While Iceland has
a hard-earned
reputation for
questionable
foodstuffs, there
are some things
that we unques-
tionably do well.
Plokkfiskur, a
comforting fish
stew, is one of
these dishes. As
an island nation,
Icelanders have
always had access
to high quality,
fresh seafood, and
so it’s unsuprising
that fish appears
commonly in
traditional fare.
Plokkfiskur,
which liter-
ally translates as
‘plucked fish,’ is
made with either
cod or haddock,
milk, potatoes
and onions. More
modern versions
of the recipe
may include the
addition of curry
powder, cheese
or a bechamel
sauce on top but,
at its essence,
Plokkfiskur is
about making
the most of
straightforward
ingredients
and providing
something hearty
and nourishing
for hard-working
people. Simple
and satisfying,
many would argue
that Plokkfiskur
is the best way to
enjoy the catch of
the day.
Individuals
who fall into this
category include
current President,
Guðni Th. Jóhan-
nesson. Guðni,
like every good
Icelandic boy,
obviously claims
his mother’s
recipe is the best.
But never fear,
you too can try
the president’s
favourite food -
his wife has filmed
her mother-in-law
cooking the dish
so that passionate
fans of fish and
Icelandic politics
can have a go
at the recipe at
home.
For those who
would rather have
their meals made
for them, Plok-
kfiskur is served
in a number
of restaurants
around Reykjavík.
Make sure you
find somewhere
that serves it with
traditional, slightly
sweet, Icelandic
rye bread so you
can mop up every
last bit. JG
Pl
ok
k-

fis
ku
r
After barely three years in operation,
Krispy Kreme will be leaving Iceland.
There are three main locations of the
American doughnut chain—Kringlan,
Skeifan and Smáralind. The first two
locations shuttered their doors on July 1st,
but the Smáralind location will remain
open until October 1st. The reason for the
decision, Vísir reports, is high production
costs combined with a relatively small
market for the doughnuts.
A great team
Viðar Brink, the director of operations
for Krispy Kreme, told reporters that the
decision weighed heavily upon manage-
ment.
“The vast majority [of our staff] have
been with us since we opened in Novem-
ber 2016 and performed fantastically,”
he told reporters. “They deserve high
praise for their work,” adding that he had
seldom encountered such a hard-work-
ing team in his career.
The doughnut index
Krispy Kreme announced their arrival to
Iceland in July 2016. At that time, Dunkin’
Donuts had been in operation in Iceland
for nearly a year.
However, the market for doughnuts
was apparently overestimated. While
both chains enjoyed an initial burst of
success, Dunkin’ Donuts was the first
to buckle, closing up shop earlier this
year. Like Kripsy Kreme today, Dunkin’
Donuts also cited high operational costs
and little demand as the reasons behind
their departure.
No need to worry, though; Icelanders
love pastries, and there is still a wide vari-
ety of (arguably better) old timey baked
goods that you can still buy at countless
locations around the country.
Krispy Kreme
Bids Adieu
Another doughnut chain
departs from our fair shores
Words:
Andie Fontaine

Photo:
Collage by
Andie Fontaine
First
We asked lawyer and Grapevine
founding member Jón Trausti Sig-
urðarson for the scoop. Was there
ever the death penalty in Iceland?
Well, of course. Until it was abol-
ished in 1928, capital punishment
was indeed a feature of the Icelan-
dic justice system. By that time our
Scandinavian neighbours, Norway
and Sweden, had already abolished
the death penalty, in 1905 and 1910
respectively. The Danes lingered,
only abolishing it in 1933. The Danes
and Norwegians then reinstated the
death penalty briefly to execute Nazis
after 1945, as is proper.
The last time someone was sen-
tenced to death was in 1914. The sen-
tenced was Júlíana Silfá, a woman in
her mid-forties who had poisoned
her brother by adding phosphorus
to his skyr, of course. The sentence
was never carried out and it was later
commuted to a prison sentence. The
last death sentence to actually be
carried out in Iceland was way back
in 1830 when Agnes and Friðrik were
executed for murder, later to be im-
mortalized in a 1995 movie called
Agnes.
The strangest part of the history
of capital punishment in Iceland is
probably the so-called “Stóridómur,”
a law that made incest a capital
crime, for which around 50 people
were executed in a period of about
200 years. Obviously, that meant no
sexual relations with your immediate
family, however it also banned sex
with your wife’s sister, son’s wife or
wife’s mother, none of whom should
have been related to you by blood…
or were they?
Before Iceland had kings, that is
prior to the 13th century, there was
no death penalty because, well, there
was no executive branch to carry it
out. But you could be sentenced to
“skóggangur,” whereby anyone who
could was allowed to kill you on sight.
So I guess that kind of worked like
justice on the internet does now, in a
way.
ASK A
Lawyer
Q: Was There Ever The
Death Penalty In Iceland?
6 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 11— 2019
FOOD OF ICELAND
NEWS
Words: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
So long, to the Ugg boots of donuts
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