Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.08.2019, Síða 44

More Than A
Cookbook
The Simbahöllin cookbook wins big at the
Gourmand International Awards
Words: Shruthi Basappa Photo: Art Bicnick
Café & Cookbook
Visit Simbahöllin at Fjarðargata 5,
Þingeyri, and order a copy of the
book at simbahollin.is
When my editor called to let me
know that the ‘Simbahöllin Cook-
book’ (written by Janne Kristensen
and Isobel Grad) had taken third
place at the Gourmand World Cook-
book Awards 2019 for desserts, I
immediately regretted not having
bought the book while at the Sim-
bahöllin cafe in Þingeyri a month
ago.
It’s easy to see why Janne and her
husband decided to stay in the cute-
as-a-button town. Their love for Ice-
land runs deep, and the couple leapt
at the chance to restore the stately
Sigmundarbúð—built in 1915—to
its former glory. They opened its
doors to the community in the form
of cool and casual cafe-restaurant
Simbahöllin.
That was back in 2009. Since
then, the cafe has grown to include
an artist’s residency, a community
centre, a local
gallery and an
overall tourist
attraction for
the town. Yet
another addi-
tion to this sig-
nificant labour
of love is the
si mply t it led
S i m b a h ö l l i n
Cookbook. The
attractive book bears the same
mossy shade and timber-panel
stripes as the café itself.
A memento
I wonder why they wrote a cookbook.
“Isobel has been working with us for
a while now,” says Janne, “and we
were always experimenting in the
kitchen. I guess we wanted to write
the story of the house, and the cof-
feehouse. We like working together,
so this idea came about naturally.”
It’s also a great souvenir. “We
wanted to give people something
to remember their time here.” says
Isobel. “It’s a practical object, and
we’d seen visitors taking the leaflets
about the house while they were at
the cafe. They wanted something to
take home.”
The book is much more than a
collection of recipes (although there
are plenty of those). The pictures
show the surrounding landscape
changing from summer green to
winter white, and traditions like
the annual sheep round up, the
swimming pool coffee club, and the
local “day of the accordion.”
It’s a heartfelt tribute to the
building, the community, and the
town. “That’s the reason we included
more than just recipes,” says Isobel.
“The funny thing,” adds Janne,“is
that locals have started to send the
book to their relatives and friends
elsewhere. The book has become a
documentation of life in Þingeyri.
We didn’t anticipate that.”
Rhubarb Jam
The artwork between the recipes
gives one cause to pause. They pay
homage to the star ingredients of
Iceland—berries, lamb, and fresh
seafood—and provide ways to bot-
tle the short window of abundance,
such as Simbahöllin’s famous rhu-
barb jam. “It’s such a unique jam
recipe,” says Isobel. “When you
eat it with the waffles, the flavour
shines through.”
Unlike traditional Icelandic
recipes, where the
rhubarb is cooked
over a long period
and slowed to a
treacly darkness,
here t he recip e
calls for the rhu-
barb to be cooked
on ly u nt i l it i s
softened, preserv-
ing the rhubarb’s
calming coral co-
lour. The blueberry coffee crumble
cake is another recipe that the au-
thors highly recommend.
Currently the book is only on
sale at Simbahöllin, and inter-
nationally via their website—but
the writers hope to make it more
widely available in the near future.
Simbahöllin cookbook is an honest
memento of Icelandic country life.
We can think of no better al-
ternative to plastic puffins than
an award-winning, homegrown
book.
Find the best
food in Iceland!
Download our
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APPENING, on
the Apple and
Android storesFood
More than a cookbook
“Locals have
started to ship
the book out to
relatives. It's a
document of life in
Þingeyri.”
FISH PANS
ICELANDIC "PLOKKFISKUR"
Onion, garlic, potatoes,
celery, lime, white wine,
cream and butter
, ISK

ARCTIC CHAR
Honey, almonds, cherry–
tomatoes, lemon and butter
, ISK
REDFISH
Chili, celery root, sour cream,
corn, lemon and cream
, ISK
PLAICE
Tomatoes, capers, parsley,
lemon and butter
, ISK
SALMON (LACTOSE–FREE)
Parsnip, broccoli, cashews,
coconut oil, chili and lemon
, ISK
OUR FISH PANS ARE ALWAYS SERVED
WITH BUTTER–FRIED ICELANDIC
POTATOES & FRESH SALAD
ANY PANS
FOR
LUNCH?
LÆKJARGATA B,  RVK ·   · MESSINN@MESSINN.COM
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