Atlantica - 01.11.2000, Síða 34

32 A T L A N T I C A
with unmistakably Icelandic foodstuffs emerging,
reminiscent of a humble past.
Jól, the winter solstice, has been celebrated in Iceland
since the time of settlement in the 9th century. The weeks
leading up to the holidays were, and still are, used to
prepare delicacies only seen at this time of the year.
Advent continues to be marked by a frenzy of activity, but
there is a lot of feasting and practically no fasting.
Some not-to-be-missed dishes include hangikjöt
(smoked lamb). Potatoes in white sauce and boiled red
cabbage usually accompany this meal, which practically
everyone in Iceland eats at one point during the holiday.
Another food not common outside Norway and Iceland
is rjúpa (ptarmigan), the beautiful dressed-in-white-for-
winter bird which Icelanders so unsentimentally prepare
for Christmas. It used to be considered a poor-man’s
dish, since those that could not afford to slaughter a
lamb went hunting for fowl. That is no longer the case
and ptarmigan has become a luxury meal, available in
finer restaurants during early winter.
A BITE OF BREAD
According to an old Icelandic rhyme children must be fed
a bite of bread for Christmas. One of the old traditions,
which has spread like wild-fire instead of falling out of
favour, is making paper-thin bread-like cakes called
laufabraud (literally leaf-bread). The custom originates
from the northern Thingeyjarsýsla county, but has been
adopted in other regions as an activity which brings
together extended families for a few hours of fun.
Because flour used to be a scarce commodity, the round
cakes were rolled out extremely thin, hence the name.
They are carved and plaited in decorative patterns with
special knives, before being deep-fried.
A TASTE OF TRADITION
“Laufabraud”– paper thin flour cakes cut out with pretty patterns.
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