Atlantica - 01.06.2001, Page 78

76 A T L A N T I C A
Iceland boasts an array of weird and
wonderful old traditional dishes, rang-
ing from rotten shark meat with bren-
nivín and pickled ram testicles, which
are devoured with great gusto during
the feast of Thorrablót, to sheep heads,
pressed meat, blood pudding, haggis
and dried fish, which are eaten all year
round. These dishes are well worth a
try and certainly add a few Viking hairs
to your chest, but the more common
home cooked, day-to-day Icelandic
foods must also not be forgotten. If you
want a real taste of Iceland, you have
to eat like a true Icelander; which
means that home cooking, shop snacks
and bakery products should be at the
top of your list. After all, what is a visit
to Iceland without a delicious Icelandic
hot dog and a bottle of malt?
Icelandic gastronomy has changed
dramatically since the time of turf
houses, when the predominant con-
cern was to devise methods of preser-
vation, by pickling or smoking meat
and salting or drying fish. Today, only
the more conventional traditional dish-
es remain popular and a new, more
modern generation of cuisine is
emerging as more varied products
become available and foreign influ-
ences become noticeable. The dishes
that have survived the test of time,
however, remain very much at the
heart of every Icelandic household.
THE OLDER GENERATION
The changes that have taken place in
the last century mean that there is a
clear difference between the food cus-
toms of the older and younger genera-
tions. The older generation of great-
grandparents have lived through an
era of rapid development in the food
i-site ICELANDIC FOOD❍
Traditional and day-to-day dishes
Icelandic Cuisine: The way it really is
PHOTO ÁSLAUG SNORRADÓTTIR
Hangikjöt may taste a tad different, but don’t miss out on this Icelandic favourite. Give it a try.
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