Atlantica - 01.06.2002, Side 85

A T L A N T I C A 83
throughout the ages, the method for cooking it has changed
dramatically. At Reykjavík’s gourmet restaurants, you will be
sure to find something more appetising than pickled rams’
testicles or sheep’s eyeballs.
Sturla Birgisson, chef and member of the Icelandic National
Culinary Team, is known for his cooking skills with Icelandic
lamb. On special occasions, he always chooses to prepare
lamb, whether cooking for the President of Iceland and his
guests at the presidential residence, or when visiting other
countries as a guest chef.
Sturla, along with five other chefs and two bakers, took part
in the Seoul International Food Expo 2002 in Korea, last June.
The team had to prepare a three-course meal, and as usual,
Icelandic lamb was their main ingredient. The culinary team
won two golds at the competition, one for warm dishes and
another for cold dishes. This is by far the best result that any
Icelandic culinary team has achieved in an international com-
petition of such size and significance.
Sturla says that it is not the custom in other countries to pre-
pare lamb on special occasions. In other countries, lamb is
not considered as much of a delicacy as other meat. Sturla
thinks that this is due to the fact that lamb meat in other
countries often bears the taste of wool, which spreads into
the meat from the fat.
Sturla says, “Icelandic lamb does not have this woolly taste
that comes from the fat. The lambs run around free in the
wilderness and so the meat tastes wild.” When Sturla was
asked about his favourite lamb dish, he didn’t take long to
reply: “genuine Icelandic kjötsúpa”, which is a traditional
lamb-meat soup.
The Chocolate Finale:
Variation of coconuts,
wild strawberries and
chocolate.
The Main Course:
Icelandic herb-marinat-
ed fillet of lamb with
potatoes fondant,
porcini mushrooms
and Madeira-lamb
reduction.
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