Icelandic Food Recipes

The conception of Icelandic food recipes is perhaps that they are quite disgusting. Various Tv chefs have shown us dishes that could be from an Indiana Jones movie. When we speak about the traditional recipes it is to a large extent true, this has its explanation in a very difficult past. When you are starving you cannot afford to be picky.

History And Cuisine
In the 9th century Vikings from Norway arrived and established themselves. With them they brought their knowledge about agriculture and farming, a knowledge that wasn't enough to be able to face the harsh reality of this island. Back then people lived in longhouses, had pigs for meat and cows mostly for dairy products, sheep were kept for wool and meat. Trees were cut down for grazing animals, firewood and to build houses. The common cereals were rye and barley that was grown on small fields. In the 14th century the climate went colder, this together with that wind blew the thin sheet of fertile soil to sea (earlier held in place by tree roots) made agriculture virtually impossible.

Iceland was heavily relying on imported goods such as iron, root vegetables and textiles but they had very little more than stockfish to offer in return. To produce it large quantities of salt was needed and the only way to extract it was to boil seawater which consumed a lot of firewood. By the 14th century most forests were gone and that meant they had no material to build large boats for fishing which was very limiting. The salt shortage made the need for other preservation methods arise, thus does a lot of traditional Icelandic food recipes include fermented (or actually putrefied) ingredients. The hard grazing cows were to a large extent replaced by more sheep. All this had an effect on the cuisine, the Icelanders were starving and they had to eat what was available. If you add on top some disastrous volcanic eruptions and raving epidemic outbreaks of black plague and smallpox it is easy to understand that life was no walk in the park.

The Danes early on established themselves as a dominant colonial power on Iceland, in the early 17th century they started to strictly regulate the trade to the favor of themselves (of course). The strong Danish influence continued well into the 20th century, this is very visible in the Icelandic cuisine in products like rye bread, Danish pastries and brennavin (which is schnapps). With new improved methods and a milder climate farming became possible again, first mainly rye and barley. Root vegetables started to be grown in quantity only in the early 19th century; now potatoes, rutabagas and cabbage entered the cuisine of every man. With better ships transports from Europe and the US became more regular and thus life slowly easier. In the early 20th century new fishing methods together with new fishing vessels made industrial fishing boom, this did not only make fresh fish a common sight on an Icelanders plate, it also granted Iceland's development in to a rich first world nation. They became an independent republic in 1944.

Some Typical Dishes And Foods

Hakarl (fermented and dried shark) Lets start with the most infamous. Recipe: Take one good, dead greenland or basking shark and gut and behead, bury in sand on the beach for a 2-3 months. Then dig it up and hang to dry for a couple of months. Voilá! Cut in cubes and serve. The meat is actually poisonous and full of uric acid, the putrefying process neutralizes this.
Svid Take a sheep's head, burnt it to remove the wool, split in half, remove the brain and boil it.
Hangikjöt (smoked lamb or mutton) Holiday food, sometimes made of horse meat.
Skyr (curd cheese) A curd cheese with the texture of yogurt.
Rugbraud (rye bread) This one is from the Danes, the Icelandic version is heavier and moister.
Hardfiskur (dried fish) Haddock or cod dried crispy. Eaten with butter spread on top.
Hrutspungar (ram's testicles) Ram testicles that are marinated in whey which gives it a sour taste. Served in many forms, most popular as a pâté.

Submitted Icelandic Food Recipes

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