Iceland. The Food. Shark Smoked Eel Minke Whale Meat

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Geoffrey Henry
5 years ago
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Iceland The view as we flew over was totally white, with faint lines in black hinting at strange landscapes.

Our first stop was a supermarket filled with unfamiliar names.

texture. We simply tore into the fish with our fingers.

President Clinton but we did not come for hot dogs.

by a former ship's cook, the Sea Baron. They served skewers of Minke whale meat, grilled medium rare.

1 Iceland The view as we flew over was totally white, with faint lines in black hinting at strange landscapes. We were expecting the unusual, and that was discovered many times over. Our first stop was a supermarket filled with unfamiliar names. After the initial sticker shock for the price of food, we had our first taste of Iceland, cold smoked Salmon, and it did not disappoint. The smoky flavour permeating the salmon suggested hours of natural wood smoke yet remains moist and delicate texture. We simply tore into the fish with our fingers. Shark Smoked Eel Minke Whale Meat The Food The cheapest place in town was a hot dog stand known for serving President Clinton but we did not come for hot dogs. We had come for authentic, local foods which we found in abundance, starting at a tiny shack by the harbour, run by a former ship's cook, the Sea Baron. They served skewers of Minke whale meat, grilled medium rare. It is the only type hunted for food. It looked and tasted like beef. Something not on the menu, but the old Sea Baron brought to try was rotten shark, which is buried in the ground for 2 months. It is eaten with a shot of Brennevin, an Icelandic schnapps, which accentuates the ammonia smell in the shark. He also gave us succulent pieces of eel, cold smoked for 10 hours at precisely 8 degrees, he explained. It had the same smoky flavour as the salmon.

The local diet included puffin meat. Only the last of it is available now because it has been declared illegal to hunt about a month ago.

corned meat hash for breakfast, along with a black rye bread that is traditionally steamed underground near hot springs.

It was perfect slathered with a black pepper cream cheese.

2 The local diet included puffin meat. Only the last of it is available now because it has been declared illegal to hunt about a month ago. Among the ground whale meat, shark, and singed sheep head in the supermarket, we found salted horse meat which we used to prepare a corned meat hash for breakfast, along with a black rye bread that is traditionally steamed underground near hot springs. The black bread looked like a rich, moist chocolate cake, and it tasted as good. It was perfect slathered with a black pepper cream cheese. There were packages of dried fish, which we discovered is favoured local snack, eaten like jerky but with butter. More unusual was the land itself. At the Blue Lagoon, the intriguing blue waters of the hot springs was as inviting as any pool in the desert, except this was in the middle of winter. It is a little different sensation coming out of the water in the blustery icy winds, but then we had to be true Vikings!. We had come in midst of harsh, wintery weather but then we had come to experience how it is. The colour is exactly as it appears in the pictures

Vatnajokull Glaciers The drive to the base of the glacier was in near blinding conditions.

walk onto the Ice. It was fortunate we brought arctic parkas to withstand the howling icy winds.

In spite of it, the experience was amazing.

the blueness of it. Above us, the glacier looked like a waterfall cascading down the mountainside.

With the crampons, it felt like walking on hard snow but I tested the ice without it and realised how

3 Vatnajokull Glaciers The drive to the base of the glacier was in near blinding conditions. Early the next morning our mountain guide geared us up with ice picks, harness and ropes, and crampons to walk onto the Ice. It was fortunate we brought arctic parkas to withstand the howling icy winds. We had the whole place to ourselves. There was no one else crazy enough to go up in this weather. In spite of it, the experience was amazing. We hiked 10km, climbing up the glacier, and peering down the crevices in wonder at the depth of the ice, and the blueness of it. Above us, the glacier looked like a waterfall cascading down the mountainside. This is the largest ice cap in Europe what a privilege to see and experience. With the crampons, it felt like walking on hard snow but I tested the ice without it and realised how precarious a situation without these. The ice is without friction short of a rock, a crevice, or the end of the glacier to stop you. I did the best I could with the pictures with only seconds to fire off a few shots before stuffing my frozen hands back into the heavy gloves.

I was able to lay down on the ice to taste from a tiny steam

Nothing exists in this temperature to contaminate it (except

Even sitting on top of the ice in the wind it was perfect.

4 I was able to lay down on the ice to taste from a tiny steam coming down. Pure glacial water is as good as it gets. Nothing exists in this temperature to contaminate it (except for perhaps a couple of German tourists that got lost in the mountain a few years ago!) Lunch was slices of black rye bread and jellied lamb. Even sitting on top of the ice in the wind it was perfect. On the way back we came upon a lagoon at one of the tongues of the glacier, filled with these impressive icebergs

Hot Island Wherever we went, we were surrounded by evidences of the

With little vegetation, the effect of fire and ice on the land is

One of the sights was a massive field of lava rocks, covering 580

hard to imagine - as far as the eye can see.

the earth was boiling over and then frozen in time.

5 Hot Island Wherever we went, we were surrounded by evidences of the terrifying force of nature, both past and present. With little vegetation, the effect of fire and ice on the land is clearly recognizable. One of the sights was a massive field of lava rocks, covering 580 sq km from a volcano that decimated the area 200 years ago -.hard to imagine - as far as the eye can see. On the plains inland, we saw perfectly round pseudo crates as if the earth was boiling over and then frozen in time. There is an abundance of waterfalls, sometimes the strange rock formations and an excess of snow create magnificent falls, like Gullfoss, a waterfall that turns midway at right angles.

But the island is still hot and bursting

The Geyser shoots 70meters up in the air

more like another planet in Star Trek with

sulphurous gas. Nothing grew in this area.

6 But the island is still hot and bursting out through the fissures. The Geyser shoots 70meters up in the air at unpredictable times so that one is forced to hold the camera ready in the freezing wind to capture that elusive shot just when it starts to rise. The land is riddle with hot steam coming out of cracks in the ground. At the bubbling mud pools the scene looked more like another planet in Star Trek with its strange colours created by the sulphurous gas. Nothing grew in this area. Iceland literally lies in a crack in the earth, between the continental plate of North America and Euroasia. We could actually walk between the crack in the earth where they tore apart.

We stayed at a small fishing village in the northern tip of the island facing the Arctic Ocean.

The ocean was surprisingly calm, but the landscape evidenced the harsh winters up here.

We met someone who had recently come from Greenland to work. Of course there were conversations around their food like whale meat and reindeer.

7 We stayed at a small fishing village in the northern tip of the island facing the Arctic Ocean. Roads over the mountain were impassable this time of year so the only way to get there is through long tunnels through the mountain. The ocean was surprisingly calm, but the landscape evidenced the harsh winters up here. But for the moment, the boats were going out and we were able to get fresh cod tongue from the pier, and the freshest cod that we fried in butter and little salt and pepper. We met someone who had recently come from Greenland to work. Of course there were conversations around their food like whale meat and reindeer. Yet she spoke fluent English and was more adept on the Ipad than me. This world is very small. It is very close to the North Pole, and somewhere around here, he gets his laundry done! Driving back I was thinking of you who read my blogs and how I want you to experience this land. The landscape is never-tiring even with the countless hours of driving. To take a walk on the side of these majestic mountains or a simple drink of the clearest water is awesome in its beauty and simplicity.

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