We'd read in our trusty guidebooks about the country's infamous specialty, hakarl (the short version for those who aren't clicking through for a description: aged, putrified shark). Call me crazy, but we steered clear, although one vendor at a fish market offered us a sample. Tempting, but no.
We also bypassed menu offerings of whale and puffin. What we did try was Icelandic lamb, which -- lemme tell ya -- was delicious. (Interestingly, I've heard no fewer than three people react with alarm to the prospect of eating puffins -- "but they're so cute! -- and not bat an eye at the idea of eating lamb... which is odd because lambs are pretty darn cute as well, no?) I also took full advantage of the plentiful, fresh, and affordable smoked salmon supply.
It wasn't all native fish and meats, though. We also kicked off our first day of exploring Reykjavik by stopping at a random deli and stumbling across The Best Pizza We've Ever Tasted. It was so good that we had to (a) take a picture of it, and (b) order another one on the last day of our trip.
Pesto. Parma ham. Parmesan. So good.
We stopped at a bakery for lunch another day, ordered a sandwich and baked good each, and people-watched for a couple hours (turns out, high schoolers are pretty much the same in any country).
That sandwich there, the one that looks all unassuming and full of lettuce and tomatoes? It actually had your standard lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers... plus three strips of bacon and a fried egg. It was tasty, but highly unexpected.
Probably the most fascinating of all the Icelandic cuisine (and I know what you're thinking -- "more fascinating than rotten shark?" -- but stick with me here) was the obsession they as a nation clearly have with Coca Cola and hot dogs. One of our tour guides said that Icelanders drink more Coca Cola per capita than any other nation; if supply is any indication of consumption, this could plausibly be an accurate statistic. Hot dog, or pylsur, shops were everywhere.
Iceland gets bonus points for the cute glass bottles, for sure.
One hot dog vendor in particular, a little free-standing cart on a streetcorner, is what Icelanders proudly cite as the most popular restaurant in the country and the home of the best hot dogs in all of Europe.
So of course we had to check it out.
Taking a self-portrait and not ending up with ketchup all over myself = victory.
I'll say this, while the food we had in Iceland was delicious, we could almost feel our blood pressure getting higher each day (did I mention that breakfast included ham, salami, and cheese?). Walking several miles each day provided a perfect and necessary balance.
What's that, you say? What about the beverages? Yes, we sampled Icelandic beer made -- according to the label -- with Icelandic barley.
I'm classy.
5 comments:
That shark does sound gross. I would also balk at eating puffin -- not because they're cute, but because they eat fish and would therefore be pretty gross, I would think. It's like bear -- bears that are feasting on berries taste a lot better than bears that are eating fish.
That makes sense. The description of puffin meat was sort of like chicken with a fishy taste. I wouldn't be phased by that, but I can understand why some folks would.
Sounds like fun! I would have tried the free sample of the shark, but I am weird like that. And the Puffin? Maybe not so much.
When in Germany, we loved the meat, cheese and water roll breakfast with some muslix and soft boiled eggs. We did a ton of walking and usually skipped lunch.
I just taught my class about the Icelandic Shark, with worms that grow out of their eyes and flesh so poisonous you have to let it rot before you eat it. I SO wish you had tried it, just for the story :)
I love reading travel/eating stories!
Ha, sorry to disappoint, Farmer Jo! I can tell you, though, that the label on the container we saw said, in English, "cheese shark," because of its similarity to bleu cheese.
Lynn, that's interesting, because I would've tried a sample of puffin, for sure, even though I ran fast and far from the shark. Loved the mueslix (they had that too)!
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