Culture corner: Feasting on tradition

CULTURE Food Cosmopolitan cuisine

Iceland may be more famous for the better-known, unpalatable, yet oddly satisfying shark dice, but the country’s dedication to quality cuisine is a quickly growing export.

TEXT: Edda Kentish PHOTOS: Mataraudur Islands

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03 04 Now, let’s take a look at some food-related vocab that can count as an exercise for your mouth rather than an experience.

HEIMILISMATUR – this compound noun piles the words “home” and “food” together to denote a typical course served at dinner in kitchens around the country. Good, honest home-cooked food. Qualifying dishes include:

– poached haddock with potatoes and melted butter – fish- or meatballs – rye bread with various toppings – rice pudding (eaten as a main) – a leg of lamb with traditional sides like peas, red cabbage, gravy and more

Iceland’s culinary heritage is fascinating in its own right. And to shine the spotlight on our traditions, the government-funded project Mataraudur Islands (Iceland’s Culinary Treasures) recently kicked off a search for Iceland’s most beloved national dish – with a modern twist. In May, 15 dishes out of 107 submissions were prepared for a panel of esteemed judges who faced the challenging task of selecting only five winners.

Want to know more about Iceland’s culinary heritage, or have you seen strange words, food or customs on your travels? Then log on to mataraudur.is to find out more about our food.

And why not tag your foodie pictures on your travels in the North with #mynorthadventure? Your picture might be featured online or in our next edition of My North!

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01 Hardfisksupa (“dried-fish soup”) by Baldur Gardarsson

02 Rofnudlukjotsupa (“turnip, noodle and meat soup”) by Haflidi Saevarsson

03 Braudsupa (“bread soup”) by Anna Lara Palsdottir

04 Rofugrautur (“turnip porridge”) by Helga Jona Thorkelsdottir

05 Nesti smaladrengsins (“the herdboy’s lunch box”) by Hafsteinn Hjartarson SVIKINN HERI – this moniker for a meat loaf literally means “betrayed hare”. It’s all a mystery.

ABRYSTIR – a pudding made by curdling the first milk produced by a cow or sheep after giving birth.

JORTURLEDUR – a term coined to replace the more common tyggigummi (“chewing gum”), or tyggjo for short. It literally means “ruminating leather”. It never quite took off.

HARDFISKUR – literally “hardened fish”. This Icelandic delicacy is known as dried fish in English and is best enjoyed with a healthy helping of real butter.

GUDSGAFFLAR – literally meaning the “forks of God”, using your gudsgafflar means to eat with your hands, sans cutlery of any kind.

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