The national dish of Iceland is made from rotten shark meat. Rotten dishes or delicacies with an odor. Number two: haukarl - rotten shark meat

Due to the geographical location of the country, the inhabitants of Iceland in ancient times ate what they could find or catch on the islands. Well, plus, the Viking heritage also had a strong influence on the local cuisine.

Of course, now everyone here eats mainly fish (there is no shortage of it in Iceland), lamb meat and a variety of dairy products, but exotic dishes are also available in local restaurants. Our selection includes five unusual dishes from Iceland.

NUMBER ONE: FRIED AND SMOKED Puffins

Take a look at the face of this funny bird. This is a dead end. A small and cute creature in all respects lives on the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean and in North Africa.

These charmers fly, swim, dive, dig minks with their long beaks and breed chicks in them. Puffins also love to kiss.

And this delight is consumed as food in Iceland. The fact is that there are as many puffins in Iceland as there are pigeons in Moscow, so the birds are eaten here without a twinge of conscience. Puffins are caught using nets that resemble butterfly nets. Breasts of puffins are eaten: they are either grilled and served with berry sauce, or smoked. Delicious, but I feel sorry for the bird!

NUMBER TWO: HAUKARL - ROTTEN SHARK MEAT

Hakarl is the national Icelandic dish, and tasting it is on the “must try” list of all tourists visiting Iceland. By the way, Icelanders themselves don’t eat hakarl very often; after all, the taste of the dish is, let’s say, very peculiar.

Haukarl is essentially rotten meat from a Greenland shark. The fact is that the Greenland shark does not have kidneys or urinary tracts, so its meat is thoroughly saturated with ammonia. Ammonia is poison for humans, but the ancient Vikings figured out how to deal with this problem. You just need to put the meat of the caught shark in a box and leave it underground for three months. When the shark dies, the ammonia will evaporate and the meat can be eaten.

The Greenland shark, it must be said, is a large fish; it is transported to the place of preparation (that is, burial) using a tractor. In restaurants, pieces of ready-made haukal hang under the ceiling, like hams in an Italian butcher shop. For tasting, cut a thin piece from the ham; if you quickly swallow it without chewing, then everything is not so scary. But if you chew it, you feel the taste of urea in your mouth to the fullest, so you need to wash down the “delicacy” with something very strong, for example, local potato vodka.

NUMBER THREE: BOILED SHEEP HEAD

Another national Icelandic dish. The sheep's head (including eyes and teeth) is boiled and served on a platter.

The main delicacy is considered to be cheeks (tasting like duck meat) and brains. It’s delicious, but it’s difficult to eat the dish for psychological reasons.

NUMBER FOUR: WHALE STEAK

A whale is not a fish, but a mammal, so steaks are prepared from whale meat in Iceland using the same technology that we use to prepare veal steaks.

There are whales and killer whales near Iceland; in the late eighties, whaling was officially banned in order to preserve the population. As a result, after some time, the fishermen became indignant: the whales ate so much fish that people had nothing to catch.

Since 2006, whaling in Iceland has been allowed again, but is strictly regulated, meaning whales can be caught, but not more than a certain number per year. For this reason, whale steak is not served everywhere; the dish is, as they say, a gastronomic rarity.

NUMBER FIVE: BLACK LAMB'S BLOOD PUDDING

Black pudding is an Icelandic variety of blood sausage. In fact, there is nothing unusual in blood sausage or sausages; similar dishes were prepared in Ancient Greece, and today black pudding can be tasted, for example, in Poland or Spain.

The peculiarity of Icelandic black pudding is that this dish is often prepared by mothers at home (like our mothers prepare porridge). A liter of fresh lamb blood is taken, the blood is filtered through a sieve (to remove clots), diluted with two glasses of water (the water in Iceland is thermal, so it is simply poured from the tap) and two tablespoons of sea salt are added inside.

Flour and lamb fat are then added to the blood. Everything gets mixed up. The resulting mass is pushed into the intestine, sewn up and cooked like regular sausages. The result is something between a sausage and a sausage. The dish has a characteristic black color and a bloody taste. Authentic Viking food, a must-try for True Blood fans.

Tourists in Iceland can surprise their taste buds. One of the country's calling cards is the haukarl. This traditional dish is made from rotten shark meat. And when a small, stinking pot appears in front of tourists, they squint their eyes and cover their noses with napkins. This is because the small yellow cubes, which look like cheese, emit the smell of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.

Haukarl is similar to boiled white fish, but denser. “It’s as if fish from a Soviet canteen was compressed four times,” comments a taster-correspondent for RIA Novosti. The taste, unlike the smell, turns out to be much more pleasant.

The recipe for this dish was known to the Vikings. In this way they preserved fish and took it with them on long sea voyages.

“The fact is that shark meat itself is unsuitable for food, as it contains a lot of urea and ammonia,” writes RIA Novosti. – Poisoning by the meat of this fish is accompanied by convulsions and can even lead to death. Paradoxically, rotten shark meat, unlike fresh shark meat, is not dangerous to health.

But not every shark is worthy of becoming a hakarl. Most often, the meat of the Greenland polar shark is used for this dish, and sometimes the meat of the giant shark. During the year, Icelanders eat six to seven tons of Greenland shark and another two tons of gigantic shark. Even one gigantic shark washed ashore is enough for this: its weight reaches four tons and its length is nine to ten meters. The average weight of a Greenland shark is about 400 kilograms, but its age can exceed 270 years.

For the national Icelandic bluel, shark meat is cut into large pieces and placed in containers with gravel - for three to four months. It is curious that previously the shark was simply buried in the ground. During this time, the meat is freed from ammonia and urea, which flow out of the containers through special holes.

Afterwards, the pieces of meat are taken out and hung on hooks to dry in barns for another couple of months. It is important that such premises are not located close to housing, because the foul smell will not give anyone peace.

Gradually the meat becomes crusty. Before eating, the fish is removed, cut into cubes and served. Haukarl is eaten in small pieces, usually after the main course. And they wash down the delicacy with brennevin – potato schnapps.

The peak of popularity of rotten shark occurs in winter, when the country hosts the Torrablout gastronomic festival. Then they eat kilograms of haukarl, despite the fact that many tourists eat only a small portion and show no desire to ask for more.

Iceland is a must on the itinerary of any gastronomic tourist who will not miss the chance to try the famous Icelandic lamb or whale meat. But only one delicacy is truly associated with Iceland, because it is not prepared anywhere else. And not because the ingredient is rare, but because no one else would even think of cooking it the way the Icelanders cook it. We are talking about rotten Greenland shark meat ( Somniosus microcephalus), in Icelandic - hakartl (hákarl).

To discard all speculation about the perversity of the Icelanders, we note that the existence of this dish has objective historical prerequisites. The ancient Vikings had two compelling reasons to include rotten shark meat in their daily diet: hunger and the inability to catch anything else edible in the surrounding waters. You can’t eat a lot of shark meat - rather, even this way they protected themselves from diseases, and ate visiting Irish monks.

When fresh, the meat of this shark is extremely poisonous and contains high concentrations of ammonia and urea. This is due to the fact that the fish does not have kidneys or urinary tracts and all toxins are released through the skin. Rotting neutralizes the poisons contained in the meat. Maybe the fresh meat was tasty, but it was poisonous. And having become rotten, it became tasteless, but edible.

But even rotten meat has its own recipe. The shark meat is separated from the bones, buried in the ground or stacked in a hangar. It takes one and a half to two months for the meat to rot, and at the same time, we note, no larvae or any maggots of any kind appear in it. Due to the Icelandic climate, this country has a problem with bacteria and insects. Then the shark remains are hung out in the fresh air. So they hang, fragrant, for four months, until they are covered with a hard brown crust. The peeled meat is sent to stores, restaurants and parties on the occasion of the Torrablot holiday. Torrablot is a national winter pastime. Icelanders gather in large halls and treat themselves to national delicacies, mostly the most tasteless of them: rotten shark, lamb's eggs, brawn, scalded sheep's head and other radical trash delicacies.

In order to fully experience the taste of Iceland, haukartl should be tried together with the Icelandic schnapps "Brännivín". The famous Russian publicist and avid gastronomic tourist Pyotr Weil appreciated this tandem of drinks and snacks, comparing its indivisibility with the indivisibility of beer and roach. ().

Not all Icelanders accept such food. And certainly no one eats it every day. However, the Torrablot holiday always attracts a lot of people: this is how the islanders turn to their roots, do not forget who they are and where the Icelandic people came from.

The Icelandist once joined the Icelandic tradition of eating all sorts of mind-blowing things. An Icelandic acquaintance treacherously slipped a piece of rotten shark under the guise of either toffee or cheese. To tell the truth, it was terrible. The shark actually smells like ammonia and tastes bad. Unfortunately, a shot of brennivine was not included with the delicacy: I had to heroically endure the not-so-pleasant taste sensations. But the rotten shark is still worth a try. As a tourist, this does not threaten you with anything except additional emotions from your stay in Iceland. So, bon appetit.

In a National Geographic story, the famous Icelandic chef Siggi Hall talks about the peculiarities of preparing haukartl. In this he is helped by the owner of a small shark production with the face of a man who eats rotten fish meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In Iceland, they don't just eat puffins and drink potato vodka. Residents of this northern country devour rotten shark meat “hakarl” by both cheeks. And their neighbors from Sweden, not wanting to give in to the sophistication of their food preferences, feast on “surströmming” - sour herring.

Seafood is the most important component of the diet of residents of northern European countries. For example, citizens of Estonia eat fish on average four times a month, residents of Iceland - eight times, Norway - seven, Sweden - more than 20 times.

Director of the Estonian Food Institute Raivo Vokka says that he always eats fish for breakfast - an important factor in calcium absorption and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Residents of northern countries consume fish in a variety of forms - salted, smoked, dried, pickled, and even rotten. Moreover, the latter option is considered a real delicacy.

Due to the crisis, many countries have had to tighten their belts. But, as you know, the need for invention is cunning - in Iceland, restaurants switched to pasture. Chefs no longer serve foie gras to diners. Recently, they have been serving leeks and potatoes to the sophisticated public.

Hakarl

In Iceland, this gastronomic delight is called “hákarl” and is prepared according to an ancient Viking recipe from shark meat. The animal carcass is skinned, cut into pieces and placed in special containers with gravel, where it lies and rots for 6-8 weeks or more, depending on the season.

Then the fairly rotten meat is taken out into the light of day and, hanging on special hooks, is left to ripen in the fresh air for another 2-4 months. In total, the hakarl is aged for six months to ensure a sufficient degree of decomposition. After which, thrill-seekers indulge in gastronomic experiments, devouring the fragrant delicacy on both cheeks.

The question remains: why do Icelanders let a valuable product rot and not eat it fresh? The reason is pragmatic. In Iceland, they mainly catch Greenland sharks, whose meat contains large amounts of toxic substances.

The fact is that these sharks do not have a urinary tract. Therefore, all urine is excreted from the fish’s body through the skin. As a result, poisonous uric acid accumulates in the shark's body, which decomposes over time. Eating meat fresh can cause you to become seriously ill or even die. The characteristic smell of urine remains in the finished product, which, despite this fact, is incredibly popular among local residents.

Hilderbrandur Farm is one of the leading producers of hakarl in Iceland. In the video you can see how rotten shark meat is prepared at this farm.

Surströmming

Sweden is not inferior to its neighbor in terms of sophistication in the field of delicacies. The favorite delicacy of the inhabitants of this country is surströmming. This is sour Baltic herring. The popularity of this dish is so high that in May 2005, the world's first museum dedicated to surströmming was opened in the Swedish town of Skeppsmalen.

According to legend, this delicacy appeared by chance. In the 16th century, the Swedish king Gustav I Vasa waged war on the city of Lübeck, which he eventually conquered by blockading it from the sea. During the fighting, the delivery of food to Swedish ships was difficult. Therefore, the soldiers were mainly fed with shelf-stable food. For example, salted barrel herring.

Salt was not cheap, and dishonest suppliers, in order to save natural preservatives, began to add it in smaller quantities than required. As a result, the herring began to deteriorate, which was manifested mainly in a strong unpleasant odor that did not induce appetite at all.

If not for the war, she would most likely have been thrown away. But not in force majeure circumstances and not in a situation of lack of food. The soldiers began to eat it. And with pleasure - it didn’t taste like rotten fish, but rather sour. In turn, poor Swedish peasants quickly mastered the new technology for salting herring - the savings on salt were significant.

Preserving fish by fermentation is an ancient method of preserving it, which came to us from Europe and Asia. In former times, pickled herring was considered a common dish for peasants in northern Sweden, and people could take a sandwich with it, for example, on a hunt or on the road. Nowadays, the use of this dish is seasonal. Taking part in a feast where surströmming is served is a kind of test of endurance, so the attitude towards this dish divides the Swedish population into two camps: some for, others against.

Agneta Lilja, teacher of ethnology, Department of Language and Culture, Södertörn High School, Sweden

Today, like hundreds of years ago, small Baltic herring are caught in the spring for surströmming. After which it is salted in a special way. In August it arrives on the table of the Swedes.

Modern factories roll this herring into a special container, where the fermentation process continues, so the jars of surströmming are seriously inflated. In such canned food, the pressure inside constantly increases. So manufacturers advise customers to open cans under water and outside the home. Before serving, sour herring is washed. It is better to eat it in the house - the powerful smell attracts hordes of flies.

In Sweden, surströmming is eaten wrapped in thin grain bread spread with soft goat cheese - getmessmör. The sandwich, which, by the way, has a special name - “klamma” (Swedish klamma - “to fit, to contain”), is sandwiched with a thin slice of potato and chopped onion, which soften the sharp taste of the sour herring.

Surströmming can recently be tried exclusively in Sweden. The fact is that in April 2006, Air France and British Airways banned the carriage of canned surströmming, explaining this by the potential “explosive hazard” of the cans. As a result, sales of the product were stopped at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport.

Fish with flavor is the national dish of many northern peoples. The pleasant smell of food has long been perceived as a prejudice. After all, a product that exudes a terrible stench very often turns out to be useful. Another example of this is the best French delicacies - stinking blue cheeses "Epoisse Germain Chablis" or "Saint-Nectar". By the way, half-decomposed fish is absorbed by the human body much better than fried fish.

Everyone knows that food is divided into those that you like the taste from the very beginning, and those that you first need. understand. For example, wine or is the same acquired taste, an acquired taste that cannot be loved without properly tasting it. Of course, in search of an acquired taste, humanity has wandered into distant wilds, and some of its representatives have advanced further than others. So much further that most people are disgusted by what they consider a delicacy. Today I decided to talk not about what whets the appetite, but quite the opposite - about what an unprepared eater would consider the most incredible abomination in the world.

The order in which the products are arranged is random. The choice is subjective. No, I've never tried it.

Surströmming - photo from www.myths-made-real.blogspot.com

Surströmming(Surströmming), a traditional Swedish product, is banned by several airlines - despite the fact that it is just canned herring. But herring is not easy. The roots of this dish lie in ancient times, when it was expensive and therefore used sparingly. Herring, salted with less salt than needed for preservation, turned sour as expected - and unexpectedly became a favorite among the Swedes. Nowadays, to prepare surströmming, the herring is allowed to sour for a couple of months in a weak brine, and then sealed in jars. But the fermentation process continues there too - so if handled carelessly, surströmming can “shoot” a smelly liquid, which is why it was, in fact, banned for transportation. However, despite the smell, surströmming has many connoisseurs - and this is the only product on this list that I would like to try.

Haukarl - photo from www.travel365.it

It seems that extraordinary (to put it mildly) delicacies are a common trait among all Scandinavians. For example, Haukarl(Hákarl) is a shark dish that is highly prized by Icelandic gourmets. It is prepared according to an ancient Viking recipe - shark meat is buried in the ground, then, after letting it thoroughly rot, it is hung in the air, and after a few months it is eaten with pleasure. This method of preparing shark is dictated by its structure: the Greenland shark, which was caught by the Vikings off the coast of Iceland, does not have kidneys or urinary tract, and urine is excreted through the skin. As a result, ammonia and urea accumulate in shark meat, which decomposes only over time. Fresh Greenland shark meat is poisonous, and haukarl allows you to dispose of the product without harm to health. True, the smell of urea still remains...

Lutefisk - photo from www.adventuresinflyoverland.blogspot.com

Lutefisk(Lutefisk) is another Scandinavian fish delicacy that can shock an unprepared eater with its smell, appearance, consistency - and method of preparation. The fish (traditionally cod) is dried, then soaked in alkali, after which it is fried and fried or baked as if nothing had happened. Aging in alkali makes the fish jelly-like and gives it a rather pungent odor. The Norwegians who invented this yum eat it at Christmas, apparently to avoid smelling it the rest of the year. Although, in my opinion, why is alkali worse than mayonnaise?

The photo of kopalchem ​​is not published for ethical reasons.

As stated above, there is no system in the arrangement of these products, but copalchem by far the most disgusting of all. Northern peoples have always been distinguished by great ingenuity, but here everything is disgusting - the method of preparation, appearance, smell, taste, consequences for the body. Of course, copalchem ​​was invented out of despair. Most likely, some Nenets or Chukchi decided for the first time to try the half-decomposed carcass of a deer that drowned in a swamp, out of starvation. Now this is the main Chukchi delicacy: the deer is first not fed for several days to cleanse its intestines, then it is strangled, drowned in a swamp, buried in peat and left there for several months. The result is, naturally, carrion, which the Nenets gobble up with great pleasure. If you find yourself in those parts, do not rush to try copalchem: for someone who has not been accustomed to this since childhood, copalchem ​​will most likely become the last food in his life. The concentration of cadaveric poison contained in a rotten, disgusting-smelling deer carcass usually leads to death.

Kiwiak - photo from www.foodlorists.blogspot.com

Rotten deer is still disgusting, but the Eskimos and Inuit went even further and came up with kiwiak(kiviak): I’m sure you will be delighted by the flight of gastronomic ideas of these northern chefs. So, write down the recipe. You need seal skin, fat and about 400-500 guillemot birds. Pack the whole bird carcass, including feathers and beaks, tightly into a seal skin, fill it with fat and sew the skin so that there is no air left inside. Bury it in the ground, weigh it down with a large stone and leave it for several months. When the kiwiak is ready, dig it up, remove the birds, pluck and eat, biting off the head and sucking out the insides. Of course, such a chic dish is not for every day: it is eaten at weddings, birthdays and other holidays, on the street, so that the whole home does not stink. These Inuit guys are thoughtful guys, I tell you.

Kazu Marzu - photo from www.hungabusta.wordpress.com

Residents of the north, of course, confidently hold the lead in terms of preparing disgusting dishes, but heat-loving Italians also have something to show the world. Kazoo Marzu(casu marzu) is a cheese made on the island of Sardinia. Unlike regular pecorino (which Kazu Marzu was born as), this cheese is made using worms - the larvae of cheese flies. These cute creatures crawl around in the cheese and feed on it, causing the cheese to decompose, becoming softer and more fragrant. Cheese is eaten with bread, wine and larvae, which, once in the stomach, may well remain alive and develop their activity in the intestines, causing vomiting and abdominal pain. In order to avoid this unpleasant consequence, Sardinians who do not want to eat live larvae put the cheese in a bag, where they suffocate. The sale of kazoo martz was banned by EU regulations but has recently resumed. A traditional product, after all.

In writing this article, I was keen to forget everything I had learned - and we had not yet touched upon Asia, where the passion for food that can be considered disgusting has acquired enormous proportions. When I recover from the current shock, we will talk more about Asia.