Iceland Info
Joined: 20 Oct 2006
Posts: 18
Home Country: iceland
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 Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:22 pm Post subject: FOOD & DINING IN ICELAND |
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FOOD & DINING IN ICELAND
GENERAL
With its pristine nature, clean water and pollution-free atmosphere, Iceland in not just a place to feast your eyes on. This fresh and refreshing environment also produces quality food that is the ultimate in good taste.
Icelandic seafood is unrivalled for its quality - and you can sample its delights straight from the sea. Restaurants offer a wide selection of fish harvested fresh from the ocean daily, salmon is available both wild and farmed, and the lobster is a treat you´ll wonder how you ever lived without.
Highland lamb heads the list of favourite meats. Lamb has a flavour reminiscent of game after grazing in the wild on highland pastures rich in herbs, and is hormone-free, reared on small environment-friendly farms.
Seasonal delicacies include ptarmigan and reindeer (early winter), while range of seabirds are included among traditional foods now served up to exciting gourmet standards. And don´t forget to round things off with a dessert of skyr (a type of curds), preferably served with fresh bilberries and cream.
From the traditional menu, hangikjöt (smoked lamb) is the number one favourite among Icelanders and their visitors alike. It´s served equally as a warm main dish or in cold buffets. The truly brave at heart who are in Iceland in January and February will find a worthy challenge in the form of the ancient midwinter Þorrablót: pickled, sour meats and rotten shark are among the delights worh trying once a year.
You´ll find ample opportunity to dine in style, not just in downtown Reykjavík but at restaurants in most main communities.
And of course you don´t have to leave Icelandic gourmet cuisine behind you when your visit is over. Foods such as salmon (especially graflax, cured with dill), lumpfish roe caviar and a variety of cheeses are among the most popular souvenirs.
If there’s one Icelandic phrase every visitor should learn it’s, “Eina med ollu.” These magical words unlock the door to a hotdog-lover’s paradise. Literally translated it means, “Give me one with the works.” The ‘works’ consists of an Icelandic hotdog (pylsa) served in a steamed bun topped with ketchup, mustard, crunchy fried onions, raw onions and a remoulade sauce. Pylsa-stands are sprinkled throughout the city but the most popular is Baejarins Bestu located directly across from Reykjavik harbour. People have been lining up there for delectable, secret-recipe hotdogs every day for decades!
Long before Starbucks and Coffee Tree’s took over the world, Icelanders have embraced the art of sitting in a cafe, chatting with friends and leisurely sipping a steaming cup of java. In fact, Icelanders take their coffee drinking so seriously that you will not find it served ‘to go’ anywhere. This is considered a sin against the almighty coffee bean as they believe that a cup of coffee should be savoured and not rushed.
INTERESTING PLACES TO DINE
The selection of restaurants in Iceland is so diverse that you could take an epicurean tour of the world - all on one street. It would be difficult to describe them all but every cuisine type is available including sushi, tapas, Indian, French, Mexican, Italian, Thai and American.
One eatery with the market on scenery is Perlan (The Pearl) which overlooks the city of Reykjavik from Oskuhlid Hill. In this deluxe revolving restaurant you can enjoy a panorama view of the city while dining on free-range Icelandic lamb, grilled to perfection. The exquisite flavour of Icelandic lamb, which is famous around the world, comes as a result of an unpolluted environment and the mixture of grass, moss and berries the lamb feed on throughout the summer.
Thrir Frakkar (Three Frenchman), with its cozy atmosphere, is applauded for their take on a traditional Icelandic favourite, Plokkfiskur. This creamy fish and potato dish, usually made with haddock or cod, takes comfort food to a whole new level. One bite of this and much like the fish - you’re hooked!
Ultra-delicious Arctic lobster is another popular menu item around Reykjavik - especially at Humarhusid (The Lobster House) located in the heart of the city. At this outstanding gourmet restaurant you can indulge yourself on succulent lobster tails served with the purest drawn butter you’ve ever tasted.
Speaking of dairy products, you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted Icelandic cheese. There are dozens of varieties for chefs - and you - to choose from. At Caruso, a charming Italian restaurant that’s an antique lover’s dream, they make a lasagna simply swimming in mozzarella cheese. You may feel the need to scoop up this overflow of cheese with some of their delicious garlic bread and wash it down with a crisp chardonnay.
Master chef Siggi Hall’s self-named restaurant at Hotel Odinsve also needs mentioning. Stylish settings and an informal atmosphere grace Mediterranean-influenced entrees made from seafood, bacalao, game or lamb. |
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