Food Tour, Iceland

While traveling for Christmas this year I had a stopover in Iceland. I decided to stay for two days to experience the food and culture. I absolutely loved my time there and can’t wait to go back. The first thing I booked was a food tour. It included a local food market, restaurants, street food and a fully stocked specialty food shop.

Our first stop was a little place on the water called Seabaron, known for their langoustine soup. We were served sweet pickled herring to start our tasting. I have had pickled herring before but I have never had the sweet version.. it wasn’t very good. The sweet flavor with the odd mushy texture was unpleasant but I ate it..

Some fresh bread was served to accompany the soup. It was soft and delicious..

The langoustine soup was similar but different from the lobster bisques I have had in the past. It was flavored with lemongrass, ginger, and coconut milk with chunks of langoustine. We were told the owners wanted a twist on the traditional bisque and it was amazing. Smooth and flavorful..

We walked the charming streets of Reykjavik to the next location on the tour.. a flea market with an amazing food selection. Lots of local and traditional choices. Dried fish is hugely popular and sold everywhere. It was different than any I have ever had, it had almost a freeze dried texture. Very flaky and powdery..

Packaged horse meat..something I had never seen but I had heard was eaten here..

A beautiful fresh bread display..

And some very unique items like cow colostrum, a drink for vitamins and energy we were told..

Another item I had never seen, fin whale meat..

The market was amazing and I wanted to spend lots of time and money there but we had to move on. What a great experience and a fantastic look at local food.

We made a quick stop at a hot dog stand to try the famous Icelandic hot dogs. Our guide told us that these are the fast food of Iceland. There were a few of these stands around town, there is even one at the airport..

The Pylsa (hot dog) is made of mostly lamb and a little pork and beef. Traditionally it is served with five condiments. Ketchup made with a hint of apple, fresh onions, crispy onions, pylsusinnep (a sweet brown mustard) and a remoulade made with mayonnaise, capers, mustard and herbs. I am not a huge hot dog fan but it was pretty good and the toppings really gave it great flavor. The onions are on the bottom to make them easier to eat..

The next destination was a restaurant called Icelandic Street Food that served a selection of homemade traditional comfort food. We got to try the lamb and vegetable soup with some delicious fresh bread. The soup was herby and deep and the lamb was tender and juicy..

On our walk to the final restaurant we stopped in at a specialty food shop called Taste of Iceland. I had already visited the store to buy some books but I was really happy to be back because the owner was amazing. So warm and friendly and engaging. I was pleasantly surprised when he remembered me and gave a wave when I walked in. We got to check out the Icelandic moss, used in soups and breads and many other dishes. There is a huge selection of various lava salts and other flavored salts. We also got to sample some traditional candy. The salted licorice was the craziest, so called “candy” I have ever eaten.. It was very difficult to not spit out. Even the smell was off putting but the owner reminded us of the “when in Rome” attitude so we all popped it in our mouths and struggled together. It was great! We grabbed some black lava salt, it tastes very light and it is surprisingly mild for its dark color..

The last stop on the tour was what I had been waiting for all day..the fermented shark!! I have always been interested in nordic cuisine and top of my list was Hákarl. A Greenland shark that had taken seven months to rot and ferment. I have heard so many stories about it and I was on my way to finally eat some!

The final restaurant was a fine dining establishment and we started with a beautiful and traditional Christmas platter. It consisted of cured salmon, smoked ham, pickled herring, a glazed potato and reindeer pâté. I was very excited because reindeer was on my list of must try foods. It was all very interesting and unique..

We were then offered the fermented shark. It is traditionally accompanied by a shot of a very harsh, and powerful vodka like drink called Brennivín. The smell of the shark was massively noticable and overwhelming. The ammonia stench was so bad that you couldn’t help but recoil when sniffing it. We were told that only small pieces were eaten on occasion for health benefits and there was a proper way to consume it. Don’t smell it before putting it in your mouth, only chew about three times and follow up quickly with the brennivín. The taste was very mild and bland which was surprising considering the smell. The texture was weird, soft and thick, almost like a cheese or something. There was a little resistance when chewing but also a feeling of mushy flesh..It was strange and hard to describe..

I am so happy I decided to do a food tour around Reykjavik. I got a great history lesson from the guide and I got to eat amazing local cuisine. I can’t wait to head back to Iceland, it really is the best place I have visited so far..The people, the natural beauty, the food and history, the community pools, everything about my visit was magical!

Adventures in Food

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