Oh, hello. Welcome to Iceland. Have some ram testicles!
Now we’ve talked on this channel before about how you can actually find some delicious foods in Iceland, but what about things that are, like, disgusting sounding? That’s what we’re talking about today, friends, the unique foods that you could try in Iceland.
Hello, Team Iceland. My name is Jeannie. I am here to help you plan your best trip ever to Iceland. So, if this is your first time on my channel, make sure to subscribe before you head on to the next video, because every single week, I give a new video about Iceland planning, and I want you to learn all about it.
Today I’m here to talk to you about some of the unique foods that you can try in Iceland, because some of these things, I’m like, “How’d you guys come up with that? That’s unique.” Let’s get into it.
First up is something that you might not even notice, but it is actually liquid fish oil. This is called Lysi in Icelandic, and it’s exactly that, a liquid fish oil, because hello, fish oil is so good for your body. I know a lot of Icelanders will just drink it by taking a shot of Lysi. My husband likes to take the bottle and just pour it into his mouth. I can’t do that. Some guesthouses and hostels will actually serve this in their breakfast buffet, but if they don’t, you can try this yourself by just picking up a bottle from the grocery store.
Speaking of fish, Icelanders like to have something called hardfiskur. Basically, this is like fish in beef jerky form, so it’s dried fish, and it’s actually the best when it’s dipped in a scoop of beautiful Icelandic butter. I mean, I don’t know if that sounds delicious or disgusting to you. Actually, I really like this snack. Either way, you have to try it.
Let’s take a break for a minute and talk about something that’s actually delicious, but unique to Iceland, and that is the kleina. The kleina is an Icelandic donut, and it is folded or tied together in this cute little formation. It is nowhere near as sweet as a normal donut that you might be thinking about, but it’s like the perfect texture and combination between just regular dough donut with just a touch of sweetness, so I love them. You can find kleinas at any of the bakeries, or also at a lot of the gas stations as well.
Okay, back to the unique disgusting foods. Hmm, which one should we talk about first? Okay, I’m going to take it easy on you guys, and let’s talk about blood sausage. “What’s blood sausage, Jeannie?” Well, it’s in the shape of a sausage, and it’s made out of blood and fat. Normal. Okay, actually disclaimer, I love blood sausage. I think it’s delicious.
So what they do is they take the sheep’s blood, because hello, they’re not trying to waste any part of the animal, right? I mean, and they take the blood, and they mix it with the fat, and then they put it in sausage form, and that’s blood sausage. Traditionally, this is served when it’s boiled and then mashed up with some potatoes, and you can find your own blood sausage in the supermarket right along with the other meats, and sausages, and all of that stuff.
All right, let’s get into the fun stuff. How does eating sheep’s head sound to you? Well, if you’re an Icelander, it’s actually delicious. So again, using every part of the animal, right? And apparently, there’s a part of the sheep’s head that you can eat. Now, I’ve never been bold enough to try this, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t, especially if you’re coming anywhere between mid-January to mid-February, which is called Thorrablot in Icelandic.
This is a time called the mid-winter food festival. Sign me up for that one, right? But this is the time where all of the fermented and other kinds of unique foods come into play. So the sheep head is boiled and served on your plate, and it looks like sheep, and like … Again, I don’t know how to tell you how to enjoy it, because I’ve never been brave enough, but please report back in the comments below if you try it, because I’m super interested.
And going along with that rotten food festival is ram testicles. I said they use every part of the animal, and I guess the testicles are no exception. All right, again friends, something that I’ve not been bold enough to try, but something that is very commonly served at Thorrablot, so all I’ve heard is they’re sour, and I don’t know if that sounds good to me, so I’m going to pass. Hard pass on that one.
Okay, of course we can’t leave hákarl off of this list. Hákarl is the fermented shark that is ever-so-famous in Iceland these days, easily accessible. It’s on a lot of restaurant menus. You can also buy it in the supermarket or try a sample for free at the Kolaportid Flea Market. And after you’ve done your unique food sampling around Iceland, I hope you have a strong stomach, because you’re going to need it.
All righty my dear friends. That is your list of unique foods that you can try in Iceland, and I hope you love this video. Make sure to give it a thumbs up if you did, and let me know in the comments below which unique food you’re most looking forward to trying during your time in Iceland. I’ll see you back here next week!
Happy planning,
