North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland Quiz

Answer: The potato famine of the 1840s

Icelandic Cuisine is based on lamb, fish and dairy. Because of a harsh climate, animal products dominate Icelandic cuisine with short summers making it difficult to grow fruit and vegetables. However, in the 20th century consumption of vegetables markedly increased, mainly through imports. Consumption of fish has lessened, yet is still far higher than any other European country consuming four times more than the world average.

The trade monopoly instigated by Denmark in 1602 and the Napoleonic wars in the 1800s restricted trade so necessary foodstuffs had difficulty reaching the island shores.

The little Ice age of the 14th century meant barley, a staple crop, could not be grown in Iceland anymore.

Answer: Fermented shark

While fish is plentiful around this island nation, access to fish is the main reason why the majority of the people live close to the coast. The country is filled with small fishing villages, dotted especially around the south coast. A common sight around these villages are large frames containing fish that have been hung out to dry. This preserves the fish so there is plentiful supply for those times and seasons when fresh fish is not available.

Halkarl is either Greenland shark or other sleeper shark that has been cured by fermentation and hung to dry for several months.

Greenland shark meat is poisonous when first caught because of its high content of urea and trimethylamine oxide. It requires processing before it is safe to eat though it emits an ammonia like smell after processing because of the by-products of the urea and trimethylamine oxide. It therefore becomes an acquired taste, most are not able to get past the initial smell.

The fermentation process involves burying the cleaned fish in a hole and covering with sand and gravel . Heavy stones are placed over the fish to express the liquids from the flesh. After 6-12 weeks of burial, the flesh is then cut into strips and allowed to air-dry for several months. The fish can then be eaten, usually in small cubes pierced with a toothpick. it is often accompanied with a shot glass of local spirit, a variant of akvavit called brennivín.

Answer: Sheep (Lamb/mutton)

While locally raised beef is high quality, it is expensive because of the vast pastures needed. Sheep meat is much more popular because of the lower pasture area needed for raising commercial quantities. Sheep also yield milk and wool, so sheep were worth more alive than dead. As a result sheep tend to be older when consumed (rams and infertile ewes). Lambs (smaller in number than sheep) are slaughtered in the autumn, when they are over three months old and have reached 20 kg.

After Christianisation in the 10th and 11th century, horses were eaten only if other meat was not available. These attitudes reversed in the 18th century. Horse meat, salted and served boiled or made into bjúgu, a sort of smoked sausage, has been fairly common in Iceland since the late 19th century.

Most pork in Iceland is imported from Denmark.

Answer: Ptarmigan (Grouse)

Small Icelandic game consists mostly of seabirds (puffin and cormorants) and water birds such as mallards and geese are a secondary protein source. Most seabirds contain fish oils, an important commodity which is leached out of the bird-flesh before cooking to be used elsewhere in the Icelandic household.

Hunting ptarmigan, a type of grouse, has been banned because of rapidly declining stocks since the '80s. Ptarmigan, served with a cream and jam sauce, was a traditional Christmas main course in Iceland.

Seal meat, always eaten fresh, was popular but is rare in contemporary times. Iceland re-joined the International Whaling Commission in 2002 after withdrawing in 1992. Whaling was never big in Iceland due to lack of ocean going boats but a small number of minke whales are used for meat each year with the meat being popular and plentiful.

Reindeer were introduced into Iceland in the 18th century and roam the moors. Some are hunted each year and the meat is sold mainly in restaurants but also in small quantities in stores. Reindeer meat is a delicacy and is usually expensive.

Answer: A soft yogurt-like cheese

Skyr was originally a Norwegian tradition (that no longer exists) that was brought to Iceland. It is a soft yogurt-like cheese eaten with a spoon. Dairy products have always been a staple in Iceland principally because of availability of milk from sheep, goats and some cows.

The whey left over when making skyr was fermented and used for storing meat as salt was hard to come by. The utility of skyr in Icelandic cuisine almost caused other cheesemaking traditions to disappear. However industrial cheesemaking started in the first 20 years of the 20th century and hard cheeses are now an integral part of the Icelandic diet.

Answer: Rye

With the onset in the 14th century of the Little Ice Age, barley and oats were not able to be grown anymore and Iceland had to rely on imports for nearly all types of cereal grains. Hence bread was not a staple of the Icelandic diet. Traditionally Icelandic bread is rye bread, including rúgbrauđ, a dense, dark coloured and moist rye bread.

This type of bread is traditionally baked in pots or special boxes used for baking, in holes which are dug near hot springs. Another rye bread is flatkaka, a soft brown flatbread.

In the 21st century wheat bread baked locally from imported grains are becoming more popular.

Answer: Inclusion of fruit and vegetables in the Icelandic diet is increasing as it imports these foodstuffs in increasing numbers.

Vegetables in the Icelandic diet have traditionally been limited. Few vegetables grow in the cold climate, but swedes/rutabaga, cabbage and turnips are started in greenhouses before planting outside. Potatoes are grown but the yield is low. Tomatoes and cucumbers are always grown fully in greenhouses. Berries were the only fruit grown locally. Access to these foodstuffs was restricted as the Danish king in 1602 was concerned about British and German ships in Icelandic territorial waters, so he implemented a trade monopoly in Iceland, permitting commerce only with Danish merchants. Since independence in 1944, all such restrictions were null and void, and there has been a gradual increase in vegetables (and especially variety of veggies) and a less marked increase in fruit which still plays a smaller part in the diet compared with other nearby European countries.

Answer: A selection of traditional rustic foods not normally seen in urban areas served as a buffet

Ţorramatur is a celebration of Ţorrablót, the traditional Icelandic mid-winter feast, replete with rarely seen Icelandic food in modern times, held in the month of Ţorra (January). It was introduced as a promotion in a single Reykjavik restaurant to help them through a lean time in the culinary business.

The tradition caught on, particularly with university students in the city, and quickly spread to other restaurants. The food is served buffet style, in traditional troughs with enough food for people. Examples of the dishes on the menu include: Kćstur hákarl, fermented Greenland shark; Harđfiskur, wind-dried fish served with butter; Blóđmör (blood-suet), a type of blood pudding made from lamb's blood, rye flour and oats; Selshreifar, seal flippers cured in lactic acid; Lifrarpylsa, liver sausage; and Súr Hvalur, whale blubber pickled in sour milk.

Answer: Coffee

Icelanders drink more coffee than anywhere in the world except Finland and Norway. Icelanders drink 9kg/20lb of coffee annually. This compares with 7kg in Canada, 6kg in Italy and 4kg in Australia, the latter country with a thriving coffee culture. There are no large chains like Starbucks in Iceland so smaller local businesses have done well. Small coffee shops or cafés can be found on nearly every street corner in downtown Reykjavík.

There are local chains like Te & Kaffi and Kaffitár and small independent coffee shops. Of course there is no coffee grown on Iceland (most is imported from Indonesia and Colombia) but it is roasted locally and claimed to be the best in the world.

Answer: 1989

The 1915 ban on alcohol was partially lifted in 1921 when Spain refused to buy salted cod from Iceland (at the time it was Iceland's most productive export) unless Iceland bought Spanish wine in return. Hence the partial relaxation. A 1935 referendum ended the prohibition of spirits.

However beer over 2.25% remained banned. there were two reasons for this. In the 1930s Iceland was desperately trying to obtain independence from its colonial master Denmark. At this time Denmark had the largest beer consumption in the world so drinking beer was not socially acceptable.

The temperance lobby was also successful in maintaining a ban, saying if it was to be lifted it would cause "depravity". Icelanders were known to add spirits to legal non-alcoholic beer (called pilsner or brennivin (burning wine), a potato-based vodka) to fashion a full strength beer of sorts.

This practice was outlawed in the mid-'80s leading to a further push to legalise beer which was granted in 1989. March 1 was designated beer day. Beer has become the most popular alcoholic beverage in Iceland with the countrymen drinking about 7.1 litres of alcohol per capita per year, about half the consumption of Danes.