Cuisine of Iceland

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Important parts of Icelandic cuisine are fish, being in an area where fish is plentiful, lamb and dairy. Popular foods in Iceland include skyr and hangikjöt (smoked lamb). Þorramatur is the Icelandic national food.

Types of food

Contents 1 Meat 2 Fruits and vegetables 3 Recipes 3.1 Icelandic Pancakes (or Crepes) with Whipped Cream 3.2 Fried Crullers (Kleinur) 4 External links

[edit] Meat

There is a wide range of high quality restaurants in Iceland, serving specialities including freshly caught seafood, meat from naturally reared animals and prize game from the unspoilt countryside.
Iceland offers a fine variety of all kinds of foods produced locally. The quality is excellent, in part because of a very clean environment. Perhaps the best is lamb meat, mostly because the sheep range freely in the mountains. Iceland has strict regulations relating to meat production and the use of hormones is strictly forbidden.
There is a wide range cheeses and other dairy products made in Iceland. There are over 80 types of cheese made, some of which have won international awards. Skyr (which is something between yogurt and the German "Quark") and mysa (whey) are specialities that have been made in farms through the centuries in Iceland.
Icelandic fish, caught in the unpolluted waters of the North Atlantic, has established a reputation for its superb quality and delicious taste world-wide. Fish is the mainstay of the Icelandic diet, and fresh fish can be had all the year round. Icelanders eat mostly haddock, cod, plaice, halibut, herring and shrimp.
Poultry farming is considerable in Iceland. The most common types of bird reared are chicken, duck and turkey. Certain species of wild birds are hunted, including geese.

[edit] Fruits and vegetables

Even though Iceland is situated near the polar circle, many garden vegetables are grown outside, including cabbage and potatoes. Other vegetables, fruits and flowers are grown in geothermally heated greenhouses.

Iceland has a range of traditional foods, called "Þorramatur", which are enjoyed especially in the period from January to March. These preserved foods include smoked and salted lamb, salted lamb, singed sheep heads, dried fish, smoked and pickled salmon, cured shark and various other delicacies. Breads include laufabrauð (deep-fried paper-thin bread), kleinur (similar to doughnuts) and rye pancakes.

[edit] Recipes

[edit] Icelandic Pancakes (or Crepes) with Whipped Cream

Batter:

• 3 cups flour,
• 4 eggs,
• 3 tbs. butter (melted),
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda,
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder,
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence,
• 2 ½ -3 cups milk.

Directions:
Separate egg whites and beat until stiff. Mix together all other ingredients and add the egg whites last. Bake paper-thin on a hot cast-iron griddle (about 9 inches in diameter). Spread with preserves, jam or jelly, one tablespoon whipped cream. Fold into triangles. Serve with afternoon coffee or as dessert. (Traditional)

[edit] Fried Crullers (Kleinur)

Batter:

• 4 cups flour,
• 3 tsp. baking powder,
• 1 tsp. hartshorn (ammonium carbonate),
• 2 tsp. cardamom,
• 1/2 cup margarine,
• 4 1/2 tbs. sugar,
• 7 tbs. milk,
• 1 egg.

Directions:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, hartshorn and cardamom. Add the margarine, sugar, egg and the milk. Work into a dough. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide and about 3 inches long in a slantwise direction, using a pastry wheel and ruler. Make a slit in the center of each cruller and pull one pointed end through. Lower the crullers, one at a time, into hot fat and fry them until golden brown (deep fat frying). Lift them out and let them drain on a paper towel. Serve hot or cold.

[edit] External links

• Icelandic cuisine website