Time for my daily arctic update!
I was so tired after being up for 30+ hours in a row, that I didn’t finish writing about my day yesterday!
Freshly caught cod and arctic char are readily available in Iceland, so of course I wanted to bring some back to my AirBnB to cook myself. I found a highly recommended fish store in the other side of town and triple checked its opening hours online. I had more than enough time to walk over, even with many photo stops along the way.
I had visited Akureyri last spring and absolutely loved it — in winter, however, it is absolutely gorgeous. I think I actually like it even better at this time of year.
Akureyri is Iceland’s second largest city with about 19,000 inhabitants and is nicknamed the “Capital of the North”.
I took a route that followed alongside Eyjafjörður (the fjord that the city is situated on), and also took me up a mountain to the suburbs. The pictures don’t do the climb justice — it was actually super steep with no sidewalk. They rarely use salt on the roads (only gravel), so there were a few patches that were quite icy and slippery.
I stopped for a snack (lol) and had the chance to admire the views from the top of the hike. It was quite pretty, as I could still see the fjord between the trees. There was a little creek next to the road too.
Google maps is a little questionable here, because my route suggested that I walk down really busy main roads and a traffic circle — none of which had any sidewalks. It also recommend that I jaywalk in several high-traffic areas. Drivers were quite friendly and usually stopped to wave me across.
After a couple of hours, I eventually made it to the fish shop! However… there was a printed sign on the door announcing that the shop was CLOSED on Sundays!!! Google was WRONG. Luckily, it was attached to Bónus, a really good discount grocery store that I planned to shop at anyways. Plus, THAT SUNSET! I didn’t even edit the colours. It’s probably the most beautiful photo of a discount grocery store ever taken!
After an hour+ evening hike back to my Airbnb, I made some of the best lamb of my LIFE. I seasoned it with S&P, seared all sides, then basted it with smjör (Icelandic butter), crushed garlic, and fresh rosemary. I also made quinoa with lamb bouillon, shallots, garlic, roasted fennel, and pan bursted tomatoes👌. You’ll want to watch the sizzling video with sound ON.
Icelandic lamb is some of the best I’ve ever had. They roam in the wild during the summer and are raised without any hormones or antibiotics. The meat is lean, flavorful, and tender, with a distinctive taste from the local grass and aromatic herbs on which the lambs graze. One of my favourite Icelandic clothing brands actually made this incredible feature about sheep farming in Iceland. I highly recommend that you check it out!
In case you are curious, here are the groceries I bought: half carton of eggs, Honeycrisp apples, blóðmör (Icelandic blood pudding), skyr, whole milk, lamb bouillon, shallots, an orange, lamb, fresh rosemary, garlic, Italian fennel, bananas, cherry tomatoes, and Saltverk‘s Flaky Sea Salt.
With a texture similar to Greek yogurt (but even thicker), skyr is actually a type of cheese. It is very high in protein and naturally fat-free. My favourite brand in Iceland is Ísey Skyr — they have delicious flavours, I love the little cups they come in (with resealable lids), and they also come with little spoons, making these easy to eat on the go. The flavours I got are crème brûlée (my favourite flavour!), jarðarberjabaka (strawberry tart, I think), bláber (blueberry), and Dökkt súkkulaði & vanilla (dark chocolate and vanilla).
Icelandic whole milk, or nýmjólk, actually has a higher fat content than in Ontario. Our whole milk here has 3.25% fat, while the Icelandic version has 3.9% (which I personally prefer). It is pasteurized and has added Vitamin D.
Icelandic blood pudding, or blóðmör, is similar to British and Irish black pudding, but without the added herbs and spices. You can buy it all year round, but it is especially popular in January/February when Icelanders are celebrating the foods of the ancestors during the festival of Þorrablót.
Icelandic tomatoes are delicious and you absolutely need to try them if you are in Iceland. They are grown in greenhouses powered by the country’s geothermal energy, in fertile volcanic soil and watered with mineral rich glacial water. They taste like they were picked ripe from vine, in the middle of tomato season, even though it is the middle of winter. It puts the off-season cardboard tomatoes to shame back home. They sell the cherry tomatoes in little cups, which is convenient for snacking.
Also, fun fact: you can buy sheep heads at the grocery store! I’m not sure if this is just for the festival, or all year, but it was certainly interesting to see. They were quite popular with the locals.
