Why Iceland's staple food smells like ammonia

One of the most popular traditional dishes in Iceland is fermented shark meat. The Greenland shark meat is well-known for its pungent ammonia-like odour. However, the dish has kept its cultural significance as a sign of survival practices developed during the time of Vikings.

How fermented shark meat is produced in Iceland?

The process starts by cleaning the Greenland shark, including gutting it and chopping its head. Then it is placed on a shallow pit made of sandy soil. The stones help in removing all the liquid from the fish. It can take a couple of weeks to ferment the shark meat to become ready for use, depending on what time of year it is done. After the meat has been cut into small pieces, it needs to be laid and dried for several months until a brown outer layer forms on the meat.

Most people tend to agree that pungent smell is the strongest feature of fermented shark meat. Therefore, the smell is one of the most common reasons why tourists have difficulty trying it. While the flavour is not as strong as the aroma, fermented shark may appear weird when presented on a plate. It can be purchased from local marketplaces (Kolaportið) or at museums (Bjarnarhöfn).

The fermented shark meat is believed to have been made since the time of the Vikings in Iceland. The practice was initiated in order to make preservation of food easy, especially in winters. The Greenland shark was used in the process due to its availability in the surrounding water despite being dangerous when consumed raw. So the early Icelanders realized that burying and pressing the meat can make it edible.

This scent is pungent and similar to that of ammonia and tends to be overwhelming for most people at first. The scent is as a result of the chemical reactions involved in the process of fermenting and drying the ingredients used. Once consumed, the taste is less pungent than the scent. That’s why people commonly drink it with a local alcohol.

There are many reactions from people. There are some who hate it from the start and find it difficult to swallow because of the taste. There are those who find it easy to eat. But mostly people have considered it as an acquired test.

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