Monday, July 30, 2007

Hakarl



One of the things I really wanted to do from early on was try hakarl, or putrefied shark, an Icelandic national dish. What I love about it is that it embodies a certain Icelandic resoluteness. With so few natural resources, Icelanders were forced to adopt an ethos of practicality, leaving no wasted portions of an animal. (Other examples include blood pudding, also found in Chinese cuisine, singed sheep's head, and soured ram's scrotum.)

Basically, the shark found in the waters around Iceland is poisonous, but Icelanders just weren't going to take no for an answer. Cleansing the shark of its poison requires a long process of curing and rotting - the effort they go to eat the damn thing amuses me to no end. And it's not even like it tastes good; it is notorious for its absurdly ferocious taste. I was surprised to find, however, that it isn't that bad: the flavor is somewhat like the smell of goldfish food flakes - fishy, but not in a gastronomic way. It's fishy in a that, well, just doesn't seem fit for human consumption. I have to say, though, that brennivin, a licorice-flavored hard alcohol usually accompanying hakarl, is infinitely worse.
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