Iceland Part Two – Agriculture and Food in Iceland

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Halló, friends! Wow, this has been a delicious week!

Iceland is full of unique cuisine with an interesting history. The first settlers of Iceland discovered early on that there were not as many trees as there were back in their home country. I wonder if this is part of what began the Icelandic culture of living in harmony with nature? For example, early Icelandic people learned how to use the geothermal heat - that is heat that comes from the natural lava flows underground - to bake food. This way they could prepare food like bread without burning precious wood. 

Photo By Salvör Gissurardóttir (Own work) [GFDL] or [CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Today, Icelandic main dishes include a lot of fish, but also lamb, other seafood, and dairy products. They also eat reindeer, but not very often because it is quite expensive.

Sustainability is an important part of the Icelandic culture. Sustainability is when a culture lives in a way that it doesn't use up the natural resources too quickly. For Iceland, this means living mostly on fish because it is so available. Not only is it the country's main food source, it is also one of the country's main exports.

Icelandic Fish and Chips-Photo courtesy of jayneandd, [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Fickr.com

Even though there are a lot of fish, and the clean, warm ocean lets fish replenish their population rather quickly, Iceland has strict regulations for fishing and fish farming to make sure that there are plenty of healthy fish for future generations. Some of the most wild caught fish in Iceland include cod, haddock and golden redfish. They also farm some fish like salmon, charr and cod. Check out the video below by Al Jazeera English to learn about the food in Iceland and how it is grown, made and enjoyed here!

Speaking of farming, they do raise some land animals as well, mostly sheep and cow. The sheep love the moss and grass that grows on the rich volcanic soil. I heard one lady here call the sheep their "savior," because not only do the sheep give up their wool so Icelanders can make clothes, but also their lives so Icelanders can eat. What an interesting perspective, and so nice that they are so grateful to the animals they eat! 

Photo courtesy of Islandsstofa Promote Iceland-Inspired by Iceland

Cows are mostly used for dairy production. Here in Iceland, you can find a yummy yogurt-like treat called Skyr, that is very thick and has a delicate flavor. Skyr is very healthy, full of protein but not very fatty, and people who visit Iceland have been looking for it when they go back home! There are a few other types of livestock here, like pigs and poultry, too.

While passing through some of the farms here, you might see an Icelandic horse! They're very unique, with thick manes and short, strong legs that help them get around the lava fields of Iceland.

Iceland's agriculture and horticulture is really fascinating! Because of the natural geothermal energy and plentiful fresh water, Icelanders have learned how to grow plenty of vegetables and fruit that you wouldn't expect in the challenging terrain and weather. Even though they have very little light during the winter months, automated greenhouses that use the natural geothermal energy to stay warm allow them to keep growing tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, cabbage and strawberries. During the rest of the year, outdoor crops like carrots, rhubarb, rutabaga, cabbage, potatoes and kale are grown on farms.

Photo courtesy of Francisco Antunes [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr.com

Anna and Viktor have shown me that there are different ways to enjoy food here in Iceland, such as dining at some delicious restaurants in the capital city of Reykjavik or visiting an Icelandic farm to eat and learn about the fresh produce. But after filling my little tummy with all the different kinds of foods you can find here in Iceland, I learned that my favorite treat of all is a tasty pastry called kleina. It is like a donut but cut in a trapezoid shape and twisted around itself! So much fun and delicious!

Photo By Steinninn ♨ - Own work, [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons

One morning, Anna and Viktor's mom made their favorite breakfast called pönnukökur or Icelandic pancakes! These fun and tasty pancakes are very thin, much like crepes, sometimes rolled up or folded into triangles and topped with fun stuff like cinnamon, sugar, or fruit! Anna and Viktor's favorite way of making them is adding fresh whipped cream and rhubarb jam on the inside, then folding them into triangles. Yum, yum! If you're interested in making some, try this recipe from Mansi Desai over at honestcooking.com. Don't forget to ask your parent, guardian or teacher to send me some pictures if you make it, I'd love to see how they turn out! (Photo of pönnukökur or Icelandic pancakes courtesy of Mansi Desai, honestcooking.com).

I also wanted to share another family's experience trying Icelandic food via The World is a BookI loved reading about all the interesting, and even strange, foods they tried while they were here, so hope you enjoy too!

That's all I have time for today, but don't miss next week where I will be celebrating Icelandic National Day with my friends and sharing more about the people and culture of this fascinating country.

Thanks for reading!

Bless friends!

Joy Sun Bear

joysunbear
Author: joysunbear

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