When we travel outside of the US, we like to eat some of the local specialties. However, we’ve learned that some of the dishes served to tourists aren’t things the locals eat. Instead, they are dishes that tourists like to try to think they’re being adventurous.
No clearer example of this did we discover when visiting Iceland in 2021. After getting to our hotel in Reykjavik and taking a nap, we walked around the city.
Our first stop was to check out one of the Icelandic hot dogs. While this may be touristy, it’s definitely a place where the locals stop after having a few drinks at the bar.
However, it didn’t take us long to come across advertisements for “touristy” restaurants offering a taste of “local delicacies.”
The four dishes of the “Icelandic Platter” are:
- Smoked Puffin
- Minke Whale
- Arctic Char
- Horse “Carpaccio”
Of these four proteins, the only one we found served throughout Iceland was the Arctic Char, which, by the way, is a fantastic fish.
As for the puffin, whale and horse, they’re just for the tourists. I found a post that describes these dishes served to visitors.
However, I think the locals are delighting in some of these rumors. They love pawning off ‘delicacies’ to visitors, ensuring them that yes of course, they all eat fermented shark (news flash: they don’t). So I’m here to clear up some of the things you may have heard about certain Icelandic foods that are mostly a myth, and what dishes you really should try when you next visit this beautiful country.
First of all, if you’ve ever seen a puffin, how could you eat one?
OK, I’ve seen cows, lambs and ducks and I eat them all. I’m not saying my judgments make any sense and if I was starving and this was the only bird available, I’d totally eat it.
But if you’re looking to eat the same foods as the Icelandic people, stay away from the tourist traps.
By all means, look for the Icelandic lamb. It’s phenomenal. Sharon ordered it at a restaurant in Höfn and it was as good as you’d imagine.
Also, order the Arctic Char when you can. Sharon ordered it at Messinn and it was amazing.
On our second trip there, I ordered the Icelandic Plokkfishur. A literal translation is “pulled fish,” but it’s a form of Icelandic fish stew. This is way more of a classic Icelandic food than any of those other options.
Final thoughts
No matter where you’re visiting, places will tend to serve what they think you’ll want instead of what the locals eat. It’s the reason we ask hotel concierges “The Question” instead of asking where’s a good place to eat.
If you ask me, we managed to eat more Icelandic food on our trip than we would have if we stuck to places serving an “Icelandic Platter.”
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