In Belgium there is chocolate and waffles, in France, there are the baguettes and Germany are curry-würst. What does Iceland have? Shark? Well, it is something Icelanders eat and have eaten through the centuries, but we Icelanders would not say it was the quintessential Icelandic food-item.
There are two foods that we think everyone should taste because we are pretty proud of it: Skyr and hot dogs.
The Icelandic lamb-pork-beef hot dog
Oh yes, the Icelandic hot dog is not made from only one kind of meat. It is made from lamb, pork and beef which makes it, in our opinion and many others, the best hot dog in the world.
In downtown, Reykjavík is the world-famous and simple hot dog stand, Bæjarins beztu or The Town’s Best. It is a place we recommend everyone trying out. There’s just something about the hot dogs; they are just better than everywhere else. Bæjarins beztu have food-stands in a few other places in Reykjavík, but the hot dogs there just are not as good as in the one downtown.
When you go there, ask for one with everything, that includes raw and fried onions, ketchup, Icelandic mustard and remoulade. If you ask for a Clinton, you get a hot dog with ketchup and is what Bill Clinton ordered when he came here.
Skyr – once cheese now a yoghurt
So, Icelanders have made skyr for centuries. The way it is made has changed with evolving technology and higher demand. Initially, it was more like cheese than yoghurt. It was sold in blocks and cut down with a knife. Then you had to whip it with milk and some sugar to get the right consistency.
Today, you cannot buy the blocks of skyr, it has all been pre-whipped for your convenience, and you can get it without flavouring or with many kinds of fruit and berry flavouring. You can even get some with chocolate or tasting like crème brûlée. Today‘s consistency is more akin to Greek yoghurt than the cheese blocks of old, but it is just so good. You have to try it! It is very protein high, and many don’t have a high sugar count.
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