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How do I love thee, let me count the ways...
By Andrew Zimmern on March 11, 2008 11:16 AM | Permalink | 30 Comments
I fell in love with Iceland last summer. Here are a few of the reasons why...
Amphetamine Effect...long days and short nights (2 hours) mean plenty of time to get things done. After 17 hours of daylight, you don't even feel tired, you eat dinner, grab a steam and a schvitz in a public bath and shazam, you are ready to hit the hot spots all night, I mean twi-light, long. I have never had as much energy as I did during my week in Iceland.
Fish...the best seafood I have tasted in years has been the local catch from the docks in and around the Icelandic sea coast. But then again the lambs eat the freshest grass, the cows drink the cleanest water, the fish swim in the purest seas...Icelandic food tastes better because it is. Simple idea really.
Eat Out...Vox, Siggi Hall, The Sea Baron... from high brow dining to street food gluttony; there are more good restaurants in Rekyavik than in many American cities 5 times the size. The local chefs cook with verve, a respect for tradition and an amazing lack of self consciousness. And the food is killer almost anywhere you go. Even the Rekyavik bus depot serves good food.
Dairy...the cream, the milk, the fresh handmade Icelandic skyr sweetened with local honey is something I will never forget. Not yogurt, but really a cheese, eaten fresh, whipped until silky smooth. There is no replicating it, you can make a great version yourself, and many local dairy farmers all over the country have similar farmhouse recipes, but there is no getting around the simple fact that skyr stands alone in the Dairyland Valhalla.
Fermented Foods...from pickled herring to cured salmon, from dried fish to hakarl, the national dishes of Iceland are predominantly cured, salted, fermented or putrified seafood. You gotta love that! The drive out to Bjarnhofn takes only a few hours but is dominated by ancient lava fields, miles of wildflower beds, waterfall speckled hillsides, cascading mountain fed streams, breathtaking ocean vistas...the usual. You wish the ride took 10 hours not 3. At the end of the line is a 5th generation rotten shark merchant who knows a thing or two about hakarl, and his dad will treat you to a piece of dried cod dipped in seal oil if you ask nicely.
Natural Wonders... Iceland is called the Land of Fire and Ice for a reason. Glacial splendor, world class geysers, raging rapids, active lava flow, black sand beaches, it's the inverse of Hawaii. Take a horse back camping trip, it's a local excursion that is very popular and the best way to see the backcountry. I am still thinking of the day I spent in the saddle. We trotted across verdant valleys, through tidal estuaries stretching to the horizon, across canyons and along mile high ice fields...all in one day.
Puffin...but still, the best thing about Iceland is the Westmann Islands. Volcanic, remote, grass topped cliffs, killer whales, seals, and billions of little birds that taste great on the grill. My kind of place.
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Great to have you back Andrew! Keep up the great show!
I studied abroad in Iceland for the spring semester of last year. It was such and amazing country and they had some of the best chocolate and butter (weird combination, I know!). I'm so glad that you did an episode about the food so that I can show it to people instead of trying to explain it!
love the show... i always like to see what your eating next...
Hey Andrew, your show is the greatest. You are the reason I watch the Travel Channel, no offense Bourdain. I love the way you visit the country and the cities in all the places you travel. Your show has boosted my 'eating courage' 100%. Keep up the good eating. YOU ROCK!!!
Andrew, if you like the view in Iceland, you should check out Newfoundland..where puffins are most certainly not on the menu..but cod tongues are! I think the food and the culture there would make for a great show. I grew up there..so I should know. ;) Love your show!
I love your show!!!! It is fascinating, I can't wait to see where you go and what you'll eat next. You have the best job in the world!
Hi Andrew. I come from Iceland and i live now in Hawaii. I misst your show because i was working, how can i see it again? Everybody is talking about it. Thank you for going there and have so much fun. I love it.
I'm so jealous!!!! I am a dairy fanatic. It sounds heavenly.
Hi Andrew..I really enjoyed the Iceland show..those Puffin catchers were some wild dudes. Keep up the great work and you should work in a contest so one of your fans gets to accompany you on one of your fantastic journeys. Good health to you!
My husband and i just love your show and we love all of the europe episodes and we want to see more. Keep up the good work!!!!
Thank you Andrew for the way you presented my homeland Iceland. I can see why you fell in love with the country and the people. My Husband and I loved your show...we never miss a show on Iceland and often come away disappointed. Your show was a pleasure and represented Iceland in a good light...even when eating the Hakarl...which I love by the way...the eating not the smell :) Thank you for a wonderful show. I lift my glass of Brenivin to you.
Love the show. Why not try something different and come to Atyrau in Kazkahstan, traditional foods such as Lambs head, bishbarmak, boorsaki, mantee and much more. Stay in my great 5 star hotel and we will make it happen for you.
Thanks Andrew. You showed the beauty of the country perfectly. You are always very respectful everywhere you go. I can't wait to travel to Iceland myself. I wish the best in all that you do.
My daughter wants to know how to get a job as your assistant. She even eats balut. GREAT show!
Was a great show on Iceland! Brought back some wonderful memories of 3 weeks I spent there a couple years ago. I was a little surprised you didn't get to cover the Lake Myvatn area. They have a bakery there that makes bread in pots buried underground with steam. and no mention of the Ram testicles that kids love to munch on, or moss soup.. BUT... You ate rotten shark... I couldn't do that .. did like the puffin we had in Vik. Iceland is a very beautiful and special country, with wonderful people. Don't you just feel so clean after being there ?
Was a great show on Iceland! Brought back some wonderful memories of 3 weeks I spent there a couple years ago. I was a little surprised you didn't get to cover the Lake Myvatn area. They have a bakery there that makes bread in pots buried underground with steam. and no mention of the Ram testicles that kids love to munch on, or moss soup.. BUT... You ate rotten shark... I couldn't do that .. did like the puffin we had in Vik. Iceland is a very beautiful and special country, with wonderful people. Don't you just feel so clean after being there ? So right about it being the inverse of Hawaii ( where I am from) Keep amazing us :)
DEAR ANDREW: Between your program and Anthony Bourdain's, I find myself watching The Travel Channel far, FAR more often than a year ago. Your Iceland show was fascinating. I've always taken pride in being able to eat just about anything that's prepared correctly, and your show makes me want to visit some of those exotic locales just for the food. Good luck with the show, I hope it's on for a long, long time.
Hey, Andrew!!! I loved your take on Iceland, and your experiences there. You have such a great way of relating to people, and your willingness to experience anything at all is admirable. One of my favorite things about you is that no matter where you go, you make sure the hosts know how grateful you are, and how appreciative you are of their hospitality. You are extremely respectful, and I believe you are a great representative of the new American traveler. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to watching each and every new episode!
Hello, I am currently in Iceland with my class from my university. We have tried teh salted cod and it is AMAZING. We also have tried puffin and found it tasted like like fish. We have also tasted skyr. We are interresting in tasting the rotted shark and are wondering where we would find it during our stay in the Capital. Thank you, ~Kathleen
Hi Andrew, I was stationed in Iceland in the Air Force many years ago. All I can remember is how COLD it was! My wife and I love your show.....I'm even downloading each episode from I Tunes on to my iPOD.
Just what we need another glutton killing creatures (or having them killed for him) to satisfy an empty life and filling a bottomless pit in his viewers vacant souls. Your kind highlights the lowest of the lows of humanity. I'd love a vegetarian traveler show highlighting the fact that one can eat quite well without all the death and destruction.
what the heck is this about!!!!!?????!?!?!?! i dont like ice cream. it makes my tooth tingle. hehehehehehehehehe. (sorry)
Can someone help me? I want to purchase a copy of the show with Andrew in Iceland? The interview I am looking for is you and a chef telling you how good the food is after frozen.
Thank you
kevin@bigwaveseafood.com
How can I get a message to Andrew? I have an obscure location to recommend. One not remotely touched on any of the shows to date.
You almost persuade me to visit the icebox.Not much on ice-- but the fire sounds quite interesting
I have to find that girl... the girl "Krisjandotter." You know, the amazingly beautiful daughter of the 'skyr' making family.
I must find this girl and marry her.
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