Traditional Icelandic Food

If you will be driving in Iceland in February, you might get lucky to experience þorrablót in the month of Þorri according to the old, Icelandic calender. It’s beginning is usually marked by the first new moon after the winter solstice and is the personification of winter in Norse mythology.

The pagan festival of Þorrablót is when the Icelanders feast with traditional food and enjoy the more unusual courses like fermented shark, sour ram’s balls and  head cheese.

Now, these meals are not eaten to shock the unwary tourist. It’s a tribute to old times and to food that made Icelanders survive the harshest of months many hundred years ago.

If you do get invited to a Þorrablót, we highly recommend you attend. Most Þorrablót also offer more modern food for not all Icelanders eat Þorramatur i.e. Þorra food. Different areas of Iceland might offer some variations of Þorramatur and the most unusual foods might be found in the Northwest of Iceland, where food was less and the weather more harsh.

During the month of Þorri, many restaurants around the country may have Þorramatur on their menu so do as they old saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans” and try the food for if you are not planing to return to Iceland in January/February, you will never get the chance again.

If you plan to drive around during Þorri (Jan/Feb), we do recommend you get a 4×4, drive carefully on the snowy roads and enjoy. Remember when you drive in the countryside after dark, to stop the car on safe places, get out of the car and look above for this is also the time when you have a big chance to get to see some serious Aurora Borealis, Northern lights. The further away you are from towns and villages, the bigger the chance you have to see the fantastic lights.

Drive safely!  #GoIceland