I came across a blog (Kitchen Cow—it looks like a fun one for foodies) with a contest offering a signed copy of Anthony Bourdain’s book, A Cook’s Tour. While you have to be living in the Philippines to actually qualify for the contest, I liked the premise: “tell us about the most interesting meal you’ve ever had.”
My mind wandered to the ostrich meatballs I had in Kenya, the 8-course dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant in London, and the lovely fish I had in Berchtesgaden, Germany while dining alone (see my published writing on that here). But, the most interesting meal, I believe, was the hakarl my boyfriend and I enjoyed in Iceland. The small restaurant (which was more of a small shack in the harbor) had been recommended to us by a local as having the best lobster soup in Reykjavik. Of course we wouldn’t turn down lobster soup, so we made our way to the water, spotted the small sign above the rickety white building and entered.
Handwritten signs decorating the walls indicating which fish was currently available, three thin tables with wooden benches, and a young blond blue-eyed woman behind a cash register greeted us. We ordered the lobster soup, then picked out fresh kebobs from a refrigerator (I had halibut while my boyfriend had whale) and sat on one of the benches waiting to be served.
As we enjoyed the hot broth with large chunks of vegetables and lobster and our grilled kebobs, a few local fishermen arrived for what appeared to be their usual lunch. The owner of Saegreiffin (The Sea Baron), an older man with a crinkled face and worn hands, shuffled in to greet his patrons.
My boyfriend noticed the sign on the wall indicating they sold hakarl, a typical Icelandic dish we had read about, and asked if we could have a taste. We only wanted a taste—hakarl is a traditional Viking dish of dry fermented (rotten) shark. The old man burst into a grin and shuffled into the back to retrieve the treat. He carried out a plate of the white dried fish and we could smell it immediately…
The taste, well, the taste is pretty much just what you’d imagine—a mixture of ammonia, vinegar, and just plain bad fish, but the locals in the shop enjoyed watching our reaction and one fishermen pointed to his bicep, indicating that it was good for our muscles.
As a side note, Anthony Bourdain himself tried hakarl on his show No Reservations and said “the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing” he’s ever had and Gordon Ramsay vomited after eating the shark.It’s a fun memory to relive, so think about your most interesting meal and leave a comment if you’d like to share it.
