Icelandic Food & Fun

People are pretty cool in Iceland. On a recent trip to Reykjavik for the annual Food & Fun Festival I was introduced to the culinary side of this island nation which lies half way between the US and Northern Europe. Chefs from the US and Europe and of course from Iceland competed for top prizes in cooking competitions and created wonderful dinners at restaurants around town. My first dinner experience was at Vox, an elegant contemporay styled restaurant in the Nordica Hilton Hotel. Salmon with green apples, lime aioli and salmon roe was followed by a course of poached halibut in dashi with grilled ginger cake. Duck breast with eggplant and garlic miso sauce was next and then onto a dessert of lychee pannacotta with pears. Certainly, the Vikings didn't dine this way even if they were catching salmon and halibut!

Ever since reading "Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne I always wanted to visit Iceland. Today stories about Iceland center around its status as the world's most desirable country to live in as ranked by the United Nations human development index which blends figures for life expectancy, educational levels and real per capita income. Norway held the top spot for the past six years.

A lesson in fitness I learned while visiting Iceland is that you shouldn't let the weather get in the way of your outdoor pursuits. Even though it was mid-February with temperatures in the 30's people were jogging, riding bikes, and pushing baby carriages through the quaint streets of town. A taxi driver told me one day, "We live in a country where the weather often hates us and can be pretty harsh. So we cope by using our imagination and refusing to give in." Out door art abounds with colorful building exteriors and clothing is designed to laugh at the weather with its brilliant hues and cozy layers. Iceland even boasts its own line of warm and stylish fleece clothing called 66 Degrees North, referring to the city capital's geographic lattitude. And here is what surprised me the most.

Even though I felt as if I was transported to a world far far away, the flight on Icelandair to Reykkjavik was only four and a half hours from Boston. "We're truly the center of the world, well at least the North Atlantic" boasted Siggy Hall, Iceland's noted top chef and self proclaimed cheerleader for tourism. He added, "Iceland is easy! We speak English, we love food and fun and there's so much to do here whether it's winter, spring, summer or fall." In fact, Iceland's landscape is green in the summer. It's Greenland that that remains icy.

It's a land of geothermal power, salmon filled rivers, outdoor and indoor hot springs for soaking, plenty of local fish and lamb on the menu and clean Nordic designs in decor and fashions. One of the foods you can't escape and end up craving is Skyr, a rich and creamy yogurt made from skimmed milk. Skry, now sold in the US most notably at some Whole Foods, has been a staple of the Icelandic diet for centuries. They even make a "skyr-onaisse" spread for fish sandwiches and feature skyr in recipes from breakfast to dessert. The photo above left is a snap shot of DC food journalist Amanda McClements sampling one of the taste offerings at a "Food Installation" created by a Norwegian caterer who specializes in contemporary display art. The clear plexiglass sheet with holes to support those little Asian soup spoons was a real eye catcher. The spoons were filled with a citrus granita. Eye catching conversation starting party idea! The photo on the right captures a more traditional food find. This was my lunch the last day of the trip. Lobster bisque with bread and a Viking Beer. Outside the snow was piled high and the sun shown brightly in the clear blue Reykjavik sky.