Iceland's food scene is undergoing a transformation, with chefs embracing fresh, local ingredients to create innovative dishes that rival international culinary capitals.
Everyone knows about Iceland ’s dramatic natural beauty—from the cascading waterfalls thundering down the jagged mountain cliffs to the vibrant, colorful dancing auroras illuminating the Arctic sky, to the icy fragmented glaciers flanked by black sand beaches and rugged lava rocks. But most people don’t have a clue what to expect when it comes to Iceland ’s food culture.
Like in most of Scandinavia, the cuisine is entirely inspired by the ingredients Icelanders have around them, from the free-roaming sheep to the cod, herring, and Arctic char that splash around the cold waters. Beyond its freshness, Iceland’s food is pure. “Our fare has always been very simple because of our climate limitations and isolation from the world. Icelandic food is, in its simple form, uncomplicated, elegant, and natural,” says Egill Halldorsson, co-owner and tour guide of Wake up Reykjavik and the Reykjavik Food Walk. With people visiting the island in droves, Iceland's food scene is experiencing a renaissance. Chefs are taking the freshly caught seafood, the free-roaming lamb, and the abundance of berries growing all over the island and creating fare that rivals that of Copenhagen, Stockholm, and even New York City. Foodies are finding that Reykjavik, the island’s capital, is full of restaurants serving traditional ingredients in new ways. The city’s top places, like Íslenski Barinn, Matarkjallarinn, KOL Restaurant, and Matur og Drykkur, are creating innovative fare like horse jerky, lamb chops with lava salt butter and crispy fish and chips served with a Skyr dipping sauce. “One of my go-to spots is Dill, Iceland’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, where locally sourced and foraged ingredients are at the heart of each dish like winter dried catfish and charred lamb,” says Black Tomato co-founder Tom Marchant, who holds a special place in his heart for Iceland (it was the first destination the luxury travel planner sold)
ICELAND FOOD CULINARY RESTAURANTS REYKJAVIK
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