Don't try these Icelandic foods at home! (unless you've got a really strong stomach)

EACH MONTH THIS YEAR WE’RE GOING ON A LEARNING JOURNEY TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY, PROVIDING KID-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES, FUN FACTS AND, OF COURSE, OUR ACTIVITY BOOKS TO SPARK KIDS’ INTEREST IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. THIS MONTH WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT ICELAND…

Every year between January and February, during the Icelandic month of Þorra, many Icelanders celebrate Þorrablót or Thorrablot.

It’s a wintertime festival to honour the god Thor, with drinking, eating, singing, poetry recitals and general merriment. 

Sounds great right? There’s a catch. Some of the foods that are traditionally eaten at Þorrablót might seem a little strange…

Wind-drying fish in Iceland (Gunnar Hafdal from Århus, Denmark, CC BY 2.0)

For hundreds of years people in Iceland had to survive on a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with very little contact with the outside world. Icelanders had to learn to survive by eating whatever was available. Naturally that meant lots of fish, but also whale and shark, things that Briitish people aren’t really used to eating.

In addition, Icelandic people farmed tough animals like sheep, but when they would eat them, made sure to eat all the meat.

Here are a few recipes that might feature at a Þorrablót dinner:

  • Fermented Greenland shark

  • Ram’s testicles cured in lactic acid

  • Boiled sheep heads

  • Liver sausage

  • Wind-dried fish served with butter

  • Seal flippers

  • Whale blubber pickled in sour milk

  • Mashed turnips

Sound nice? Lots of people who travel to Iceland try out these foods themselves (even Vogue recommends trying fermented shark), as well as other Icelandic delicacies like Skyr, or rye bread cooked in a hot spring.

If you feel like throwing a Þorrablót dinner it might be worthwhile coming up with some alternatives for the more niche Icelandic foods - meatballs instead of ram’s testicles for example, or a tuna steak instead of seal flippers. You don’t have to tell the kids if you don’t want! (Disclaimer: we can’t guarantee this won’t lead to a few food neuroses).

Want to learn more about Iceland?

Our Iceland activity book is packed with activities for kids to learn more about Icelandic culture and history. It’s aimed at kids aged 6-12 and is ideal for curious kids who get easily bored with static worksheets and sitting still listening to the teacher talking.

Check out our other workbooks here…

Laura Curtis