Culture in Iceland

May 19, 2006 (Press Release) -- Culture

Superimposed on Iceland's rugged terrain is a resilient and independent

culture, fashioned over the years by the descendants of the farmers and

warriors who fled the tyranny of medieval Scandinavia. Their flight to a

new and empty country resulted in the building of sturdy settlements and

farms, and the beginning of a rich literary tradition dominated by the

sagas - fact-based accounts of struggles, battles, heroics, religion and

occupations - which are considered the finest of all Western medieval

works. The country has also thrown up some significant contributors to

modern literature, with Halldór Laxness, Iceland's best known writer,

awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955. Traditional music -

usually cowboy songs and tear-jerking lullabies - remains popular, while

giddy international success has greeted the Sugarcubes' former lead

singer, Björk.

Although Iceland is officially Christian, the ancient Norse religion known

as Ásatrú is gaining popularity, not only as a novelty but as an

officially recognised sect. A sheep farmer revived Ásatrú in the 1970s; it

focuses on the natural forces and the harmony of nature represented by the

ancient gods.

Traditional Icelandic food is not as bad as it sounds: in fact several

dishes are actually edible. The one glaring exception is hákarl, putrefied

shark meat that has been buried for up to six months to ensure sufficient

decomposition. Slightly more palatable is hrútspungur, ram's testicles

pickled in whey and pressed into a cake, and svie, singed sheep head

(complete with eyes) sawn in two, boiled and eaten either fresh or

pickled. You could also try slátur, a mish-mash of sheep leftovers tied up

in the stomach and cooked. Less bizarre foods include: harðfiskur

(haddock); bleikja (char); lundi (puffin); and, if you haven't any

objections to eating them, whale blubber, whale steaks and seal meat. The

unique Icelandic treat is skyr, a yoghurt-like concoction made of

pasteurised skim milk and bacteria culture. Coffee is a national

institution, while beer, wine and spirits are available, though expensive.

The traditional Icelandic brew is brennivín, a sort of schnapps made from

potatoes and flavoured with caraway.



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