Hakarl is fermented Greenland shark - eaten only because the fresh meat is toxic, the flesh is buried, pressed and dried for months until it is safe, if startlingly pungent.
About Hákarl
An ancestral high-gravity delicacy of Greenland shark; buried in gravel to ferment for months before being air-dried to neutralize high-intensity ammonia; 'insiders' follow the pungent; blue-cheese-like cubes with a high-precision shot of Brennivín to cut through the umami-rich; gelatinous texture.
Fermented Shark Hakarl is fermented Greenland shark, and it exists because the fresh meat is poisonous: the flesh is loaded with toxins that must be broken down before it can be eaten. Traditionally the shark is buried in gravel and pressed for weeks to ferment, then hung to dry for months, leaving cubes of pale, pungent meat with a powerful smell of ammonia.
“Fermented Shark Hakarl is fermented Greenland shark, and it exists because the fresh meat is poisonous: the flesh is loaded with toxins that must be broken down before it can be eaten.”
A Test of Nerve Hakarl is the dish foreign visitors are dared to try, and it has a fearsome reputation, but for Icelanders it is a traditional delicacy, eaten especially at the midwinter Thorrablot feast and chased with a shot of the caraway spirit Brennivin, nicknamed 'Black Death'.
What to Expect
Trying hakarl is a rite of passage: a small cube of pale meat with an intense ammonia smell, traditionally washed down with a shot of Brennivin schnapps. Icelanders eat it with genuine relish, especially at the Thorrablot midwinter feasts.
Why Try It
It is the most notorious food in Iceland and a direct taste of how islanders made even a poisonous shark edible, a true test of culinary nerve.
Insider Tips
- Take a small piece first and breathe through your mouth; the ammonia smell is the hard part.
- Chase it with a shot of Brennivin, the traditional caraway spirit, as Icelanders do.
- Look for it around the midwinter Thorrablot festival, when it is most widely served.
