Kjotsupa is Iceland's great lamb soup - free-grazed lamb on the bone simmered with root vegetables and cabbage into honest, warming winter food with almost nothing added.
About Kjötsúpa
A high-gravity; slow-braised Icelandic lamb soup loaded with rutabagas; potatoes; and carrots; the umami-rich broth is fortified with ancestral dried herbs; providing a panoramic sensory warmth that has served as a high-precision survival meal through centuries of subarctic winters.
Iceland's Lamb Soup Kjotsupa is the traditional Icelandic lamb soup, a hearty one-pot of lamb on the bone simmered with potatoes, carrots, swede, cabbage and onion, seasoned simply and thickened only by the vegetables and a little rice or oats. It is honest, warming winter food built on the country's superb free-grazing lamb.
“It is honest, warming winter food built on the country's superb free-grazing lamb.”
A Dish of the Land Icelandic sheep roam wild over mountains and moorland through the summer, feeding on grasses and herbs that give the meat a clean, distinctive flavour, and kjotsupa lets that quality speak with almost no interference. It is the kind of dish poured from a big pot at home and ladled out generously at country cafes.
What to Expect
A bowl of kjotsupa at a roadside cafe on a cold, wet day is one of Iceland's great comforts: chunks of tender lamb, soft root vegetables and a clean, savoury broth, usually served with bread and often with free refills of the broth.
Why Try It
It is the most comforting expression of Iceland's prized free-range lamb, and the dish that best captures the country's plain, ingredient-led home cooking.
Insider Tips
- Order it on a cold or rainy day; many cafes refill the broth for free.
- It showcases Icelandic free-grazing lamb, so it is at its best in autumn after the round-up.
- Pair it with buttered rye or flatbread for a full, filling meal.
