There are so many interesting food items in Iceland! When I first arrived in the country, I thought a lot about why I did not want to try certain foods. Did I not want to try specific Icelandic food because I thought it was morally wrong to eat it, or did I not want to try it because we eat different foods in American culture, so I thought it was weird to eat it? For example, many Icelandic people eat horses. A few weeks ago, I told a 9-year-old boy that we do not eat horses in America, and he was shocked! I have tried it before (it’s actually sustainable meat in the country, and people treat horses very well), but I do not eat it because I still think of horses as pets. Therefore, in this field note, I will tell you about a traditional Icelandic food item that I DO eat: fish, potatoes, and rúgbrauð (rye bread in Icelandic).
This is a very typical dish that Icelandic people have eaten for centuries. It is boiled fish (cod), boiled potatoes, and rye bread with butter.