Who hasn’t read the adventures of Asterix and Obelix. These two iconic French cartoon characters have been fighting Romans for decades. Whether you’re a fan or not you might know that these two characters get all their strength from drinking a magic potion. The ingredients remain a mystery. Thankfully, on an Island in the North Atlantic Ocean you can find a unique meal, which is the closest thing to a magic potion you’ll likely ever find. The locals call it their national dish, too.
Despite countless local dishes found throughout Iceland, nothing compares to the native Icelandic meat soup. It has been an Icelandic tradition for centuries. This soup consists of variety of vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, white cabbage, and Icelandic herbs, coupled with chunks of lamb meat with bones still attached.
Although this soup’s roots can be traced throughout the centuries, it’s still prepared the same way. The ingredients are cut, sliced, and diced together, and boiled for several hours. In the old days it was cooked in a big cauldron, but big contemporary, run-of-the-mill pots work today.
Most people deem it necessary to cook this soup long before it will be served because the soup tastes even better when it’s reheated for the second or third time.
In early centuries, it was often said that the Icelandic meat soup could cure almost any ailment. While this statement may be false, the vegetables and meat fat provide both the nutrition and energy required to survive Iceland’s long, cold winters. It became a staple meal to Icelandic people, sustaining them through long periods of hardship and frigid isolation.
Whether you are looking for a magical energy potion or just want to taste something quintessentially Icelandic, this is the meal for you during your next stop in the mid-Atlantic.
Photo by Jules:stonesoup through Flickr’s Creative Commons License
Text by Ivan Olafsson
Check out last month’s Varying Views:
G’s View: Kottu is Quintessentially Sri Lankan
Jeff’s View: Canadian Fast Food Begins With Tim Hortons
Ivan’s View: The Ultimate Fast Food Sensation in Denmark
About Us