Faroese cuisine
Encyclopedia
Important parts of Faroese cuisine are lamb and fish, due to the proximity to the ocean. Traditional food from the Faroe Islands
include skerpikjøt
(a type of dried mutton), seafood, whale meat
, blubber, garnatálg
, puffins
, potato
es and few fresh vegetables.
Much of the taste of this traditional country food is determined by the preservation
methods used; brine
, drying
and the maturing of meat and fish, called ræstkjøt and ræstur fiskur.
Animal
products dominate Faroese cuisine. Popular taste has developed, however, to become closer to the European norm, and consumption of vegetables has greatly increased in recent decades while consumption of fish has diminished. Fresh and ræst lamb meat remains very popular while traditional meat products, such as various types of sausage
s, have lost a lot of their appeal with younger generations.
, plaice
, halibut
, herring
and shrimp
.
.
The most popular treat is skerpikjøt
, well-aged, wind-dried mutton which is quite chewy. The drying shed, known as a hjallur, is a standard feature in many Faroese homes, particularly in the small towns and villages. Other traditional foods are ræst kjøt (semi-dried mutton) and ræstur fiskur, matured fish.
, pilot whale
meat and blubber
. Also see Whaling in the Faroe Islands
.
, it has produced beer since 1888 with exports mainly to Iceland
and Denmark
, it was originally located in Klaksvík
, but after bying and merging with Restorff's Bryggjarí in Tórshavn
, Føroya Bjór is now also located in the capital. The beer brewery Okkara was established in 2010, located in Velbastaður
. Hard alcohol like snaps
was not allowed to be produced in the Faroe Islands until 2011, hence the Faroese aquavit
, Aqua Vita, and other kind of alcoholic beverages like Eldvatn and Havið, made by the Faroese company DISM, were produced abroad. But in May 2011 the Faroese gowernment made a new law which allowed Faroese breweries and distilleries to brew strong beer and alcohol. DISM was established in 2008, the company is better known by the name of their first product which was Lívsins Vatn.
and British-style chocolate such as Cadbury Dairy Milk which is found in many of the island's shops, whereas in Denmark this is scarce.
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
include skerpikjøt
Skerpikjøt
Skerpikjøt is a typical dish of the Faroe Islands. It is a type of wind-dried mutton....
(a type of dried mutton), seafood, whale meat
Whale meat
Whale meat is the flesh of whales used for consumption by humans or other animals. It is prepared in various ways, and is historically part of the diet and cuisine of various communities that live near an ocean, including those of Japan, Norway, Iceland, and the Arctic...
, blubber, garnatálg
Garnatálg
Garnatálg is a traditional meat specialty of the Faroe Islands, specifically the town of Trøllanes located in the north of the island of Kalsoy....
, puffins
Faroese puffin
Puffin is a culinary speciality of the Faroe Islands, in the North Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic Puffins breed in the islands in large numbers, notably on Mykines, and from July, after the breeding season, it is legal to catch them for food...
, potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es and few fresh vegetables.
Much of the taste of this traditional country food is determined by the preservation
Food preservation
Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or slow down spoilage and thus allow for longer storage....
methods used; brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
, drying
Drying
Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products. To be considered "dried", the final product must be solid, in the...
and the maturing of meat and fish, called ræstkjøt and ræstur fiskur.
Animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
products dominate Faroese cuisine. Popular taste has developed, however, to become closer to the European norm, and consumption of vegetables has greatly increased in recent decades while consumption of fish has diminished. Fresh and ræst lamb meat remains very popular while traditional meat products, such as various types of sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s, have lost a lot of their appeal with younger generations.
Fish
Fish dishes in the Faroe Islands are caught in the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Fresh fish can be had all the year round. Islanders eat mostly haddockHaddock
The haddock , also known as the offshore hake, is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish and is widely fished commercially....
, plaice
European plaice
The European plaice, Pleuronectes platessa, is a commercially important flatfish.- Distribution and habitat :The geographical range of the European plaice is off all coasts from the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean, also in the Northeast Atlantic and along Greenland...
, halibut
Halibut
Halibut is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders . Other flatfish are also called halibut. The name is derived from haly and butt , for its popularity on Catholic holy days...
, herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
and shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
.
Meat
Traditionally the main source of meat was the domestic sheep, the most common farm animal in the Faroe Islands. However, sheep were also used for their woolWool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
.
The most popular treat is skerpikjøt
Skerpikjøt
Skerpikjøt is a typical dish of the Faroe Islands. It is a type of wind-dried mutton....
, well-aged, wind-dried mutton which is quite chewy. The drying shed, known as a hjallur, is a standard feature in many Faroese homes, particularly in the small towns and villages. Other traditional foods are ræst kjøt (semi-dried mutton) and ræstur fiskur, matured fish.
Whale
Another Faroese specialty is Grind og spikGrind og spik
Tvøst og spik is a typical dish of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous province of Denmark. It consists of Pilot Whale meat and blubber.-See also:Whaling in the Faroe Islands...
, pilot whale
Pilot whale
Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. There are two extant species, the long-finned pilot whale and the short-finned pilot whale . The two are not readily distinguished at sea and analysis of the skulls is the best way to tell the difference between them...
meat and blubber
Blubber
Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians.-Description:Lipid-rich, collagen fiber–laced blubber comprises the hypodermis and covers the whole body, except for parts of the appendages, strongly attached to the musculature...
. Also see Whaling in the Faroe Islands
Whaling in the Faroe Islands
Whaling in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic has been practiced since about the time of the first Norse settlements on the islands. It is regulated by Faroese authorities but not by the International Whaling Commission as there are disagreements about the Commission's competency for small...
.
Beer
The oldest brewery in the Faroes is called Föroya BjórFöroya Bjór
Föroya Bjór is a Faroese brewing company founded in 1888 by Símun F. Hansen. The name of the brewery means The Beer of the Faroes. In 1883 Símun F. Hansen went to Denmark to learn the art of brewing and baking. When he returned to the Faroes a few years later he established his own brewery in 1888,...
, it has produced beer since 1888 with exports mainly to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, it was originally located in Klaksvík
Klaksvík
Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands.The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands ....
, but after bying and merging with Restorff's Bryggjarí in Tórshavn
Tórshavn
Tórshavn is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the north west of the town lies the high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the high Kirkjubøreyn...
, Føroya Bjór is now also located in the capital. The beer brewery Okkara was established in 2010, located in Velbastaður
Velbastaður
Velbastaður is a village on the island of Streymoy in the Faroe Islands.*Population: 164*Postal code : FO 176*Location: *Municipality: Torshavnar...
. Hard alcohol like snaps
Snaps
Snaps is a Danish and Swedish word for a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal. A ritual that is associated with drinking snaps is a tradition in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark and Sweden, where it is very common to drink snaps at holidays such as...
was not allowed to be produced in the Faroe Islands until 2011, hence the Faroese aquavit
Aquavit
Aquavit may refer to:* Aqua vitae, Latin for "water of life", a concentrated alcoholic distillate* Akvavit, a Scandinavian distilled beverage* Okovita, a historic Polish-Ukrainian term for an alcoholic drink related to vodka...
, Aqua Vita, and other kind of alcoholic beverages like Eldvatn and Havið, made by the Faroese company DISM, were produced abroad. But in May 2011 the Faroese gowernment made a new law which allowed Faroese breweries and distilleries to brew strong beer and alcohol. DISM was established in 2008, the company is better known by the name of their first product which was Lívsins Vatn.
Imported foods
Since the friendly British occupation, the Faroese have been fond of British food, in particular fish and chipsFish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
and British-style chocolate such as Cadbury Dairy Milk which is found in many of the island's shops, whereas in Denmark this is scarce.