Blog event "Hnoðmör"

Kneaded fat

Kneaded fat ("hnoðmör" or also called "mörflot") is a typical Icelandic specialty that originally comes from the Westfjords, but has now spread throughout Iceland.

The fat is separated from the stomach of the freshly slaughtered sheep as intact as possible and then processed further.

Traditionally, melted kneaded fat is served on December 23rd with the "Þorláksmessa" as a side dish to the "Gammelray" ( kæst skata ), but knead fat is also used in traditional dishes from the Westfjords such as pounded fish (here in Germany you can use the knead fat at the pounding fish). Help fish with lard).

In the Westfjords, a St. Andrew's Cross used to be carved into one side of the finished pieces of plasticine - it was probably a religious-magical custom, a kind of "protective symbol" against evil spirits. The older people probably still say today that this was to prevent the devil from getting into the dough...

Saga Museum, Reykjavik

So, now I'm starting my blog event - I'm trying to make my own kneaded fat. But I still have no idea whether it will work!

I received the following instructions in Iceland from an experienced cook from the Westfjords:

The fat is kneaded and formed into "dumplings", which are then left to firm up a little overnight. The next day, the dumplings are individually wrapped in pieces of linen or gauze and hung on the terrace or somewhere as windy as possible but at the same time somewhat protected from the rain.

The whole thing is left hanging in the cloth bags for 6 to 8 weeks until the fat has turned blue-green and hairy. (If it's too cold outside and the fat doesn't get furry enough, it's best to bring it back into the kitchen for 2-3 days to let it "ripen".)

The blue-green, furry-hairy fat is then chopped up, kneaded well and formed into cubes of about half a pound and then stored in a cool place.


So I start my attempt:

Sunday, October 11th

I knead my fat, shape it into dumplings,...

... wrap them in thin fabric...

...and tie the pieces of fabric.

Now the three bags are hanging on our terrace in as windy a place as possible, but at the same time somewhat protected from the rain.

To be continued - one way or another! :-)



Update after 48 hours...

The bags have now been hanging for about 48 hours - but nothing noticeable has happened yet!

Update after 3 weeks...

For Halloween, after about 3 weeks, an update from my three little ghosts - but nothing dramatic has happened yet, there are no blue hairs growing out of the fat bags yet...

Here's another detailed photo from broad daylight...

I then stopped the experiment - even after 6 weeks, my fat didn't grow any hair nor did anything turn greenish-blue, unfortunately it didn't work. Probably not cold enough and the fat is already too sterile... try again later!


[Translated from here.]