Rabarbari i eldhúsinu

Rhubarb in the kitchen

In Icelandic, rhubarb is traditionally called "tröllasúra", but now it is usually found spelled "rabarbari", sometimes also "rabbarbari".

Rhubarb season from June to September

In Iceland, the rhubarb season usually begins at the beginning of June and actually lasts the entire summer.

In Icelandic cuisine, rhubarb stalks are often used in jams, soups, sauces, baking and desserts.

The picture here was taken in mid-September, in the Icelandic Westfjords - a beautifully sunny evening by the fjord, and two young restaurant employees were sitting outside the restaurant in the evening sun, chopping large amounts of rhubarb. Wonderful - work should be fun!

Rhubarb sales in summer near Akureyri

Staple rhubarb jam

By the way, in Iceland we know rabarbaramauk , rabarbarahlaup and rabarbarasulta .

“Mauk” means “porridge”, “fruit pulp” or “jam”. "Hlaup" means "run", and with rhubarb one would speak of "jelly". And there is also "sulta", which means something like "jam" or "jam". Incidentally, in Iceland, Rabarbarasulta is not only eaten as jam on bread or cheese bread, but is also the classic Icelandic side dish for what feels like all meat dishes - basically "ketchup in Icelandic".

Rhubarb has only been around in Iceland since around 1880

Although rhubarb has (perhaps) been an essential part of everyday Icelandic cuisine for a long time, it has actually not been around on the island for that long:

Rhubarb actually comes from the region of China and Tibet. In the 16th century it spread to Russia and via Siberia it came to Denmark around 1700. In the 18th century it spread across Europe, around 1840 rhubarb came to Norway and only around 1880 to Iceland.

Icelandic rhubarb recipes

There was no rhubarb in the old Icelandic cookbook from 1891 that I found online, but the "matreiðslubók" from 1945 that I bought at the flea market in Reykjavík already contains over 15 different rhubarb dishes - soups, juices , jam, cake and wine.

In the near future I would like to introduce you to a few typical rhubarb dishes here in the blog, including:

- Rabarbarasulta (rhubarb jam).
- Rabarbarasúpa (rhubarb foam soup),
- Rabarbarakaka með marsipani (rhubarb cake with marzipan),
- Rabarbarakaka með rifnu rúgbrauði (rhubarb cake with plucked pumpernickel),
- Rabarbaraterta með möndlumarengs (rhubarb meringue cake),
- Beinlausir fuglar (Icelandic roulades with rhubarb jam in the sauce),

- Rabarbara-Hvannasalt (rhubarb-angelica salt).

And a few new recipes will certainly be added in the near future!

Be careful - rhubarb only in moderation

Rhubarb contains a relatively high amount of oxalic acid, which can affect kidney function, and high rhubarb consumption can also damage tooth enamel. Too much of a good thing would also be wrong. But usually the rhubarb season is not that long...





[Translated from here.]