Kleinur árið 1800

Kleinur anno 1800

Now things are getting very culinary and historical here:

Kleinur is made from a recipe that is almost 222 years old. The recipe comes from the oldest Icelandic cookbook - published in 1800.

Marta María Stephensen is the author on the cookbook.

Marta María Stephensen (1770 - 1805)

Marta María Diðriksdóttir Hölter Stephensen was the daughter of a Danish merchant who traded in Iceland. In June 1790, Marta Maria married the Icelandic lawyer Stéfan Stephensen (1767 - 1820) in Copenhagen - although without his parents' knowledge. After the wedding, the couple went to Iceland and lived on Borgarfjörður, first near Akranes and Borganes, later in Hvítarvellir at the mouth of the Hvítá River. Marta María died here in June 1805 at the age of 34, after 15 years of marriage, giving birth to her 10th child. All but one of her children, 5 sons and 4 daughters, survived.

Her brother-in-law, Magnús Stephensen (1760 - 1833), was also a lawyer and was appointed presiding judge of the newly created Supreme Court of Iceland in 1801. He also published several magazines, was very committed to education, published a number of books on law, history and theology and even owned his own printing company.

The “ Simple Cookbook for Housewives of Upscale Gentlemen ” was also published in this printing company in 1800.

The book was the first printed Icelandic cookbook - and the first book by an Icelandic woman, or so it is said. However, it is now certain that the majority of the cookbook was actually written by Magnús himself in the winter of 1783/84, possibly supplemented later by Marta María. Magnús then published the cookbook under his sister-in-law's name.

Unfortunately, I don't know why Magnús named his sister-in-law Marta María Stephensen as the author - whether he had concerns that it could damage his very successful career as a lawyer if it became known that he had written a cookbook...? Or did he think that a cookbook for the upscale housewife would not be bought by potential buyers if it had been written by a man?

Magnús himself only wrote in his biography that he published the book in the name of Marta María because it "suited her better".

The book can now be found online as a PDF document on the Internet.

§ 97 - Kleinur

However, the recipe for Kleinur reads astonishingly imprecise by today's standards:

For the Kleinur you need wheat flour, depending on how much you want, a little grated lemon peel if you have it, 3 or 4 tablespoons of sour cream, a small fistful of sugar and a few eggs.

All ingredients are then kneaded into a smooth dough, rolled out thinly and cut into strips with a knife. You then make two cuts in the dough and pull the ends through each. The Kleinur are then simmered in melted butter until they float to the top and appear sufficiently baked. The Kleinur is then eaten cold and, if desired, sprinkled with sugar.

A certain challenge with the very vague quantities stated...! I experimented a bit, compared it with today's recipes, and the result was this version for "Kleinur anno 1800" .

Ingredients

340 g flour

1 tsp grated lemon peel

3 Tbsp sour cream

80 g sugar

3 eggs

500 g butter

Preparation

Put all the ingredients for the dough (flour, lemon peel, sour cream, sugar and eggs) together in a bowl and knead into a smooth dough.

Then roll out the dough thinly...

...cut into strips and then make two incisions in each piece of dough.

Then pull both ends through the incision and “twist” them together.

Melt the butter in a pot...

...and add the Kleinur in portions with a spoon to the hot fat and fry until they float to the top and have turned nice and golden brown. (Be careful not to let it get too dark, the small ones will darken when exposed to air!)

Then lift the Kleinur out of the fat with a ladle or something similar and let it drain a little on kitchen paper.

Sprinkle with a little sugar to taste and enjoy cooled.

I find it a bit difficult to compare this Kleinur recipe from 1800 with Kleinur recipes today. The quantities (enough flour, enough eggs - but 3 - 4 tablespoons of sour cream and a small handful of sugar) are very imprecise, so I can't say whether these Kleinur were really less sweet than today's Kleinur.

A key difference is definitely the shape - longer and narrower than today, but with two lines.

For comparison - a modern Kleina

PS: Where does the name “kleinur” actually come from?

Kleinur, in different versions and under different names, are widespread throughout Scandinavia and are also popular as Christmas cookies:

In Denmark they are called "klejner", in Sweden "klenäter", in the Faroe Islands "kleynur" and in Iceland they are "kleinur". The name probably means something like “narrow” or “slender”. By the way, in Norway the pastry is called "fattigman", which means "poor man" - they say that the ingredients were so expensive that making this pastry made you poor.

[Translated from here.]

Klassískt skinkubrauð

Classic ham bread

Brauðréttir, or “bread dishes” in English, are popular party dishes in Iceland, whether for a large family celebration or a children’s birthday party.

I recently tried a version with leek, bacon and salami , which was really well received by my youngest.

This time I tried a simple version with ham and peppers.

Ingredients for 4 persons

8 slices of toast bread

1 Tbsp oil

200 g grated cheese

200 g cooked ham

2 peppers

250 ml whipping cream

1 egg

salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat.

Grease a fireproof dish with the oil.

Cut the crust off the toast, cut the bread into small cubes and put the bread cubes in the mold.

Spread half of the cheese over the bread.

Wash, clean and chop the peppers and spread half of the peppers on the cheese.

Cut the ham into small pieces and spread it over the first layer of peppers.

Spread the rest of the pepper over the ham...

... and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Whisk the cream and egg together with a fork, season with salt and pepper and pour evenly over the entire dish.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 °F (200 °C) upper and lower heat for about 20 minutes.

Then serve with fresh salad.

[Translated from here.]

Brauðréttur

Bread dish

Bread dishes (brauðréttir) are very popular party dishes in Iceland, from children's birthday parties to family parties on June 17th, the national holiday. These dishes seem to come in countless different variations. We once had a version with leek, bacon and salami - my youngest is a big salami fan.

Depending on how many people you expect to eat, you can adjust the quantity of the recipe wonderfully. For many guests, you can also prepare large portions in a deep baking tray.

By the way, you can also prepare the dish the day before: Then you prepare everything, stack it in the tin and instead of putting it in the oven, you cover it airtight and put it in the fridge. The next day, when the guests are there, you preheat the oven and simply put the prepared dish in the oven.

Ingredients for 4 servings

50 g bacon

1 small pkg. of salami

2 stalks of leeks

8 slices of toast bread

250 g cream

1 pepper cheese

grated cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat.

Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry it in a large pan.

Wash and clean the leek and cut it into thin rings and add it to the pan.

Cut the salami into small pieces and add it to the pan...

... and fry everything nicely.

Slowly heat the cream in a small saucepan.

Cut the spiced cheese into pieces and let it melt in the cream.

Tear the toast bread and put it in an ovenproof dish.

Spread the leek, salami and bacon mixture from the pan over the torn bread in the baking dish.

Pour the liquid cream and cheese mixture over it and sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Place the dish in the oven and bake at 350 °F (180 °C) upper and lower heat for about 20 minutes until the grated cheese turns nice and golden brown.

Then serve the finished meal straight away.

[Translated from here.]

Reykjavík Food Walk

Report from fall 2021

I had already taken part in a ^"Reykjavík Food Walk" in the summer of 2016, but I was alone in the city and had just returned from a women's trip through the Westfjords. Now, after just 5 years, I finally managed to take part in a food walk in Reykjavík with my husband again - and I can say it was worth it again! Both culinary and the “entertainment factor”.

For us, the tour in October 2021 cost 13,900 ISK, the equivalent of a good €90. Today the price is currently 15,500 ISK, which is the equivalent of around €110 per adult. But considering how much and how different you get to eat (and how expensive food is in Iceland), I think the price is quite reasonable for what you have on offer.

The starting point of the tour was Harpa, meeting point at the entrance area. We had parked near Hallgrímskirkja. We had a slightly longer journey from our house and of course wanted to get there on time - so we allowed plenty of time for the journey and then strolled through the city a bit before the tour. Wasn't the weather really just wonderful that day?!?

The meeting point was at the Harpa concert hall. By the way, the block of ice lying here was probably art.

I think there were 13 of us in total on the tour - mostly travelers from the US, but also English, French and other nationalities. We were led by an Icelander. The tour was in English. After a short round of introductions by all participants, things started.

Appetizers that whet your appetite for more

At our first stop, a restaurant in Hafnarstræti on Ingólfstorg, we were served two very tasty appetizers:

There was "Bleykja og Lummur", i.e. lightly fermented lake char on a blini (lummur) made from chickpea flour with crispy lentils and an elderflower dressing. Sounds a bit unusual, but it was really very tasty!

There was also "Lamb og hveitikökur", i.e. very slowly cooked soft lamb from Westfjord-style flatbread, with carrot puree, pickled red onions and horseradish sauce. A little less unusual than the char, more familiar in taste and definitely very nice - but the char was my personal highlight.

The most famous hot dog stand in Iceland...?

The best hot dogs in the world..? So the best hot dogs in the city, i.e. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, can be found in Reykjavík in Tryggvagata near the harbor, opposite the old customs house Kolaportið.

The hot dog stand here has existed since 1937 and former US President Bill Clinton as well as the guitarist from Metallica and Kim Kardashian have eaten sausages here.

The Icelandic hot dog sausages from SS Pylsur consist of around 65% meat (a mixture of lamb, pork and beef), plus other ingredients such as water, skimmed milk powder and potato flour. At 17%, the sausages have less fat than most hot dog sausages, but they have a relatively high protein content at 13% protein.

One of my favorite things! - One with everything!

If you order "eina með öllu" here, you get your hot dog "with everything". Specifically, this means: With Icelandic ketchup, Icelandic (slightly sweet) mustard, remoulade sauce and raw and fried onions.

It's not just the customers who like it, but also the many little birds who are always so busy looking for crumbs!

Once again char, but completely different -

and traditional Plokkfiskur with Rúgbrauð and butter

And we continued to a restaurant on Lækjargata. There were two dishes to try again, both of which were placed on the table in large pans and you could then help yourself to whatever you wanted.

There was lake char again, but this time prepared completely differently, namely fried in honey and butter with cherry tomatoes, lemon and almonds. And there was - we are in Iceland after all! - the national dish “Plokkfiskur”, i.e. boiled cod with mashed potatoes in white sauce. This typical, slightly sweet Icelandic rye bread (rúgbrauð) with butter was also served, also in a very classic way.

The food here was definitely very tasty - and it was a very special atmosphere, sitting so closely together at a large table, chatting happily and helping oneself from the large pans.

Next stop - an Icelandic bar with traditional dishes to try

When you think of Icelandic cuisine, you think of regional specialties such as fermented ice shark (Hákarl) or dried fish (harðfiskur), but also classic Icelandic meat soup (íslensk kjötsúpa). And that's exactly what we got to try at our next stop in a bar on Ingólfsstræti.

The ice shark has no kidneys and therefore accumulates urea in the blood. Hákarl is therefore not suitable for consumption by humans. The meat must first be buried for 6 to 12 weeks and then hung out to dry in the open air for 2 to 4 weeks so that the ammonia can be released and evaporate.

Hákarl has a consistency similar to bacon, tastes very hard to get used to and actually smells phenomenal. For many people, trying Hákarl is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

By the way, here in the bar the Hákarl was served in a sealable glass - there could be good reasons for this.

The harðfiskur (dry fish) used to be one of the most common foods in Iceland - the fish (usually haddock or cod) were caught, killed and scrubbed vigorously, then the heads were removed, the fish filleted, the fillets briefly dipped in brine and then put on wooden racks hung to air dry. Finally, the dried fillets are thoroughly "beaten" and then traditionally eaten with butter. In many cases, the dried fish you get is a bit tough and difficult to eat for inexperienced eaters, and is also relatively "dusty".

The dried fish has a protein value of 80 - 85% and is very light, which is why it was also ideal as food on long hikes. Even today, many Icelanders eat their harðfiskur like people elsewhere eat chips or popcorn.

Traditional Icelandic meat soup (kjötsúpa) is a hearty soup made from lamb and vegetables, usually with potatoes, carrots, turnips and cabbage, often thickened a little with barley like the soup.

There was also a craft beer to try in the bar, namely white ale from the Einstök brewery (= unique) in Akureyri. Cheers - skal!

Sweets at the end

At the end of our tour, we were served something sweet in a café on Hallgrímskirkja - there was classic Icelandic Kleinur, here with powdered sugar, and the legendary rye bread ice cream, with cream and rhubarb syrup.

A very cozy end to a very nice afternoon in the “most northern capital in the world”!

It was also fun to talk to the other participants in the restaurants. Every time we sat in a mixed bag, always with other neighbors who always came from completely different parts of the world and were able to contribute their very own experiences. We really enjoyed it, especially after 1.5 years of Corona without much socializing!

Afterwards we drove home very full and satisfied - although we made a quick photo stop at the illuminated greenhouses in Hveragerði. They glowed so beautifully through the night as we drove past.

Good night!

[Translated from here.]