Kjötsúpudagurinn

Meat soup day at the beginning of winter

In Iceland, winter always begins at the end of October. The first day of winter ("fyrsti vetrardagur") according to the Old Icelandic calendar is the first Saturday between October 21st and 27th.

Since 2003, "kjötsúpudagur", or meat soup day, has been celebrated on the first day of winter on the Skólavörðustígur road, which leads from Hallgrímskirka down to Laugavegur in Reykjavík. From 2 p.m. onwards, different versions of the typical Icelandic meat soup are served at several stations along the street - usually from 2 p.m. and while stocks last (maximum until 4 p.m.).

Last year we tried it out on Meat Soup Day 2021 - unfortunately we couldn't do it this year. It is definitely a worthwhile and delicious experience!

Impressions from 2021

If you missed the Kjötsúpudagur on the Skólavörðustígur this year, like we did, you can of course still cook Icelandic meat soup yourself at home - here on the blog you will find both a tried and tested recipe for Icelandic Kjötsúpa and a very tasty meatless version, which perfectly captures the soul of this dish in terms of taste and is also suitable for vegans, the “meatless meat soup” (“kjötlaus kjötsúpa”).

Meat or no meat, that doesn't even have to be the question.

And both really taste good!

[Translated from here.]

Cooking eggs in nature

There aren't many places where you can simply cook an egg while hiking in the great outdoors - but in some corners of Iceland you can.

My husband went hiking on Monday, nearby in an area with hot mud springs.

And he was also prepared for culinary adventures - with a fresh egg, an "egg timer" that changes color so you can see how well-cooked the egg is, and a plastic bag (unfortunately we didn't have a net).

Varúð! Hverasvæði

Hverasvæði means "solfatar field". Solfatars or fumaroles are when hot, sulfur-containing water vapor or gas flows out of cracks or holes in volcanic areas. A mud pot ("leirhver", in English "mud pot") is a hot spring that, in geothermally active areas, is fed by groundwater inflow, whereby some of the water evaporates and the remaining water, along with water vapor and volcanic gases, then bubbles up rises to the surface in some places.

Such mud pots can be really life-threatening - it is said, for example, that the town of Hveragerði introduced street lighting at the beginning of the 20th century after a man fell into one of these mud pots in the town in the dark and died.

My husband was really lucky with the weather - absolutely golden September here in Iceland. And all the steaming springs in the early evening light, that has a very special charm!

But you really have to be extremely careful in such a landscape, as beautiful as it is. Visitors are warned by numerous signs and barriers.

Be careful, mud sources!

There are many dangerous mud springs in this area. New sources are constantly emerging with no clear signs on the surface. Stay on the paths and don't go too close to the mud springs. Enter at your own risk!

By the way, the warning on these signs that new springs are constantly forming in such areas without you necessarily being able to see it on the surface is absolutely serious!

Cooking eggs in nature

My husband cooked his egg in one of the hot springs here during his hike:

The egg went into a plastic bag along with the Egg Timer. My husband then hung the whole thing in one of the hot springs, here in this surreal landscape, and he weighed down the handles of the bag with a large stone to make everything possible secure yourself well and keep enough distance yourself.

The bag then hung in the bubbling spring for 10 minutes, after which the "egg timer egg" indicated that it was hard-boiled.

However, the freshly boiled egg was now really hot and my husband had to wait a bit before he could even peel his egg. But it worked perfectly and tasted good!

Refreshed, we went back home...

The safe alternative:

If you would like to cook your egg in the Icelandic nature, I recommend the Geothermal Park in Hveragerði - here visitors can buy an egg and rent a "fishing rod" and then cook their egg freshly in one of the hot springs. A cool experience for small and large children!

Geothermal Park in Hveragerði, egg cooking 2013/2014

[Translated from here.]

Bakkelsi

Icelandic pastries

Since our first trip to Iceland in 2004, I've been passionate about Icelandic cuisine - but sometimes I think, in a little corner of my heart, what I love most is classic Icelandic pastries, like carrot cake, Vínarbrauð - and of course the traditional small pastries like Kleinur, Ástarpungar ("love balls") and cinnamon rolls.

I already have a number of cinnamon roll recipes on the blog, including my absolute favorite cinnamon roll recipe .

I also baked the Ástarpungar using a tried and tested recipe that I have had on the blog since 2015.

For the Kleinur I always like to vary things up, this time it was this recipe with vanilla skyr and finely ground wheat flour:

Ingredients for approx. 30 Kleinur

100 g sugar

1 egg

160 g vanilla skyr

80 ml milk

1 tsp cardamom

440 g wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 kg coconut oil for deep frying

Preparation

In a large bowl, first whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla skyr, milk and cardamom until frothy.

Then add the wheat flour and baking powder and knead everything into a smooth dough.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 0.5 cm thick on a floured work surface or a piece of baking paper.

Cut the dough into approx. 5 cm wide strands and then cut at a 45° angle so that diamonds are formed from the dough. Cut a slit in the middle of each diamond using a sharp knife or something similar.

Then pull one end of the diamond-shaped piece of dough through so that the whole thing is “twisted”. Alternatively, you can roll the two sides inwards and then press the sides together a little so that the pastry retains its shape when baking.

Slowly melt the coconut oil in a large pot.

The liquid fat has reached the right temperature when you hold a thin, long wooden stick into the fat and small, bubbling bubbles form on the wooden stick.

Using a ladle, place the small pieces one at a time in the hot fat and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, making sure to turn the pieces so that they are baked on all sides. Be careful not to bake the Kleinur in the fat for too long - they will darken in the air afterwards!

Then lift the Kleinur out of the fat with the ladle and drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Snúðadagurinn er í dag

Today is cinnamon roll day

On October 4th, the Swedes celebrate "Kanelbullens dag", the "Day of the Cinnamon Rolls".

In Iceland there is the “rolls' day”, the “snúðadagur”.

To mark this day, the Brauð & Co. bakery had a special "3 for 2" special offer for all pastry rolls and today only there was even a new variety ("Lemon Cheesecake").

Although they had probably baked a lot more rolls than usual, all of the rolls had already been sold out in some branches this afternoon; the bakery had obviously underestimated the rush this year. The rolls there are also really tasty - I can confirm that!

Otherwise - if in doubt, just bake it yourself! You will find numerous different cinnamon roll recipes here on my blog, including my very personal favorite recipe .

Cinnamon rolls are always a hit - not just on October 4th, Cinnamon Roll Day!

[Translated from here.]

Kartöfluvínarbrauð

Potato Viennese bread

I like to use up the potato leftovers from the day before when baking, like here for this traditional Viennese bread with potato dough - especially now in autumn, it has something wonderfully "earthy".

Ingredients

220 g boiled potatoes

240 g flour

220 g margarine

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 Tbsp rhubarb jam

1 egg for brushing

2 Tbsp almond flakes

1 Tbsp granulated sugar or similar

Preparation

Mash the cooked potatoes thoroughly...

... and knead thoroughly with the flour, margarine, cinnamon and cardamom, baking powder and baking soda; If necessary, add a little more flour.

Roll out with a rolling pin into two strips approx. 15 cm wide.

Spread with the jam, fold in the edges and press down gently.

Whisk the egg and brush it on the two pieces of dough...

...then sprinkle with the flaked almonds and sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for approx. 20 - 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Verði ykkur að góðu - enjoy it!

[Translated from here.]

Obituary: Svavar Pétur / Prins Póló

Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson (1977 - 2022)

The Icelandic artist Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson, also known by his stage name “Prins Pólo”, has died at the age of just 45.

The man with the golden crown as his trademark...

Well-known musician and artist

Svavar Pétur came from Breiðhólt, a district of Reykavík. He studied graphic design and, in addition to his work as an experimental artist, performed very successfully as a singer-songwriter, band musician and solo artist. His works with references from his song lyrics are also very popular and well-known in Iceland.

Is it too late to get another coffee?

Svavar Pétur had already been diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer in 2018. He fought the illness until the end and continued to work creatively as a painter and musician, had another exhibition in the summer of 2022 and released a new album.

A pioneer of vegan Icelandic cuisine

Svavar Pétur was also a pioneer of vegan Icelandic cuisine and developed and marketed vegan sausages (" bulsur ") made from regional Icelandic ingredients (pearl barley, beans, tomato puree, etc.) and the pearl barley chips " Bopp ".

A few years ago we visited Svavar Pétur and his wife Berglind on their farm Havarí in Berufsjörður, where the family ran organic farming and a culture and tourism center with a café until 2020, and interviewed the two about their "bulsur".

The couple were flexitarians themselves, but lived primarily “plant-based.” It was important to them that the food consisted of fresh ingredients, if possible organically produced or from high-quality regional cultivation, freshly prepared and without preservatives or other additives. They also took this approach with their vegan sausages.

Berglind told us very clearly about the first beginnings of vegan sausages in her home kitchen ("some of them didn't smell good at all!") and the practical difficulties in the further development and production process.

We were also able to try the vegan sausages on site in Havarí - with mashed potatoes, pickled radishes, currants, fresh kale and pickled beets. Definitely very tasty - we also have very fond memories of the food!

[Translated from here.]

Christmas is coming, only 3 months to go...

Our Christmas book is published

Just in time before the Christmas season starts, our new book is published. It’s a book about Christmas in Iceland.

You can learn a lot about Icelandic Christmas traditions, e.g. about the 13 Yule Lads, about the terrible Christmas Cat, about the lights in the cemeteries, about how Icelanders celebrate their patron saint on December 23rd, about the Christmas flood of books, the fireworks sale for New Year`s Eve, the bonfires, which are lighted at the end of the Christmas season, and much more.

And you will also get many recipes of Icelandic Christmas cuisine. From cookies, confectionary and pastries through drinks like Christmas beer and mulled wine to complete main courses and desserts typical for the holidays.

“Yummy Iceland at Christmas Time – Recipes and Traditions” is the ideal gift for everyone, who’s interested in Iceland and who loves cooking and baking.

It is available at Amazon, either as hardcover in premium quality, as paperback, or as a Kindle version. 

More about it here.

[Translated from here.]