‘Don’t you dare leave the living room until it’s ready!’
I sat, transfixed to my chair, wondering what the hell they were doing in the kitchen. Occasionally there would be a giggle and then an acrid, fishy smell would waft over me.
‘Is that a testicle?’
It’s safe to say that I was a little nervous. ‘It’s a nice surprise, right?’
‘You are so lucky to get this! It’s worth hundreds! THOUSANDS of pounds!’
I notice how they didn’t actually answer the question. I prepare for the worst. I was starting to think I would need a blindfold…
‘OK! Come in!’
This is what awaited me:
Did you know that from the 16th to 18th century the Faroe Islands were actually famous for their knitted wool socks? Their primary export even. Amazing. Anyway, my wonderful hosts had prepared a, um, fantastic platter of national delicacies. The sock was an added bonus I thought (but was not to be eaten, apparently).
Here are the delicacies in more detail. With labels!
And here’s a close-up of the wind-dried, rotten sheep (skerpikjøt) and whale blubber (spik). Yum . . .
Finally, me eating the sheep:
So, as I sat there chewing, enjoying the sheep, my host insisted on telling me a story about some family that had died eating the same dish a few years ago. Only after I’d had about 10 pieces of course. Apparently, if you accidentally put it in a bag, a deadly bacteria develops that then kills you within 12 hours. I pressed him for more information but he had none to give (I’ve JUST been told as I write this that it was botulism… insert nervous laughter here). He assured me that the skerpikjøt that was now sitting in my mouth, my face frozen into a rictus of terror, had never been placed in a bag.
If this is my last ever blog entry you’ll know that he was lying. And all of my worldly possessions should be preserved and kept in some kind of shrine/temple consecrated in the name of Seb…
Are hallucinations and delusions of grandeur the first symptoms of bacterial infection…?
Conclusions!
- The skerpikjøt (dried sheep) was actually rather nice! A lot like Parma ham/prosciutto (which I think is the same deal?) I ate lots of it.
- Turrur fiskur (dried fish) is… interesting. It’s completely dessicated; totally dry, very crumbly. But really odd — it’s a completely different texture to normal, wet fish. Not how fish should feel. The flavour was fine (it’s just cod), and it’s not like it was offensive in any way… just very odd.
- Whale blubber. Oh whale blubber… spik… wobbly, fishy, salty blubber. It’s not good. Maybe if you like chewing big lumps of fat you’ll like it. I’ve never liked chewing fat — I can just about do it if it’s fried or well-cooked but this is raw. Salted and cured in large chunks and then cut into small pieces for your chewing pleasure. I managed one piece and then almost threw up. Again, the flavour wasn’t particularly bad but the texture.
All that remains is puffin (which should be on Sunday) and dried-and-then-cooked fish (sounds better than the wind-dried raw stuff that I had today!)
I think there’s some other whale blubber variants that I can try but I think I’ll pass on those. Also, I’d like to try wind-dried whale meat but that’s very hard to get at the moment.
Hopefully some more photos to follow tomorrow. If the weather improves!
Abi
Jul 22, 2009
I am getting an image of Dog chews.. you know the ones.
And slices of lard. And.. The sheep meat looks more like Bressola. Small comfort.
sebastian
Jul 22, 2009
Just noticed I have a bit of a naff side-parting in that photo…
It was certainly chewy. And fishy AND salty.
I’m feeling more than slightly ill by reliving the moment…
Renee
Jul 22, 2009
Wow. You are a brave sir. You know, ever time I hear about a new set of delicacies, I realize that I am most certainly not adventurous with food. However it was very educational, and I applaud you for sharing.
Meandering Mel
Jul 22, 2009
Oh my god. You are one BRAVE BRAVE soul. Hahaha. When I was living in Germany, I was told that I should try “Rollmops” Aka, Pickled Herring. Being from the Western US, my fish eatting habits range from nothing, to nothing. (Ok, a little Salmon, Trout, and if I’m wild I’ll pick up some shrimp at the store!). The Rollmops made me want to hurl. I tried it again about 8 months later, and it wasn’t SO bad, but still. Hahaha.
I’m enjoying your pictures!
sebastian
Jul 22, 2009
You tried it AGAIN?!
I tried the Dutch equivalent which isn’t pickled — simply raw herring covered in onions.
Check: http://blog.mrseb.co.uk/2009/02/the-taste-of-banana-still-lingered-and-then-out-came-the-raw-herring/
At least it wasn’t FISHY as such. It’s just the damn texture that I can’t do. I hate foods with odd textures. I guess that’s more what people mean by a taste ‘growing’ on you — when you’ve had fish and meat cooked for 25 years, the raw texture is rather, um, interesting.
Glad ya liked it, Renee!
sebastian's mother
Jul 22, 2009
You are so brave honey, I would not have been able to eat any of it… well the potatoes would be ok I spose….
and I WARNED you about the sheep stuff. Well you seemed to have survived, luckily….
You are looking a bit thin!
Love the funky sock! Maybe you can buy some fingerless gloves to see you through the winter here in your garret…
sebastian
Jul 22, 2009
Great idea! I’ll see if I can find some nice ones.
I don’t look thin!
Art
Jul 22, 2009
You see, what happens when you eat dolphin is the Faroese karma gods send you whale blubber. But now I’m done harping on the dolphin. Sounds like quite a trip
Jaime
Jul 22, 2009
Ew. I wouldn’t have eaten any of it. Fish scares me, and meat that hasn’t been cooked thoroughly scares me even more.
the girl in stiletto
Jul 22, 2009
i want that shirt you were wearing!!! i want i want. please. pretty please. *batting eyelashes*
Eleni
Jul 22, 2009
Ew, I don’t think I would have liked the whale blubber, either. Not a fan of animal fat in general. Good for you for trying! Did you notice all of the locals eating these things and enjoying them? Or are some of these foods just used to torture tourists?
Mmm, botulism.
Jill Pilgrim
Jul 22, 2009
Dear Sir,
I am highly impressed with your culinary open-mindedness. The whale blubber looks like it would taste exactly the way you described. You are a brave, brave man.
Hoping You Don’t Die,
Jill
sebastian
Jul 23, 2009
Yes Art, the blubber was Poseidonic karma sent from the Leviathan-riddled depths of the Atlantic to haunt me for ever more.
*shudders*
I think the dried fish was actually the weirdest food — at least with the sheep the texture was fairly regular. And the blubber, it was bad but no worse than I expected. The fish was just WEIRD. Like… crispy and chewy and flaky all at the same time.
Eleni — one of them ate the blubber with reckless abandon. Another ate blubber for the first time (with me). Two others simply shook their heads and said ‘Nooooyyy’ (No).
I think, as with most delicacies, the term usually implies ‘rarity’ rather than ‘tastiness’. You have to eat it because a) it’s of high value and b) you don’t know when you will next get some!
A bit like sex, I guess…
Sakura
Jul 23, 2009
The sheep looks quite appetising
well done for trying it all!
Kali
Jul 23, 2009
I fail to understand why everything is raw and wind-cured. Don’t they have Betty Crocker recipe books like everybody else? Seems to me they should invest in an oven. Or at least a stove.
The socks, however, look lovely. I sort of want a pair.
sebastian
Jul 23, 2009
Because most of it was caught at sea, Kali — they then had to prepare it out there, or it’d be rotten before they got home! I think historically sailors would salt it… but obviously, wind-dried is probably a bit tastier than dunked in barrels of salt.
As for the sheep, again, you have to cure things if you want to keep them for longer than a few days/weeks. When the only food you have is fish and sheep (and some potatoes), I guess you have to find good ways of having food for the rest of the year — thus the curing!
They smoke stuff too, but wind-drying seems to be more popular. It certainly tasted rather nice!
chrome3d
Jul 23, 2009
Margarine is mixed with hot potatoes and it melts and it becomes like sauce. Is this a totally alien concept to you? I never peel my potatoes either but many prefer them peeled in Scandinavia.
Melissa
Jul 23, 2009
Good god, the blubber! I’m practically sick just THINKING about it! (But then, I get squeamish about raw bacon….) You are a braver soul than many of us, apparently!
I wonder, if you thought of the fish as something else, like a nice, fish-flavored chip (crisp?), would it work out better? I have a similar thing about textures and the only way I can eat shellfish is by imagining it’s something entirely different than animal. Otherwise the texture is just awful!
sebastian
Jul 23, 2009
I’ve had shellfish once — but cooked, not raw. And not oysters. I think it was mussels or something, or inbetween mussels and oysters, I forget their name. Also, never had crab or lobster, but I’m game if someone makes me eat it! (I imagine it tastes like prawn meat…?)
Chrome — I use butter. Margarine is foul. Isn’t margarine closer chemically to diesel than most other food stuffs…?
(They actually use butter on bread, but margarine for everything else…)
It probably would help if I went at it again without thinking of it as fish. But you know, I think I’ll just keep that one in the realm of theory. No more dried fish or blubber for me.
JPP
Jul 23, 2009
Don’t do it! Don’t eat the puffin. I will cry.
I got the prints in the mail. Greater detail in an email shortly but simply stated…
I love them both.
Lindsay
Jul 31, 2009
Oh Wow Seb you are adorable in that picture. Glasses and beards get me every time.
sebastian
Jul 31, 2009
Thank you!
I rarely let my inner-dork shine through in photos but occasionally someone grabs a camera and I can’t stop them…!
There will probably be some drunk photos of me turning up at some stage too.